This is a practice reading lesson for IELTS students that focuses on sentence completion questions. This topic was reported in the IELTS test this month. Tip: make sure your sentences are grammatically correct when complete.

Reading Passage: Magnetic Therapy

Magnetic therapy is an alternative medical practice that uses static magnets to alleviate pain and other health concerns. So-called therapeutic magnets are typically integrated into bracelets, rings, or shoe inserts, though therapeutic magnetic mattresses and clothing are also on the market.

Many well-conducted studies over the past three decades have shown that static magnetic devices offer no more or no less benefit than sham devices devoid of a magnet. These studies suggest that static magnetic therapy devices may not work at all beyond having a placebo effect on those who wear them. Despite a lack of scientific evidence to support claims that commercially available magnetic therapy devices work, wearable magnets remain extremely popular. Global sale of therapeutic magnets is estimated to be at least $1 billion a year.

Magnetic therapy dates back at least 2,000 years. Folk healers in Europe and Asia are believed to have used magnets to try to treat a variety of ailments. These healers may have believed that magnets could actually draw disease from the body. Regardless, the therapeutic magnets sold to ease aches and pains have magnetic fields that are generally too weak to penetrate your skin. This can be tested by observing the weak interaction between a magnetic shoe insert and a paperclip when separated by a sock. Human skin is about 3mm deep, thicker than some socks.

Questions 1-6

Complete the sentences using no more than one word and/or a number from the passage above.

1. Magnetic therapy aims to ease ………
2. It is possible to buy ………… to wear on the wrist that contain therapeutic magnets.
3. Devices using magnetic therapy are considered to have only a …….. effect.
4. The magnetic therapy market is said to be worth at least ……….. per annum.
5. Magnets have been historically used to ………. disease from a sick person.
6. The magnetic fields are unable to ……… human skin which is approximately …….. in thickness.

You can download the passage here:  Reading Passage However questions must be viewed online.

Notice: The passage above has been adapted from a livescience.com article. You can read the full article here: Magnetic Therapy. The picture is from www.emfscience.com. You can read their article on this page: Does magnetic therapy work

Answers

The answers are now available.

Click here: Answers to Magnet Therapy Reading

All the best

Liz

For more reading practice lessons for IELTS preparation, see my Main IELTS Reading Page

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Below you will find the questions and answers for the IELTS reading lessons about medical robots.

If you haven’t done this lesson, please complete it before looking at the answers. Click here: Medical Robots Reading

Questions

1.  The accuracy and calculation of robots is unparalleled.
2. Robots are used in medical practices in all countries.
3. Robots can view a very small camera to coordinate movements.
4. Medical robots have reduced the size of cuts needed on the body.
5. More people recover from surgery when it is performed by a medical robot.

Answers

1. TRUE
   1. With unmatched precision ………. one of the most useful applications of robotic technology.
   2. Unmatched precision = unparalleled accuracy and calculation.
2. NOT GIVEN
   1. No information is given about using medical robots in ALL countries.
   2. “These robots are widely used in various medical practices” means robots are used for different medical reasons. This is not about how many countries use them.
3. FALSE
   1. “The surgeon maneuvers the system’s robotic arms while viewing a tiny, high-resolution endoscopic camera…” This means the surgeon looks through the tiny camera to move the robot – not the robot looking through the camera. This means the passage shows the statement is wrong = false.
4. TRUE
   1. “Successful surgery patients have therefore reported smaller incisions,”. Because robots preform the surgery, the incision (the cut) is smaller.
5. NOT GIVEN
   1. No information is given about how many people recover. The passage does not show more people recover or less people recover.
   2. “faster healing time ” this is about how fast people recover – not how many people recover.

I hope you found this lesson useful 🙂

All the best

Liz

Practice your IELTS reading skills with these True, False, Not Given questions. Remember the meaning of T,F & NG:

• T = the statement is correct
• F = the statement is wrong
• NG = we don’t know if it is wrong or right because there isn’t enough information given.

Reading Practice for IELTS

Passage Topic: Medical Robots

Nowadays, it is no longer surprising to learn that a hospital’s top performing surgeon is not human. With unmatched precision and the ability to work without fatigue, medical robots are obviously one of the most useful applications of robotic technology. These robots are widely used in various medical practices, including difficult surgical procedures, and have completely revolutionised the speed and efficiency of health care services in several parts of the world.

The surgeon maneuvers the system’s robotic arms while viewing a tiny, high-resolution endoscopic camera inserted through an incision. The robot’s jointed-wrist capability surpasses the human hand’s range of motion, allowing for movement in a much smaller space. Successful surgery patients have therefore reported smaller incisions, less blood, pain and trauma and a faster healing time than regular surgery.

Questions: T, F or NG?

1.  The accuracy and calculation of robots is unparalleled.
2. Robots are used in medical practices in all countries.
3. Robots can view a very small camera to coordinate movements.
4. Medical robots have reduced the size of cuts needed on the body.
5. More people recover from surgery when it is performed by a medical robot.

Notice & Disclaimer: This reading passage has been adapted from this article: Medical Robots. All lessons have been produced to provide free practice for IELTS students. They are not IELTS tests. Wishing you all the best, from IELTS Liz.

Answers
Answers are now available for this lesson.

• Click here: Answers for Medical Robot Reading

All the best

Liz

This is a great exercise of gap fill for students preparing for their IELTS Reading test.  This is not an IELTS test, it is a practice lesson to help you develop the skills needed for success in the IELTS reading test, namely: selecting key words to complete sentences by filling in the gaps. Always remember that sentences must be grammatically correct when they are complete.

Passage: Logical Mathematical Intelligence

Some individuals are able to learn just about anything using their logical skills. They are able to calculate and work out relationships and connections between items. They enjoy mental challenges seeking out solutions to logical, abstract and mathematical problems and have good deductive reasoning skills. They may simply excel at games involving strategy such as chess.

To exhibit strong Logical-Mathematical Intelligence, it is not necessary for you to be good at maths – the very act of selecting key points in a logical, systematic numbered sequence can be evidence of this intelligence. The very act of investigating and analysing allows you to go beneath the surface of what you may be learning so as not to simply take it at face value.

Notice: This passage is from inspiring-breakthrough.co.uk. You can find the whole article on this page: Multiple Intelligences

Questions 1 – 3

Find a word or words in the passage to complete the sentences below.

1. Finding links between items is possible for certain people by utilising their …………..
2. They enjoy mental challenges and are skillful at ……….. which require planning and foresight.
3. People with this type of intelligence are often good at going beyond the obvious by …………. and …………….

Answers

The answers for this reading gap fill lesson are now available.

Click here: Answers to Mathematical Intelligence Gap Fill Reading

All the best

Liz

More Practice Lessons for IELTS Reading Skills:

• See my IELTS Reading Main Page for tips and practice lessons.

The following is a lesson for IELTS reading practice based on the topic of ants. This reading exercise is to practise diagram completion and also TFNG questions for IELTS reading.

There are 8 questions below. Questions 1-5 are diagram completion and questions 6 – 8 are true, false, not given. The answer link is provided below the questions.

Reading Practice Lesson for IELTS: 

Passage: About Ants There are more than 10,000 known species of ants living throughout the world. Ants can be identified by the constriction that looks like a waist between the abdomen, at the end of the body, and the part of the body called the thorax , which is located before the head. Their bodies are covered with a hard armour called the exoskeleton. While the exoskeleton is their defensive weapon, their rear abdominal stinger is their offensive one. Like other insects, they have six legs; each with three joints. Ants have large heads with compound eyes, elbowed antennae, which act as sensors, and powerful pincers, known as mandibles. These pincers are an ant’s most useful tool which are used for grabbing things, cutting and are a kind of trap-jaw.

There are three types of adult ants living in the colony: the queen, female ants, and male ants. Queen ants are the largest ants in the colony. They have wings and their purpose is to lay eggs. The queens can live up to 30 years. Depending on the ant species and the nest community size, there may be one or more queens in the colony. The ant life cycle has four stages of development: egg, larva, pupa and adult. The queen lays the eggs, which will hatch into larvae in a couple of days. The helpless larva are fed and groomed by the worker ants until they pass through the pupal stage. In a little more than a week, an adult ant will emerge and the metamorphosis is complete.

You can DOWNLOAD the reading passage here but the 8 questions must be viewed online: Reading Passage Ants. The answers are linked below.

Questions 1 – 5

Complete the diagram below using no more than two words from the passage for each question.

Questions 6 – 8
Are the following statements True, False or Not Given according to the information given in the passage above?

• 6. The antennae of an ant cannot bend.
• 7. Only queen ants have wings.
• 8. Larva undergo metamorphosis in the pupal stage.

Answers 

The answers are now available for this reading lesson.

Click here: Answers Ant Reading Lesson 

Notice & Disclaimer: This reading passage has been adapted from the following article: all about ants  The diagram was adapted from this article: External Ant Anatomy.  All lessons have been produced to provide free practice for IELTS students. They are not IELTS tests. Wishing you all the best, from IELTS Liz.

This is a reading lesson to practice TFNG questions. It is not an IELTS test.

Passage: Impact of Hunting

Humans have long hunted wild game from forests, but over the past 50 years commercialisation of killing has triggered a rapid increase in wildlife depletion. Hunting and poaching cause damage to the rain forest ecosystem by removing species key to the system’s functioning. The loss of a certain single species can mean extinction for many others. Hunting of seed dispersers and pollinators can influence the structure of a forest.

This passage is from rainforests.mongabay.com. You can view the full article on this page: Impact of hunting & poaching

Questions for TFNG practice.

Are the sentences below True, False or Not Given according to the information in the passage above.

1. Commercialised hunting is mainly focused in forests.
2. The falling numbers in wildlife have been brought about by the commercialisation of hunting.
3. Hunting negatively impacts the world’s ecosystem.
4. One species in decline can adversely affect other species.
5. The structure of forests can be altered by the hunting of seeds.

Answers

You can access the answers for this lesson by clicking here: Answers to Reading Exercise 2

This lesson is to help you develop the reading skill of paraphrasing which is an essential skill in IELTS reading. This is not a IELTS reading test. This is a lesson for spotting paraphrases – identifying synonyms (words with similar meaning).

Passage 

More than 200 canary birds are being phased out of Britain’s mining pits, according to new plans by the government. Modern technology is being favoured over the long-serving yellow feathered friend of the miner in detecting harmful gases which may be present underground.

New electronic detectors will replace the bird because they are said to be cheaper in the long run and more effective in indicating the presence of pollutants in the air otherwise unnoticed by miners. The gas detectors will be hand-held and carry a digital reading which appears on a screen alerting miners to the extent of the gases.

Notice: This passage comes from news.bbc.co.uk. You can read the full article on this page: BBC On the day: Coal Mines

Spot the paraphrases:

Choose a word or words from the passage above which are synonyms for the words below. Answers do not come in order.

1. preferred
2. gradually stop using
3. substitute
4. employed since way back
5. existence
6. portable
7. bird (canary)
8. ultimately

Remember that a synonym is a word that has exactly OR nearly the same meaning. This means a synonym may not be 100% the same – it may be only very similar in meaning.

Answers

The answers can be viewed on this link. Click to open: Answers for paraphrasing exercise 2

In IELTS reading, you will need to pay attention to synonyms and paraphrasing. This is a vocabulary exercise to help you matching synonyms and become aware of the problems using them. This is not an IELTS test, it is a reading lessons to develop skills of paraphrasing for IELTS. Although these types of questions do not come in the test, you will need these skills to succeed in IELTS.

Paraphrasing Practice

Passage: Ancient Egyptian Powder

Crime scene investigators are about to get an assist from the land of the pharaohs. New research has shown that a pigment called Egyptian blue, formulated some 5,250 years ago, can be used as dusting powder to detect fingerprints on complicated surfaces. The earliest known synthetic pigment, Egyptian blue is found in some of the paint that still colours ancient statues, coffins, and tomb walls. Modern scientists were intrigued by this long-lasting tint and figured out its chemical components decades ago. More recently they discovered that it emits near-infrared radiation when exposed to a certain kind of light.

Notice: This passage is from a National Geographic magazine. You can read the full article on this page: NatGeo Ancient Egyptian Powder

Filling the Gaps with Synonyms

Below is a summary of the passage above. Fill in the gaps using the word list given below. Make sure the summary is grammatically correct when you insert the word.

The pigment (1)………. Egyptian blue, which was formulated (2) ……….. 5,250 years ago, can now be used to (3)……… finger prints on complicated surfaces.  This pigment was used in the painting of statues and tomb wall reliefs in Ancient Egypt. However, it has now been (4)……….. that, when it is it exposed to a (5)……….. light, it emits near-infrared radiation.

Word List:

Choose words to fill in the gaps above. The meaning should be the same as the original paragraph.

make     /        identify     /      observe      /   revealed    /     about     /     names      /      found       /      using        /    creates         /     known as          /      particular      /      over

Answers

Click link below to reveal answers:

Answer to Reading Paraphrasing Lesson

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