IELTS® Academic Reading Practice 64

The answer is FALSE. The passage indicates that alternative medicine was introduced as a four-year college course for medical students at the University of Technology in Sydney in 1994 as stated in paragraph one: "Alternative medicine got its first four-year college course at the University of Technology in Sydney at the start of 1994. Acupuncture... is one example of one of the subjects covered in students’ coursework there." Thus, the statement that Australian medical students are not given any instruction on alternative therapies is incorrect.

Associated Text:
"Alternative medicine got its first four-year college course at the University of Technology in Sydney at the start of 1994. Acupuncture... is one example of one of the subjects covered in students’ coursework there."

The answer is NOT GIVEN. In paragraph two, the passage only mentions Germany in relation to herbal medicine comprising 10% of all pharmacy requests, but does not state that German people prefer alternative medicine over orthodox ones. No explicit comparison of overall preference between alternative and orthodox medicine is given for Germany.

Associated Text:
"Consider country like Germany, where herbal medicine makes up 10% of all pharmacy requests."

The answer is NOT GIVEN. In paragraph two, the passage talks about Americans reportedly preferring alternative therapy in 1990 and their annual spending on unorthodox therapy methods, but it does not specifically state that Americans consulted alternative therapists more often than orthodox doctors in 1990.

Associated Text:
"Even in the United States, Americans reportedly preferred alternative therapy in the year 1990, and they are typically spending $US 12 billion annually on unorthodox therapy methods."

The answer is TRUE. In paragraph five, Dr. Laver is quoted: “The bottom line is that most general practitioners are business people. If they see potential clientele going elsewhere, they might want to be able to offer a similar service.” This supports the idea that fundamentally, most Australian doctors run their practice as a business.

Associated Text:
“The bottom line is that most general practitioners are business people. If they see potential clientele going elsewhere, they might want to be able to offer a similar service.”

The answer is FALSE. Paragraph six says that the 1993 Sydney survey involved 289 people from Sydney about their experiences after attending eight alternative therapy sessions. It then reports that 25 therapists were brought in for a variety of alternative therapy practices, not just acupuncture. Therefore, not all patients had visited alternative therapists for acupuncture treatment.

Associated Text:
"In 1993, Dr. Laver et. al conducted a survey of 289 people from Sydney about their experiences after having attended eight alternative therapy sessions. In this study, 25 therapists were brought in for a variety of alternative therapy practices."

The answer is TRUE. In paragraph six, the passage says: "The 289 people answering the survey all suffered from chronic illnesses that had not been helped by orthodox medical practices." The wording 'chronic illnesses' indicates these were long-term medical complaints, thus the statement is accurate.

Associated Text:
"The 289 people answering the survey all suffered from chronic illnesses that had not been helped by orthodox medical practices."

The answer is TRUE. In paragraph six, the passage states: "Dr. Patrick Store, President of the Royal College of General Practitioners, agrees that orthodox doctors may discover more about topics such as bedside manner and advising patients on preventative health from alternative therapists." This means there are a number of things, including how to behave with patients, that doctors can learn from alternative therapists.

Associated Text:
"Dr. Patrick Store, President of the Royal College of General Practitioners, agrees that orthodox doctors may discover more about topics such as bedside manner and advising patients on preventative health from alternative therapists."

The answer is NOT GIVEN. In the ninth paragraph, the passage states "12% named digestive problems" as a reason for seeking alternative therapies, but does not say 12% of the Australian population use alternative medicine to help treat stomach disorders. The statistic only refers to patients seeking alternative therapies, not the entire population.

Associated Text:
"18% of patients seeking out alternative therapies cited the cause as musculo-skeletal problems, 12% named digestive problems, and 11% identified emotional issues as the reason for their visits."

The answer is FALSE. In paragraph ten, it is suggested that a new term such as complementary medicine could be more appropriate than alternative medicine, as the latter carries a negative connotation and does not accurately reflect these practices. Therefore, alternative medicine is not the most accurate way of describing non-orthodox therapies.

Associated Text:
"...it seems that a new term, such as complementary medicine, could prove more appropriate as a way to refer to these alternative medical practices. Indeed, the term alternative medicine carries a more negative connotation that does not accurately reflect the type of care alternative medical patients may receive."