READING PRACTICE - WEEK 5 (March 17, 2022)

Skills practiced:
- Skimming & scanning
Task types:
- Multiple choice questions
- Sentence completion
- Matching

READING PASSAGE 1
ORGANIC OR ENHANCED?

Section I
One of today’s latest crazes, popularized by the Internet and mainstream media, is eating
organic products. These products, such as vegetables and livestock, are grown or raised without
the use of fertilizers, pesticides or hormones. Advocates of these products believe in a
“greener”, back to nature approach and try to discourage people from buying from
supermarkets, as the bulk of produce on sale there has been enhanced with additives for mass
production.

Section II
What does the term “enhanced food” really mean? Well, scientists around the globe are
constantly hard at work trying to improve the value, quality, and appearance of food on a scale
beyond our imagination. In order to do this, they resort to measures such as cloning, adding
artificial coloring, adding preservatives, and altering nutritional value. The reasons behind this
are to make the product look as attractive as possible and prevent it from decaying easily, thus
prolonging its shelf life.

Section III
Science claims that food manufactured in this way is perfectly safe for human consumption and
has undergone a barrage of rigid health and quality checks by both independent and governing
bodies before it is released onto the market. Using these methods, food can be mass-produced
at a lower cost, making it more accessible for people in poorer countries. In addition to this,
food with a longer shelf life reduces waste.

Section IV
While altering the DNA of our vegetable produce is not as frowned upon as it once was, many
people raise objections when the same process is used on animals. Animal activists are strongly
opposed to interfering with animal DNA in order to make it more desirable for human
consumption. Altering life in search of ways to nourish the population can often have disastrous
results, results that are often unpredictable and uncontrollable.

Section V
This may be the reason why organic farms are on the rise, and although their produce is pricier,
more and more people buy from them when their budget allows it. In a recent survey where

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consumers were asked which product they would buy if money was not an issue, an amazing
67% said they would prefer to buy organic produce. Nowadays, a plethora of information can
be found on the subject through the Internet, and there seems to be a growing consensus that
there is just something inherently right about producing food as nature intended.

Section VI
Both ways of producing food are backed by strong arguments as to which is better. Organic
methods produce food the natural way, and science applies cutting edge technology to address
issues such as world starvation. Pushing the boundaries of what we already know is a learning
process which involves trial and error, but it also leads to the advancement of our knowledge
and the understanding of our natural world.

A. CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER.

1. Section I suggests that

A. supermarkets sell very little enhanced produce.
B. organic produce is more natural.
C. scientists approve of organic products.
D. we should only buy food from supermarkets.
2. In the passage, it is stated that enhanced food
A. is free of additives.
B. has a short expiration date.
C. has no nutritional value.
D. contains artificial coloring.
3. Scientists claim that enhanced food
A. is only produced for poor countries.
B. is unfit for human consumption.
C. is low in quality.
D. is more economical.
4. Altering the DNA of food products
A. is fine according to most people.
B. can be disastrous.
C. is approved by animal rights activists.
D. applies only to vegetables.
5. The survey revealed that
A. organic food is reasonably priced.
B. the majority buys organic food.

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 C. buying organic food is a waste of money.
D. organic products are too expensive.
6. Section VI suggests that
A. future enhanced food will be more natural.
B. technology helps to produce organic food.
C. there is still much to be learned about nature.
D. scientists are most interested in world starvation.

B/ The reading passage has six sections I–VI. Choose the most suitable heading for each
section II–VI from the list below. Write the appropriate letter (a–i) for each section.
Example: Section I – Heading: e

7. Section II Heading: __ __ a. Seeking Knowledge

8. Section III Heading: __ __ b. Unhealthy Eating
9. Section IV Heading: __ __ c. Feeding the Masses
10. Section V Heading: __ __ d. Food Technology
11. Section VI Heading: __ __ e. Back to Nature
f. Buying on a Budget
g. Food Production Ethics
h. The Old-Fashioned Way
i. Organic is Best

C. COMPLETE EACH SENTENCE WITH THE CORRECT WORD FROM THE

WORD BANK

major modified primarily shifted stable

12. The growing number of overweight children is a ________ ____________ concern for

health professionals.

13. Experts suggest relying ___ _________________ on doctors for health advice, not on

magazines or online news articles.

14. The chef _________ ___________ the dessert by using a little less sugar, but it had very

little effect on the taste.

15. I am looking for a more ______ ______________ work schedule that will let me get

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 home at the same time every evening.

16. Our family has _______ _____________ from eating meat every day to only having it

twice a week.

D. Match the underlined word with the correct synonym.

_____ 17. I have tried many diets that didn’t work, so I’m
looking for a new approach to losing weight. A. persuade
18. ________Easy access to fresh vegetables is one benefit B. way
of growing your own garden. C. remove
19. Scientists suggest eating less meat, but it isn’t D. question
necessary to eliminate meat from your diet E. advantage
completely. F. connection
20. I did not challenge my mother when she told me
to be home by 10 p.m.
21. Many scientists believe there is a link between
stress and illness.
22. Words like “low fat” and “all natural” often
encourage people to buy certain foods at the
supermarket.

E. Read the sentence. Use the underlined collocation to decide if the subject of the
sentence is the cause or the effect. Choose A or B.

23. People’s eating habits often stem from the kind of lifestyle they have.
A. cause
B. effect
24. The heavy rainstorm brought about flooding in the city.
A. cause
B. effect
25. The town’s new seat belt law has resulted in fewer accidents.
A. cause
B. effect
26. Eating more fruits and vegetables contributes to healthier living.
A. cause
B. effect