🔥Meditation: Đề thi thật IELTS READING (IELTS Reading Recent Actual Test) - Kèm đáp án + Giải thích từ vựng

Meditation

Meditation is a mind and body practice that has a long history of use for increasing calmness and physical relaxation, improving psychological balance, coping with illness, and enhancing overall health and well-being. There are many types of meditation, but most have four elements in common: a quiet location with as few distractions as possible; a specific, comfortable posture (sitting, lying down, walking, or in other positions); a focus of attention (a specially chosen word or set of words, an object, or the sensations of the breath); and an open attitude (letting distractions come and go naturally without judging them). Although there is little recorded history on meditation, its roots go back to ancient times. Teacher and practitioner Mary Rogers explains: “Researchers speculate that primitive hunter-gatherer societies may have discovered meditation and its altered states of consciousness while gazing at the flames of their fires. Then, over thousands of years, meditation evolved into a structured practice.” It seems meditation was first popular in the East with Indian scriptures known as ‘tantras’ mentioning meditation techniques five thousand years ago. Meditation took thousands of years to spread to Western societies and it was not until the twentieth century when it finally started to gain popularity in the West. Historian David Luttley describes how this happened: “Meditation spread to the West initially due to an increase in the popularity of Buddhism. Meditation being a central part of this religion meant that as Buddhism spread, other countries and cultures soon adopted many different forms of meditation.” Supporters of meditation claim that it can be a part of people’s lives in different ways and is often practiced to acquire balance in people’s physical, emotional, and mental states. Oliver Sachs, an Australian businessman, is an ardent fan. “I find that the deep rest that meditation gives me enables me to make better choices. I can work better all through the day and I sleep better at night.” Meditation has also been used to help people quit smoking and conquer drug and alcohol addictions. Doctor Kristina Smith has researched meditation and found that there are definite biological and psychological benefits. “Proficient meditative practices help to integrate the brain functions and regulate various physiological mechanisms resulting in a state of mental and physical well-being.” One of the most important claimed benefits of meditation is how it releases stress from people’s bodies. Psychologist Angela Matthews is an expert in this field and has theorised that there is a connection to mankind’s development over time due to evolution. “When people’s bodies are exposed to a sudden threat, they respond with the characteristic fight or flight reaction that is known as an adrenaline rush. If people are in extreme danger, these reactions are of great assistance and gain to them. The same response is now triggered in our daily lives when people are in a traffic hold-up or someone irritates us at work. If people do not confront things (and some things are beyond their control), they end up being in a permanent state of stress.”>> Form đăng kí giải đề thi thật IELTS 4 kĩ năng kèm bài giải bộ đề 100 đề PART 2 IELTS SPEAKING quý đang thi (update hàng tuần) từ IELTS TUTOR

Related to stress, a recent study found that meditation helped college students decrease psychological distress and increase coping ability. These kinds of students are also at high risk for developing hypertension, and the meditation was also associated with decreases in blood pressure. The study’s researchers randomly assigned students to a meditation group or a control group. They also created a high-risk subgroup, based on blood pressure readings, family history, and weight. The meditation group received a seven-step course in meditation techniques, with invitations to attend refresher meetings, and kept track of how often they practised meditation. At the beginning of the study and after three months, researchers tested all participants for blood pressure and psychological measures. The study’s director, Anton Hayden, was happy with the results, but also gave another suggestion. “These findings suggest that young adults at risk of developing hypertension may be able to reduce that risk by practicing meditation. However, we recommend that future studies of meditation in college students evaluate long-term effects on blood pressure and psychological distress, so that our short-term results can be endorsed.” Finally, it seems that meditation can have various beneficial effects on the brain. Long-term meditators apparently have better-preserved brains than non-meditators as they age, as well as an increase in the thickness of the hippocampus, which governs learning and memory. Meditators also have more development in the areas of the brain that play roles in emotion regulation and self-referential processing. Younger developing brains can also be beneficially affected and there has been increasing interest from educators and researchers in bringing meditation to school kids, who are dealing with the usual stressors inside school, and often additional stress and trauma outside school. San Francisco high school principal, Nicola Roberts, explains how her school has been transformed. “Although I was sceptical at first, we started a twice daily meditation program and saw suspensions decrease, GPA’s increase and absenteeism decrease.” Although meditation has many detractors, those who practise it are vociferous in their support. More and more people are starting to take up meditation at home and work and increasing numbers of doctors are starting to prescribe it. Additional studies are also being conducted about the effects of meditation and, as more expertise is gathered, meditation will become a more accurately and frequently approved treatment. Glossary Hypertension - abnormally high blood pressure

Questions 8 – 13

Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 8 - 13 on your answer sheet.

1. Meditation only became popular in the West in the ___________________.
2. One expert feels that the changes people have experienced from their ___________________ can result in reactions that lead to constant high stress.
3. Those participants in the college student stress study that were not in a meditation group were placed into a group used for ___________________.
4. Participants in the college student stress study had their ___________________ taken and their psychological well-being tested.
5. If the ___________________ of the hippocampus is enlarged, this can indicate long-term meditation use.
6. Meditation will probably be more commonly prescribed when there is more ___________________ available.

1. Meditation
   Vietnamese: Thiền - A practice of focusing the mind and relaxing the body to achieve a mentally and physically calm state.
   IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Meditation is a mind and body practice that has a long history of use for increasing calmness and physical relaxation..."

2. Coping
   Vietnamese: Đối phó - The ability to deal with difficult situations or emotions.
   IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "... improving psychological balance, coping with illness, and enhancing overall health and well-being."

3. Altered states of consciousness
   Vietnamese: Trạng thái ý thức thay đổi - A condition in which a person's mental state is different from their normal state, often induced by meditation or other practices.
   IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Researchers speculate that primitive hunter-gatherer societies may have discovered meditation and its altered states of consciousness..."

4. Scriptures
   Vietnamese: Kinh thánh, sách tôn giáo - Sacred writings or texts of a religion.
   IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Indian scriptures known as ‘tantras’ mentioning meditation techniques five thousand years ago."

5. Popularity
   Vietnamese: Sự phổ biến - The state of being liked, admired, or enjoyed by many people.
   IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Meditation spread to the West initially due to an increase in the popularity of Buddhism."

6. Ardent
   Vietnamese: Nhiệt huyết - Very enthusiastic and passionate.
   IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Oliver Sachs, an Australian businessman, is an ardent fan."

7. Proficient
   Vietnamese: Thành thạo - Highly skilled or knowledgeable in a particular area.
   IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Proficient meditative practices help to integrate the brain functions and regulate various physiological mechanisms..."

8. Physiological
   Vietnamese: Sinh lý học - Relating to the normal functions of living organisms and their parts.
   IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "... regulate various physiological mechanisms resulting in a state of mental and physical well-being."

9. Integration
   Vietnamese: Sự hội nhập - The process of combining or coordinating different parts into a whole.
   IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Proficient meditative practices help to integrate the brain functions..."

10. Theoretical
    Vietnamese: Lý thuyết - Based on or involving theory rather than practice or experience.
    IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Psychologist Angela Matthews is an expert in this field and has theorised that there is a connection to mankind’s development over time..."

11. Hypertension
    Vietnamese: Tăng huyết áp - Abnormally high blood pressure.
    IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "These kinds of students are also at high risk for developing hypertension..."

12. Subgroup
    Vietnamese: Nhóm con - A smaller group within a larger group.
    IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "They also created a high-risk subgroup, based on blood pressure readings, family history, and weight."

13. Refresher
    Vietnamese: Ôn lại, làm mới - A session or course that helps people review or update their knowledge.
    IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "The meditation group received a seven-step course in meditation techniques, with invitations to attend refresher meetings..."

14. Endorse
    Vietnamese: Phê duyệt - To approve, support, or recommend something publicly.
    IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "However, we recommend that future studies of meditation in college students evaluate long-term effects on blood pressure and psychological distress, so that our short-term results can be endorsed."

15. Preserved
    Vietnamese: Bảo tồn - Kept or maintained in its original state.
    IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Long-term meditators apparently have better-preserved brains than non-meditators as they age..."

16. Thickness
    Vietnamese: Độ dày - The measurement of how thick something is.
    IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "... an increase in the thickness of the hippocampus, which governs learning and memory."

17. Self-referential
    Vietnamese: Liên quan đến bản thân - Referring to oneself in a way that connects to personal experience.
    IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Meditators also have more development in the areas of the brain that play roles in emotion regulation and self-referential processing."

18. Suspensions
    Vietnamese: Tạm đình chỉ - The temporary removal of someone from a position or place.
    IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "Although I was sceptical at first, we started a twice daily meditation program and saw suspensions decrease..."

19. Absenteeism
    Vietnamese: Tình trạng vắng mặt - The habit or pattern of being absent from work or school.
    IELTS TUTOR xét ví dụ từ bài đọc: "... GPA’s increase and absenteeism decrease."

1. OS
2. AH
3. MR
4. KS
5. DL
6. NR>> IELTS  TUTOR  hướng  dẫn PHÂN TÍCH ĐỀ THI 30/5/2020 IELTS WRITING TASK 2 (kèm bài sửa HS đạt 6.5)
7. AM
8. twentieth century
9. evolution
10. control
11. blood pressure
12. thickness
13. expertise ¹