Keep Taking The Tablets Reading Answers: IELTS Reading Practice Test

Keep Taking The Tablets Reading Passage 

Paragraph A:

Aspirin, which was first called "one of the most astonishing medical breakthroughs" by Diarmuid Jeffreys, "is incredibly versatile, curing some of the most dangerous human maladies, reducing headaches, and repairing limbs." It can ease your pain.

Paragraph B:

There is widespread agreement on its worth due to its long history of recognition. Willow tree extract was a common pain reliever in ancient Egypt. Centuries later, the Greek physician Hippocrates advocated willow bark as a treatment for labour pains and as an antipyretic. However, from the 17th century until the 19th century, salicylates, chemicals found in willow trees, were not the subject of much scientific research. There was a passion for discovering and synthesizing active chemicals. Aspirin, or acetylsalicylic acid, was first discovered and improved in the late 19th century by Friedrich Bayer, a German pharmaceutical business.

Paragraph C:

There were many reasons why the scientific community of the late nineteenth century was open to experimenting. First, they were eager to find answers to some of the biggest questions in their field. Today, even the most fundamental scientific endeavours, like sequencing the human genome, require a team of experts, a network of computers, and many millions of dollars whereas once a lone researcher with a few chemicals and a test tube can discover new knowledge.

Paragraph D:

However, a knowledge of science and academic inquiry alone is insufficient to account for social innovation. The 19th century saw an intensification of both scientific progress and the rise of industry. People back then had resources, energy, and the determination to follow through on their adventures. The discovery of aspirin was a long process with many small milestones leading up to the big announcement. The great scientific, medical, and economic breakthroughs of this century are responsible for all of this.

Paragraph E:

There is an astonishing correlation between enormous wealth and advances in the pharmaceutical industry. Huge sums of money were spent on advertising to ensure its continued viability as a popular pain reliever during its first 70 years of existence. In the 1970s, pharmaceutical companies devoted resources to promoting new pain relievers such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen. As these findings unfold, new information becomes available about aspirin's ability to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and other problems. may have been lost forever.

Paragraph F:

Against this background, the relationship between huge amounts of money and drugs is puzzling. Continuous access to our products for innovation and scientific research is built on commercial success. In contrast, the commercial market can eliminate products as much as more desirable ones emerge. Aspirin is an example of a potential 'miracle drug' that has existed for over 70 years without any clear knowledge of its mechanism of action, yet is highly profitable. If ibuprofen and paracetamol were on the market ten years before him, aspirin might not exist today. The drug had been lying around for some time, so no one had looked into it.

Paragraph G:

The relatively recently discovered benefits of aspirin have been identified by public sector scientists, not by multinational pharmaceutical companies. That's why. The pharmaceutical industry, which "only invests in profitable research," has decided that aspirin is no longer profitable. With low production costs, low-profit margins, and no patent protection, anyone can make one. This could lead to a drop in sales of more expensive products and bankruptcy, so pharmaceutical companies have put a strong brake on promoting the drug.

Paragraph H:

So how can we get more drug companies interested in the medical use of aspirin? Jeffreys argues that more federal funding should be spent on clinical research. If I was in healthcare, I would make a different decision. That said, "This drug is really affordable. It could potentially be used in a variety of other situations." You'd have to spend a lot more money to find out.

Paragraph I:

In addition to describing the creation of the "wonder medication," Jeffries's book investigates the necessity of such study by analysing the nature of the innovation and the roles played by major corporations, public funding, and regulation.

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