LESSON

04 IELTS READING

Reading:
Summary completion

20 IELTS LEVEL 2 Course - Student’s book Lesson 04

LESSON 4: IELTS READING

TOPIC: HEALTH
In Class

I. EXERCISE 1

Boiling point-the pressure of modern life

[…] According to university professor Stafford Lightman, there are three reasons
why some of us suffer more than others: our genes, our experiences in early
life, and what’s happened to us recently. Stressful events-getting married or
divorced, changing jobs or moving house-are known to cause rising tension,
but to what level is partly determined by our genetic stress thermostats. They
have discovered that although our ability to deal with stress is determined at
birth, it can change at various stages of life, including during early childhood.

But it’s not always the most obvious jobs that prove to be the most stressful.
Presenting findings of a study at the annual conference of the British
Psychological Society in Scotland earlier this year, Saqib Saddiq, a consultant
with the recruitment company SHL, revealed that librarians experienced more
stress than people working for the emergency services, driving a 125 mph
express train, or teaching a class of challenging children. Saddiq interviewed
300 people in five occupations and found librarians to be most dissatisfied with
their lot, and therefore more stressed. They complained that their jobs lacked
variety and fulfilment, whereas, remarkably, members of the emergency services
were happier and more relaxed at work. ‘Although police officers and firefighters
find themselves in stressful situations, there is much more variety in their work,
both in terms of location and the type of work they do,’ explains Saddiq. […]

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Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS

from the passage for each answer.

The most obvious jobs don’t always 1 ............................ the most stressful.
Saqib Saddiq, who works for recruitment company SHL, revealed that
librarians experience 2 ................................... than people working for the
emergency services. Librarians claimed that their jobs lacked 3 ................
................ whereas people in what appear to be more stressful jobs were
happier and more relaxed. Variety at work is key to job satisfaction and
low stress levels, it seems.

II. EXERCISE 2

What is stress?
Most people would say they know what stress is. But for scientists who
study stress, it has been surprisingly hard to define. This is because there
are so many ways of looking at stress.

Some researchers have studied how our bodies react to stress. You know
how your heart beats faster, you perspire more heavily, and your words do
not come out right when you are placed in a stressful situation. But knowing
how we feel when we experience stress does not explain it; nor does it tell us
what causes it.

Other scientists have looked at stressors: events or situations that

produce stress. A deadline, a poor test performance, or bothersome noises
all may be thought of as stressors. Even pleasant events can be stressors.
Planning a party or starting a new job can be just as stressful as being called
to the principal’s office.

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Stress, then, can be caused by both negative and positive events, or

stressors. Of course, whether an event is thought of as positive or negative is,
in some ways, a matter of personal choice.

In sum, it is the way people interpret an event that makes it stressful or not
stressful: This process of interpretation is called appraisal. Depending on how
people appraise, or judge, circumstances, they may or may not consider them
stressful.

Complete the summary below by choosing NO MORE THAN THREE

WORDS from the passage for each answer.

It is hard for the scientists to define the word 4 .............................. because

there are many ways of looking at it. Your body reacts to stress with a
fast-beating heart, heavy perspiration and so on when you are in
5 ................................ 6 ............................ refer to events or situations that
produce stress and they may even include 7 .................................. such as
8 ................................... and starting a new job. In general, stress can be
caused by both negative and positive events.

III. EXERCISE 3

Chiropractic manipulation
What is it? Chiropractors diagnose and treat conditions that are due to
mechanical faults in the joints, especially the spine.

What does it involve? A chiropractor manipulates joints using the hands to

improve mobility and relieve pain.

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What is the theory? If the spine is not functioning properly, it can cause irritation
of the nerves that control posture and movement. This irritation can lead to
‘referred’ pain, which is felt in another part of the body. By manipulating joints,
chiropractors stimulate the joint’s movement receptors, which are sensors that
provide feedback to the brain on where the joint is.

What is the evidence? Going to a chiropractor is now mainstream. The British

Chiropractic Association reports 90,000 patient visits a week. It is one of the
most regulated of the alternative therapies and yet, of those discussed here, it is
potentially the most dangerous. Manipulation of the neck can tear the fragile
tissue of the vertebral artery and, in the worst cases, result in a stroke.

In January this year the UCLA Medical School published a report on 681 patients
who were given chiropractic help when they had lower back pain. After 6 months,
96 per cent of them still had lower back pain, leading the researchers to conclude
that chiropractic manipulation had been ineffective. Professor Ernst says: ‘The
bottom line is that it works for a very limited number of spinal conditions, and
mainly in the short term.’
Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS
from the passage for each answer.

Chiropractic manipulation is now a popular and accepted alternative

therapy that uses joint manipulation to relieve pain and increase
9 ..................................
Although it is one of the most controlled alternative therapies, it could also
be the 10 ............................... Research concluded that the treatment was
11 ............................ for the vast majority of patients receiving it for lower
back pain and overall, its success was 12 ....................................... and
largely temporary.

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LESSON 4: IELTS READING

TOPIC: HEALTH
Homework

I. GRAMMAR
1. Present perfect
Exercise 1: (Track 1) Listen to the conversation between two IELTS
candidates and tick the activities they have done.

Activities Candidate A (female) Candidate B (male)

1 Send application form

2 Receive confirmation

3 Find passport

4 Watch speaking test video

5 Do practice test

6 Buy alarm clock

Exercise 2: Complete the rule for yet and already.

1. Yet is used with ................................. and ............................sentences.

2. Already is used with ............................. sentences.

Exercise 3: Complete the conversation between Sally and Bohos, who

are preparing to go on holiday. The list shows what they
have / have not done.
Sally Bohos

Book hotel 

Buy flight ticket 

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Sally Bohos

Apply for visa 

Pack suitcase x

Check weather forecast 

Do washing x

Call parents x

Bohos: 1 .................... you ............. the hotel 2 ....................., Sally?

Sally: Yes, I did it this morning. I 3 ................. the flight tickets too,
from the airline website.
Bohos: Good. Now, let’s look at the list to see what else we have to do.
OK - I 4 ........................ for my visa, but it 5 ......................... yet.
Packing the suitcase is next - that’s your job, Sally.
Sally: Well, I 6 .......................... it 7 ........................, because I still
8 ................... the washing, and I don’t want to pack dirty clothes.
You need to check the weather forecast and call your parents.
Bohos: I 9 ....................... the weather forecast, and it’s going to be fine
and sunny tomorrow. So there’s one more thing I have to do.
I 10 ........................... my parents 11 ................................

Exercise 4: Complete the passage using the correct form of the words
in brackets.
1 ............... (you / try) making your own
bread? If you haven’t, you should. It’s
not difficult. After you 2 .........................
(measure) the correct amount of flour
and warm water, mix them together in a
bowl. You now need to add yeast, salt
and sugar. When you 3 ................. (do)

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this, work the mixture with your hands, then leave it in a warm place for
an hour. When it 4 ............... (grow) to double the size, work it with
your hands again. It should feel dry to the touch if you 5 ........................
(follow) the instructions correctly. Put the bread mixture into a tin, and
leave it for an hour until it 6 ........................ (rise) up over the top.
Finally, when you 7 ..................... (heat) the oven, bake the bread
for about forty minutes.

Exercise 5: Choose the correct tense to complete the sentences.

1. I took / have taken the IELTS test three times now, and the last time
it was / has been much easier for me.
2. When you finished / have finished with the newspaper, can I have it?
3. Yesterday I didn’t eat / haven’t eaten breakfast, but so far this morning
I had / have had three pieces of toast and a banana.
4. This grammar book is no use to me-someone filled in / has filled in
all the answers!
5. Good morning, class. Did you do / Have you done your homework?
Please give it to me.
6. It rained / has rained nearly every day last month, but this month the
weather was / has been very good.
7. There isn’t any milk left-the others must drink / must have drunk it all.
8. A: Can I speak to Gordon, please?
B: I’m sorry, he’s not here. He went / has gone to see a film.
9. I wrote / I’ve written 2,000 words of my dissertation, but I still have
1,500 to write.
10. The value of the pound sterling dropped / has dropped considerably
since last year.

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Exercise 6: Write the newspaper headlines in full

1. Foreign minister returns from Washington
The foreign minister has returned from Washington.
2. Police catch £30 million bank robber
________________________________________________________.
3. Damaged aircraft lands safely-200 people survive unhurt
________________________________________________________.
4. Prime Minister caught in love triangle! Offers to resign immediately
________________________________________________________.

2. Past simple
Exercise 1: Complete the interview with the correct form of the verbs
in the box.

attend graduate plan pass decide study travel

Examiner: Tell me about your education and how it has changed in

your country.

Candidate: Well, I was born in Poland in 1986 and when T was seven
years old I 1 ............................ grammar school for six years
until I was 13. Then I went to a gymnasium. I was at high
school for three years and after I 2 ...................... my exams,
I took a year out and 3 ....................... around southeast Asia
- I 4 ....................... to go around Europe but it was cheaper to
go to Asia. Then I 5 ........................ to go to the University of
Krakow, where I 6 .................................. Microbiology and
7 .............................. in this a few years later. Recently the
government decided to […]

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Exercise 2: Complete the questions with the correct form of the verbs
in brackets.
Examiner: 1 .......... you ............ a good journey to the test center? (have)
Candidate: Yes, it was quite easy - I 2 .................... a bus here. (catch)
Examiner: How far 3 ............. you .................. this morning? (travel)
Candidate: Not too far - it 4 ............ about fifteen minutes to get here. (take)
Examiner: 5 .............. you .................. in Riyadh? (born)
Candidate: No, I wasn’t born in Riyadh. I 6 .............. born in Jeddah. (be)
Examiner: Where 7 .............. you .................. to university? (go)
Candidate: I 8 ....................... from King Saud University. (graduate)
Examiner: Which subjects 9 ........ you .......... at King Saud University? (take)
Candidate: At first I 10 .................. Law, but I 11 ......................... it so I
12 .................. to Media and Journalism. (study / not like / change)

II. VOCABULARY
Complete sentences using vocabularies from the Glossary table in
Preparation – B. Vocabulary.

1. He ............................. from asthma.

2. A central heating ............... is a device that keeps a building, engine, etc.
within a limited temperature range by automatically switching the supply
of heat on and off.
3. There’s been so much media ................ of the facts that nobody knows
the truth of the matter.
4. Because of severe arthritis, her .......................... was limited.
5. It is an antiseptic cream suitable for minor skin .............................

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6. Therapists recommend ........... ........... for patients with chronic back pain.
7. The law proved ................. in dealing with the problem.
8. Teachers are under increasing ..................... to work longer hours.
9. She’s very good at coping in ......................
10. ............... noise can be a .....................
11. The journalists and camera crews began to ................ in the heat as they
stood waiting for the president to appear.
12. Standing on your head is supposed to ........................ hair growth.
13. Under no .................... should you fall in love with a lady-killer.
14. The security device has a heat ................ which detects the presence
of people and animals.
15. Several K-pop idols have halted their activities due to .............. injuries.

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