IELTS vocabulary test 1

Fill in the blanks using appropriate form of the word given in the brackets.

The medical ————————- (establish) spends great time, effort and money to find alternatives to surgery – particularly for heart problems. In dire cases, cardiac surgery is the only option. But in some circumstances, there are other ———————— (mean). One of them is a ———————— (relative) little known process called chelation.

The word chelation derives from the Greek word chele, meaning claw. The theory is that certain ———————- (chelation) agents, especially a substance called EDTA, can claw out calcium from the walls of arteries. EDTA is more commonly used to prevent blood ———————– (collect) for tests from —————– (clot) in test-tubes.

Calcium build-up is part of the aging process, in which ———————- (raise) patches form on the inside walls of arteries and narrow them. This plaque is made up of a variety of fatty substances, including cholesterol, old blood and scar tissue. Into these calcium is ———————— (incorporate), adding to the ———————– (block), hardening the arteries and reducing the degree to which they can pulsate.

Doctors have used chelation on over a thousand patients. The technique is simple. All it requires is a couch and a basic ———————- (infuse) set to deliver a ——————— (measure) dose of EDTA into the bloodstream over a period of some three hours.

The doctor uses chelation for a broad spectrum of conditions. ———————— (item) in a handout available at the front desk of his office, they range from angina to fatigue to impotency.

Answers

The medical establishment spends great time, effort and money to find alternatives to surgery – particularly for heart problems. In dire cases, cardiac surgery is the only option. But in some circumstances, there are other means. One of them is a relatively little known process called chelation.

The word chelation derives from the Greek word chele, meaning claw. The theory is that certain chelating agents, especially a substance called EDTA, can claw out calcium from the walls of arteries. EDTA is more commonly used to prevent blood collected for tests from clotting in test-tubes.

Calcium build-up is part of the aging process, in which raised patches form on the inside walls of arteries and narrow them. This plaque is made up of a variety of fatty substances, including cholesterol, old blood and scar tissue. Into these calcium is incorporated adding to the blockage, hardening the arteries and reducing the degree to which they can pulsate.

Doctors have used chelation on over a thousand patients. The technique is simple. All it requires is a couch and a basic infusion set to deliver a measured dose of EDTA into the bloodstream over a period of some three hours.

Adapted from an article published in the ASIAWEEK on January 9, 1999