Conquering the IELTS Reading test has never been an easy journey, especially when tackling analytical passages about global agricultural systems and food security. The passage Organic food: why? offers a sharp, critical perspective on the organic food consumption wave in developed nations, while dismantling common public misconceptions regarding the safety, flavor, and nutritional value of this farming method. This is a model text for practicing paragraph-level reading comprehension (Matching Headings) and mastering elimination tactics for multiple-choice questions with multiple answers (Multiple Choice – Choose TWO letters).
Reading Passage Content
Organic food: why?
Today, many governments are promoting organic or natural farming methods that avoid use of pesticides and other artificial products. The aim is to show that they care about the environment and about people’s health. But is this the right approach?
[Paragraph A] Europe is now the biggest market for organic food in the world, expanding by 25 percent a year over the past 10 years. So what is the attraction of organic food for some people? The really important thing is that organic sounds more ‘natural’. Eating organic is a way of defining oneself as natural, good, caring, different from the junk-food-scoffing masses. As one journalist puts it: It feels closer to the source, the beginning, the start of things.’ The real desire is to be somehow close to the soil, to Mother Nature.
[Paragraph B] Unlike conventional farming, the organic approach means farming with natural, rather than man-made, fertilisers and pesticides. Techniques such as crop rotation improve soil quality and help organic farmers compensate for the absence of man-made chemicals. As a method of food production, organic is, however, inefficient in its use of labour and land; there are severe limits to how much food can be produced. Also, the environmental benefits of not using artificial fertiliser are tiny compared with the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by transporting food (a great deal of Britain’s organic produce is shipped in from other countries and transported from shop to home by car).
[Paragraph C] Organic farming is often claimed to be safer than conventional farming – for the environment and for consumers. Yet studies into organic farming worldwide continue to reject this claim. An extensive review by the UK Food Standards Agency found that there was no statistically significant difference between organic and conventional crops. Even where results indicated there was evidence of a difference, the reviewers found no sign that these differences would have any noticeable effect on health.
[Paragraph D] The simplistic claim that organic food is more nutritious than conventional food was always likely to be misleading. Food is a natural product, and the health value of different foods will vary for a number of reasons, including freshness, the way the food is cooked, the type of soil it is grown in, the amount of sunlight and rain crops have received, and so on. Likewise, the flavour of a carrot has less to do with whether it was fertilised with manure or something out of a plastic sack than with the variety of carrot and how long ago it was dug up. The differences created by these things are likely to be greater than any differences brought about by using an organic or non-organic system of production. Indeed, even some ‘organic’ farms are quite different from one another.
[Paragraph E] The notion that organic food is safer than ‘normal’ food is also contradicted by the fact that many of our most common foods are full of natural toxins. Parsnips cause blisters on the skin of agricultural workers. Toasting bread creates carcinogens. As one research expert says: ‘People think that the more natural something is, the better it is for them. That is simply not the case. In fact, it is the opposite that is true: the closer a plant is to its natural state, the more likely it is that it will poison you. Naturally, many plants do not want to be eaten, so we have spent 10,000 years developing agriculture and breeding out harmful traits from crops.’
[Paragraph F] Yet educated Europeans are more scared of eating traces of a few, strictly regulated, man-made chemicals than they are of eating the ones that nature created directly. Surrounded by plentiful food, it’s not nature they worry about, but technology. Our obsessions with the ethics and safety of what we eat – concerns about antibiotics in animals, additives in food, GM crops and so on – are symptomatic of a highly technological society that has little faith in its ability to use this technology wisely. In this context, the less something is touched by the human hand, the healthier people assume it must be.
[Paragraph G] Ultimately, the organic farming movement is an expensive luxury for shoppers in well-manicured Europe. For developing parts of the world, it is irrelevant. To European environmentalists, the fact that organic methods require more labour and land than conventional ones to get the same yields is a good thing; to a farmer in rural Africa, it is a disaster. Here, land tends to be so starved and crop yields so low that there simply is not enough organic matter to put back into the soil. Perhaps the focus should be on helping these countries to gain access to the most advanced farming techniques, rather than going back to basics.
Questions
Questions 1 – 6: Choose the correct heading for paragraphs B-G from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i-ix, in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i Research into whether organic food is better for us
ii Adding up the cost of organic food
iii The factors that can affect food quality
iv The rich and poor see things differently
v A description of organic farming
vi Testing the taste of organic food
vii Fear of science has created the organic trend
viii The main reason for the popularity of organic food (Example: Paragraph A)
ix The need to remove hidden dangers from food
1. Paragraph B
2. Paragraph C
3. Paragraph D
4. Paragraph E
5. Paragraph F
6. Paragraph G
Questions 7 – 8: Choose TWO letters, A-E. Write your answers in boxes 7-8 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO of the following points does the writer mention in connection with organic farming?
A. the occasional use of pesticides
B. using the same field for different crops
C. testing soil quality
D. reducing the number of farm workers
E. the production of greenhouse gases
Questions 9 – 10: Choose TWO letters, A-E. Write your answers in boxes 9-10 on your answer sheet.
According to the writer, which TWO factors affect the nutritional content of food?
A. who prepares the food
B. the weather conditions during growth
C. where the food has been stored
D. when the plants were removed from the earth
E. the type of farm the food was grown on
Questions 11 – 12
Choose TWO letters, A-E. Write your answers in boxes 11-12 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO negative aspects of organic farming does the writer mention?
A. Consumers complain about the extra cost.
B. Organic food may make people ill.
C. Farm workers have to be specially trained.
D. It requires too much technological expertise.
E. It is not possible in some countries.
Complete Translation of the Reading Passage
Today, many governments are promoting organic or natural farming methods that avoid the use of pesticides and other artificial products. The aim is to demonstrate that they care about the environment and public health. But is this the right approach?
[Paragraph A] Europe is now the largest market for organic food in the world, expanding by 25 percent annually over the past 10 years. So what makes organic food so appealing to some people? The really important factor is that “organic” sounds more “natural.” Eating organic is a way of defining oneself as natural, good, caring, and different from the masses who gorge on junk food. As one journalist puts it: “It feels closer to the source, the beginning, the start of things.” The genuine desire is to somehow feel close to the soil, to Mother Nature.
[Paragraph B] Unlike conventional farming, the organic approach relies on natural fertilizers and pesticides rather than man-made ones. Techniques such as crop rotation improve soil quality and help organic farmers compensate for the absence of synthetic chemicals. However, as a food production method, organic farming is inefficient in its use of labor and land; there are strict limits to how much food can be produced. Furthermore, the environmental benefits of avoiding artificial fertilizers are negligible compared to the carbon dioxide emissions generated by food transport (a significant portion of Britain’s organic produce is shipped from other countries and driven from the shop to the home by car).
[Paragraph C] Organic farming is frequently claimed to be safer than conventional farming—both for the environment and for consumers. Yet, studies on organic farming worldwide continue to refute this claim. An extensive review by the UK Food Standards Agency found no statistically significant difference between organic and conventional crops. Even where results hinted at evidence of a difference, the reviewers found no indication that these differences would have any noticeable health effects.
[Paragraph D] The simplistic assertion that organic food is more nutritious than conventional food was always likely to be misleading. Food is a natural product, and the health value of different foods will vary for numerous reasons, including freshness, cooking methods, soil type, the amount of sunlight and rain crops have received, and so on. Similarly, the flavor of a carrot has less to do with whether it was fertilized with manure or something out of a plastic sack than with the variety of carrot and how recently it was harvested. The variations caused by these factors are likely to outweigh any differences brought about by organic versus non-organic production systems. In fact, even some “organic” farms differ significantly from one another.
[Paragraph E] The notion that organic food is safer than “normal” food is also contradicted by the fact that many of our most common foods are packed with natural toxins. Parsnips cause skin blisters in agricultural workers. Toasting bread produces carcinogens. As one research expert notes: “People think that the more natural something is, the better it is for them. That is simply not the case. In fact, the opposite is true: the closer a plant is to its natural state, the more likely it is to poison you. Naturally, many plants do not want to be eaten, which is why we have spent 10,000 years developing agriculture and breeding harmful traits out of crops.”
[Paragraph F] Yet, educated Europeans are more terrified of consuming traces of a few strictly regulated, man-made chemicals than they are of consuming those created directly by nature. Surrounded by abundant food supplies, their worry is not nature, but technology. Our obsession with the ethics and safety of what we eat—concerns over antibiotics in livestock, food additives, genetically modified (GM) crops, and the like—is symptomatic of a highly technological society that lacks faith in its own ability to use that technology wisely. In this context, the less something is touched by human hands, the healthier people automatically assume it must be.
[Paragraph G] Ultimately, the organic farming movement is an expensive luxury for shoppers in well-manicured Europe. For the developing world, it is irrelevant. To European environmentalists, the fact that organic methods require more labor and land than conventional ones to achieve the same yields is a positive thing; to a farmer in rural Africa, it is a disaster. There, land tends to be so depleted and crop yields so low that there simply is not enough organic matter to return to the soil. Perhaps the focus should be on helping these nations gain access to advanced farming techniques rather than reverting to basics.
Academic Vocabulary Summary
-
Conventional farming (phrase): Traditional agriculture relying on synthetic chemicals.
-
Crop rotation (n): The practice of growing different types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons to preserve soil health.
-
Statistically significant (phrase): Mathematically meaningful and unlikely to be due to chance.
-
Nutritious (adj): Nourishing, rich in nutrients.
-
Natural toxins (phrase): Naturally occurring poisonous substances.
-
Carcinogens (n): Cancer-causing substances.
-
Breeding out (v): Eliminating undesirable traits through selective breeding over generations.
-
Symptomatic (adj): Serving as a symptom or reflection of a deeper issue.
-
Irrelevant (adj): Inapplicable, having no bearing on the matter.
-
Advanced farming techniques (phrase): High-tech, cutting-edge agricultural methods.
Answer Key & Explanations: Organic food: why?
Questions 1 – 6: Matching Headings
1. Paragraph B -> v (A description of organic farming)
Explanation: Paragraph B outlines the definition and core characteristics of organic farming: “Unlike conventional farming, the organic approach means farming with natural… fertilisers and pesticides. Techniques such as crop rotation…”. This serves as a general description of the system.
2. Paragraph C -> i (Research into whether organic food is better for us)
Explanation: Paragraph C cites global quantitative studies evaluating the safety of organic food: “Yet studies into organic farming worldwide continue to reject this claim. An extensive review by the UK Food Standards Agency found that…”. The focus is on citing scientific research data (studies / review).
3. Paragraph D -> iii (The factors that can affect food quality)
Explanation: Paragraph D lists various natural variables directly impacting agricultural quality and nutrition: “…freshness, the way the food is cooked, the type of soil it is grown in, the amount of sunlight and rain…”. The phrase “a number of reasons” corresponds to “The factors”.
4. Paragraph E -> ix (The need to remove hidden dangers from food)
Explanation: Paragraph E examines hidden hazards (natural toxins) present in wild plants and humanity’s historical journey in eliminating them: “…many of our most common foods are full of natural toxins… we have spent 10,000 years developing agriculture and breeding out harmful traits from crops.”. “Harmful traits” is synonymous with “hidden dangers”.
5. Paragraph F -> vii (Fear of science has created the organic trend)
Explanation: Paragraph F analyzes how Europeans’ technophobia and fear of artificial chemicals drive them toward organic products: “Yet educated Europeans are more scared of eating traces of a few… man-made chemicals… Our obsessions with the ethics and safety… are symptomatic of a highly technological society…”. “Scared / obsessions” corresponds to “Fear of science”.
<p data-path-to-node="49,5
Khai giảng Khóa học Hè cực HOT.
No comments yet!