IELTS Reading Test

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Reading Passage 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1 - 13, which are based on
Reading Passage 1 below.

A practice for body and mind

Meditation is described as a ‘mind and body treatment’. Its popularity has soared with the help of
a growing body of research showing that it reduces stress and anxiety, increases physical
performance, promotes self-regulation and empathy, decreases chronic pain, and improves
physical and mental health. There are several types of meditation, but most have four principal
characteristics: a relaxed place with minimal disturbance; a particular, relaxing posture (sitting,
lying down, walking or any other position); deep concentration (on a specially selected word or
word collection, an object or a breathing pattern); and an optimistic approach (letting the
disturbances come and go without considering them).

There is not much written about the discovery of meditation, although its origin can be traced
back to ancient times. Teacher and practitioner Nicole Clark explains: “Scientists assume that
primitive hunter-gatherer societies may have unknowingly come upon meditation and
experienced an altered state of mind while staring at their fires. Then meditation grew into a
regular practice over thousands of years.” Apparently, five thousand years ago, Indian scriptures
called ‘Tantras’ mentioned meditation techniques and made meditation popular in the East for
the first time.” In the West, however, meditation was first practised in the 17th-century. Still, it
didn’t gain popularity until the late twentieth century when more and more people were looking
for a way to reconnect to peace, calmness and happiness in the fast-paced western society. How
this happened is described by historian Ernest Adams: “meditation spread across to Western
countries thousands of years after Buddha’s teachings spread far and wide across the Asian
continent since meditation was the main characteristic of his religion. Due to the popularity of
Buddhism, countries and cultures adopted different forms of meditation and created their own
unique way of practising it.”

Meditation proponents believe that it can play a significant role in people’s lives on various levels
as it can be used to achieve physical, emotional, and mental balance. Stefan Fletcher, an
Australian businessman and an enthusiastic fan, mentions: “meditation helps me fight insomnia,
and this allows me to make more sensible decisions. As it promotes deep rest, I can be more
energetic and productive during the day.” Meditation has also been found useful in stimulating
the brain, replacing the need for alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, or addictive substances. Based on
studies conducted by Doctor Mila Martin, it was found that meditation comes with similar
biological and psychological benefits to drug therapy: “well-performed meditation can improve
different neurological mechanisms in the human body that are linked with mental and physical
well-being. That is why we often prescribe meditation as complementary mind-body medicine.”
Many of us are stressed out all the time. Therefore, controlling stress in the human body is one of
the more studied benefits of meditation. Psychologist Daisy Richards, a specialist in this field,
believes that human adaptation over time as a result of evolution is to blame: “The fight-or-flight
reaction, known as the adrenaline rush, is a physiological reaction that we have acquired over
millions of years and occurs in response to perceived threats to our survival. These reactions are
imperative when people are in serious danger. Getting stuck in traffic or being irritated at work are
a few everyday situations that elicit the same response in our body. People should be able to cope
with these unnecessary stressors with the help of meditation, especially if these stressors are
beyond their control; otherwise, they would wind up with chronic stress.”

A recent study on the impact of stress in college students found that meditation shows promise in
reducing stress and anxiety. It was reported that these students are at risk of developing
hypertension, and meditation has been effective in reducing blood pressure. In this study, the
students were randomly assigned to a meditation group or a control group. The researchers also
created a high-risk subgroup based on blood pressure readings, family history, and weight. At the
beginning of the study, all participants were screened for high blood pressure and psychological
problems, and the procedure was repeated after three months when the study ended. The
meditation group was enrolled in a five-step meditation course with regular refresher meetings
and was monitored for the continuity of the meditation practice. Riley Morgan, the director of the
research, was satisfied with the initial findings but presented the results with caution: “These
results indicate that by practising meditation, young adults at risk of developing high blood
pressure may be able to lower that risk. However, to validate our short-term findings, future
studies should focus on the long-term effects of meditation on hypertension and stress.”

It is proved that meditation has numerous beneficial effects on the brain. It seems that people
who have been meditating for a long time have better-preserved brains as they age than those
who don’t. They also develop a larger hippocampus, a part of the brain which controls learning
and memory. Meditation also brings about structural changes in those areas of the brain that
regulate emotions and improve self-referential processing functions. These effects are not limited
to adults. Meditation can produce a host of short- and long-term positive outcomes for children’s
developing brains as well. Many kids experience some level of school-related anxiety, and they are
susceptible to traumatic stress outside the school. To tackle this, schools and other educational
institutes are pioneering the use of meditation. Los Angeles high school principal, Stella Walker,
describes the effects of meditation on her students: “Although I was uncertain at first, we began a
twice-daily meditation course and observed dramatic suspension decrease, GPA increase and
reduction in absenteeism.”

Although there is a great deal of opposition to meditation, those who practice it are ardent
supporters. Inarguably, meditation has become one of the most popular ways to relieve stress
among people from all walks of life. Even though further studies on the effects of meditation are
still being carried out, a growing number of doctors already prescribe its techniques. With more
clinical data in its favour, it is expected that meditation will become a widely recommended
therapy in the future.

Glossary
Hypertension - abnormally high blood pressure
Reading Passage 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14 - 26, which are based on
Reading Passage 2 below.

The History of Salt

Paragraph A
Salt has deeply influenced human life since its discovery thousands of years ago. Not only
in terms of eating habits but also in social, financial, mythological and religious realms.
Salt, staple food and feed, was for centuries more precious than gold, so much so that “salt
roads” were constructed in Europe, Asia and Africa by which salt was transported to
regions where it was not produced. Salt production and transportation has led to the
emergence of settlements and infrastructures such as cities and roads. It has been
suggested that the first civilizations emerged along the edges of deserts because of the
natural surface deposits of salt that could be found there. In ancient Rome, salt was used
for commerce and trade. Soldiers who worked for the Roman Empire were given a
handful of salt as their payment for each day. This was known as ‘salarium’, the Latin root
of the word ‘salary’.

Paragraph B
Salt has been interwoven into civilizations long before the existence of written
documents. About four thousand seven hundred years ago, Shennong Bencao Jing,
perhaps the oldest documented pharmacology paper, was released in China. This
literature described the features of more than forty varieties of salt for the first time. It also
elaborated on two techniques of salt extraction and use, which were remarkably similar to
the processes used today.

Paragraph C
Most people think of salt as simply that white granular seasoning found in saltshakers on
virtually every dining table. Still, only six per cent of global salt production is used to
prepare meals. Over fourteen thousand different uses of salt have been identified, which
are necessary for many industries. The chemical industry is by far the largest consumer of
salt. Its compounds make salt one of the essential materials in the industry as it is used for
the chemical synthesis of more than 50% of chemical products. It is also used in the
manufacturing of thousands of other commodities such as glass, rubber, fertilizers,
textiles, polyester, household bleach, soaps and detergents, as well as in industrial water
softening systems.

Paragraph D
As a symbol of incorruptibility and immortality, salt was and still is thrown in the coffin of a
dead person before the funeral in some European countries to keep away the devil. In the
past, salt was also added to the beer during its manufacturing process in ancient Scotland
to save it from being ruined by witches and evil spirits. Today we know that the added salt
prevented excessive fermentation. In some countries, it is believed that if you do spill salt,
a pinch should be picked up and thrown over the left shoulder. This is supposed to blind
the devil, which could be standing behind.
Paragraph E
Salt has historically played an essential role in determining the fate of wars. It is known
that during his withdrawal from Moscow, thousands of Napoleon’s troops died because
there was not enough salt to heal their wounds. In December 1864, Union forces in the US
Civil War reassembled force and fought a 36-hour battle to capture a vital salt processing
plant located in Burlington, Vermont, which was necessary to support the South’s
besieged armies. In the US Civil War, Salt was deemed so vital that Confederate President
Jefferson Davis decided to waive military service to those willing to provide the South
army with coastal salt kettles.

Paragraph F
Due to salt’s paramount importance, it has been in control of governments and subject to
special taxes since the 18th century. With earnings from heavy salt taxes, the British
Empire financially supported itself, resulting in a booming black market for the white
crystal. The French kings also established a salt monopoly by controlling its production
and sales, leading to the scarcity of salt, and eventually to the French Revolution. In more
contemporary times, to garner public support for self-governance, Mahatma Gandhi
challenged British salt rules that completely controlled India’s salt market. In past
decades, however, the expansion of free trade has put an end to salt monopolies, enabling
nations to earn the benefits and allowing market forces to adjust the salt price.

Paragraph G
Needless to say, salt production has often been carried out near the sea. The town of
Bournemouth on the southern coast of the United Kingdom was a main salt-making
centre and used a conventional method to produce the commodity. Seawater was
captured at high tide in an artificial lake. Wind and sun caused some water to evaporate
before it was fed into a shallow pond through a sliding door. When sunshine was
consistently available, the brine would be left in the pond to evaporate further before the
salt could be taken. Still, the weather could not be relied upon, and a spell of rainfall could
nullify days of evaporation. Therefore, when the saltwater was of sufficient strength, a
windmill drained it into a storage container. From there, it was pumped through pipelines
to the boiling chamber into the metal pans, under which coal was burned, and the brine
was heated until the moisture dried up, leaving the end product. The Bournemouth Sea
Salt production was periodic and climate-dependent, so the average production period
was only twenty-four weeks. About three tons a week was produced in each pan.

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Reading Passage 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27 - 40, which are based on
Reading Passage 3 below.

Physical Punishment of Children

Corporal punishment is a controversial and widely debated topic within every society. It is
interpreted as the use of physical force for the control and correction of a child. It is a
punishment for non-compliance imposed on the body to inflict some degree of pain or
discomfort, albeit light. Studies have shown that corporal punishment can result in
immediate child obedience; however, some findings suggest that it cannot be effective in
teaching self-control and inductive reasoning to a child. Therefore, in terms of child
amenability, its shortcomings outweigh its advantages. In fact, corporal punishment
advises a child not to act in a manner that is punishable by force while in an adult’s
presence, instead of teaching them not to engage in improper conduct under any
circumstances.

As part of their normal growth, children may question or test parental standards and
authority. They occasionally might choose to step out of the line to achieve something,
such as affection, an object, dominance or peer approval. While this behaviour which is
considered an integral part of children’s development process, should not be discouraged,
it should not be allowed without consequences either. This way, children learn to
distinguish appropriate from inappropriate and acceptable from unacceptable.

There are few issues parents feel more strongly about than those regarding the discipline
and punishment of their children. Although these two terms are usually used
interchangeably, their interpretations are quite distinct from each other: The purpose of
punishment is merely preventing inappropriate conduct, while discipline refers to the
process of showing a child the contrast between appropriate and inappropriate
behaviours. Good discipline should be a positive force focusing on what a child is allowed
to do. Discipline aims to help a child change impetuous, spontaneous behaviour into
directed, purposeful behaviour, and it is believed that training, repetition, and
encouragement can improve discipline. Corporal punishment as one discipline technique
might be physical (spanking or slapping) or psychological (rejection, separation from
others, or deprivation of rights).

The use of corporal punishment has its supporters in society, while most believe in its mild
application. They agree that mild corporal punishment used sparingly within a nurturing
environment teaches a child that one can press the patience of others past a point of
reasonable endurance. They believe that corporal punishment can reinforce parental
authority, defuse the tension between parent and child, and reduce the parent's fury if the
child’s behaviour is exasperating. However, in cases where the conduct of a child is
beyond their control or completely unintentional, such as spilling water, proponents are
more cautious and say that corporal punishment should not be used.
Currently, the vast majority of people are against corporal punishment in any form. They
believe that corporal punishment employed as the exclusive method of discipline can
lead to unsatisfactory and even harmful consequences. Corporal punishment is said to
have little effect on misbehaviour and shifts the blame for the wrongdoing away from the
child. Helena Williams, child psychologist, clarifies: “To develop the intellectual autonomy
required to act as stable, self-disciplined individuals, children need to learn being
responsible for their behaviour. A child, who is punished with spankings, shouts, and
intimidations, may learn to escape these punishments simply by not disobeying or
misbehaving in that specific situation in the presence of the person who punishes”.
Moreover, there is no assurance that the child’s conduct will improve over time or while
the child is away from the person who punishes them. Another drawback of corporal
punishment is that it can lead to a child seeing punishment as an endorsement of
aggression and deducing that an adult can have power over a younger person. Corporal
punishment may indeed stimulate feelings of anger, resentment, and profound
embarrassment, and the child may even develop unsympathetic attitudes towards the
suffering of another human being. Corporal punishment often raises the likelihood of
domestic violence since it might be challenging for parents to judge the severity of the
punishment.

Another essential factor to consider is the ultimate goal parents have for their children. If
the goal is to encourage them to learn how to control their urges and become self-
sufficient and autonomous adults, they need to be disciplined with more than just
punishments that function only as short-term solutions. This can be achieved, for
example, by inflicting a reasonable punishment along with a verbal clarification about the
child’s misbehaviour and what he or she can do to compensate for the wrongdoing in the
future. Explaining to children why their misbehaviour is not tolerated allows them to
reflect on their improper behaviours and prepares them to be accountable for their
actions. This approach differs entirely from reasoning with the child since a child does not
have to agree that parental directives are justified in order to comply with them.

It is acknowledged that older children will eventually do what is right and decent, not
because they live in constant fear of future punitive measures, but mostly because they
have adopted a standard initially presented by their parents and other caregivers.
Discipline is about modelling behaviour; therefore, parents have to control themselves
and their own emotions, especially when their child is having “a moment”.

It is evident that corporal punishment should be considered a severe psychological issue.

It is currently prohibited in several countries; therefore, parents do not have the right to
use it unless they dare to face charges. However, what is apparent is that with the
emergence of each new generation, this issue becomes relevant again and causes a
range of arguments.

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