Table of Contents
BEST IELTS Reading Test Practice Academic 149
IELTS Reading Test Practice Academic 149 – Passage – 2
IELTS Reading Test Practice Academic 149
READING PASSAGE – 2
The Story of Opium
Paragraph A: Opium is a substance that is derived by collecting and later drying the milky juice that comes from the seed pods of the poppy plant. The substance can vary in colour and may be yellow or could range all the way to a very dark brown colour. Opium has a very bitter taste that is comparable to other plants from similar families and a distinct odour that is clearly identifiable. The primary component of opium is twelve per cent morphine, which is an alkaloid that is often processed chemically to produce illegal drugs, such as heroin. Codeine and other nonnarcotic alkaloids are also found in the latex that is derived from the opium poppy plant.
Paragraph B: The history of opium dates back as far as the Neolithic and ancient times, when the drug was widely used in anaesthesia, as well as for ritualistic purposes. In ancient Egypt, opium was used as an analgesic and the Indians as well as the Romans both used opium during surgical procedures. Throughout the American Civil War, opium and various derivatives of opium were used.
Morphine, opiods and synthetic opiates are all derived or come directly from the opium poppy, even in today’s medical use. While the medical world has evolved greatly and has manipulated opium to meet the needs of patients, the most raw form of opium, morphine, continues to be one of the most widely used analgesic drugs, even today.
IELTS Reading Test Practice Academic
Paragraph C: Opium use has many long- and short-term consequences that can be harmful to the body. Initially, the euphoric state that is caused by the drug can be relaxing and comforting, but long-term use of opium can lead to addiction and physical dependence. Many of the harmful consequences of using opium are related to the damage caused to the lungs from smoking the drug or to the consequences that are caused by derivatives of the drug. For many, the harmful consequences of opium will not present themselves until many years of use. However, for some, the effects of opium use are dangerous almost immediately and an overdose can lead to a risk of death.
Paragraph D: Today, heroin’s long journey to final use begins with the planting of opium poppy seeds. Opium is grown mainly by impoverished farmers on small plots in remote regions of the world. It flourishes in dry, warm climates and the vast majority of opium poppies are grown in a narrow, 4,500-mile stretch of mountains extending across central Asia from Turkey through Pakistan and Burma. Recently, opium has been grown in Latin America, notably Colombia and Mexico. The farmer takes his crop of opium to the nearest village, where he will sell it to the dealer who offers him the best price.
Paragraph E: Legal growing of opium for medicinal use currently takes place in India, Turkey, and Australia. Two thousand tons of opium are produced annually and this supplies the world with the raw material needed to make medicinal products. Traditionally, opium was obtained from the latex of the poppy plant by scoring the seed pods by hand and allowing the latex to leak out and dry up. The sticky yellowish/brown residue is then scraped off and harvested for use. Today, modern methods of opium harvest include processing the mature poppy plant by machine in order to get the latex out of the flowering plant.
IELTS Reading Test Practice Academic
Overall, opium production has changed very little over the years, however, selective breeding of the plant has led to an increase in the content of the phenanthrene alkaloids morphine, codeine and thebaine. Currently, there are three main sources for illegal opium: Burma, Afghanistan, and Colombia. Opium and heroin are ideal trade products: they are in great demand, are very profitable to produce, and the products take up little space. With modern transportation, opium and heroin can be moved from one country to another within days or a few weeks. Both drugs have a long and stable shelf life, allowing the products to be stored for long periods of time.
Paragraph F: Opium was used for recreational purposes in China during the fifteenth century and on through the seventeenth century. It was nearly 300 years before the Chinese first realised that smoking opium was actually dangerous and could lead to physical dependence. In 1909, the International Opium Commission was formed to help regulate the shipping, sale and use of opium due to the dangers that were now widely known pertaining to the regular use of the drug.
At this time, opium was first being purified into morphine and heroin, which are both highly potent drugs that have proved to be very much more dangerous than the raw opium itself. Recreational use of these drugs is now illegal in most countries around the world.
Paragraph G: In the early days, people did not worry too much about the physical dependence that opium and its derivatives created. Today, the dangers are well recognised and there are a variety of ways to help people who have fallen victim to it. Most of the time, inpatient or residential treatment will be the basis for recovery. These programs will utilise counselling in both individual and group sessions to provide a foundation for success in recovery. Following the counselling in an inpatient treatment facility, those in recovery will continue treatment in an outpatient facility that provides similar counselling and therapy in a less supervised environment.
IELTS Reading Test Practice Academic
Questions 14-20
The text on the previous pages has 7 paragraphs (A – G).
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
i. From Seed to Sale
ii. Government Agencies Chase Criminals
iii. Illegal Use
iv. Origins
v. Modern Production
vi. Effects
vii. High Profits Cause Conflicts
viii. Treating Addiction
ix. What is it?
xi. Famous Users
IELTS Reading Test Practice Academic
14. Paragraph A
15. Paragraph B
16. Paragraph C
17. Paragraph D
18. Paragraph E
19. Paragraph F
20. Paragraph G
IELTS Reading Test Practice Academic
Questions 21-23
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
21. Opium can be easily recognised by
A. its smell.
B. its colour.
C. its taste.
D. its packaging.
22. Opium has been used throughout history as
A. a drug to induce childbirth.
B. a poison.
C. a pain reliever.
D. a currency.
23. The dangerous properties of opium are
A. always apparent quite a long time after the first use.
B. not often experienced by users.
C. never experienced if opium is used in moderation.
D. sometimes experienced straight away in some users.
IELTS Reading Test Practice Academic
Questions 24-26
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.
24. The medicinal content of opium has been increased by the ……………… of the opium poppy.
25. It was the ……………… who first found that using opium was harmful.
26. ……………… for groups and individuals is often used to treat people addicted to opium.
IELTS Reading Test Practice Academic
ANSWERS ARE BELOW
IELTS Reading Test Practice Academic
ANSWERS
14. ix
15. iv
16. vi
17. I
18. v
19. iii
20. viii
21. A
22. C
23. D
24. SELECTIVE BREEDING
25. CHINESE
26. COUNSELLING
IELTS Reading Test Practice Academic