Choose from the passage for each answer.
: Need to increase innovation and fund new research. III. Sentence Completion Antibiotics are becoming dangerously less effective .
Scan Paragraph D for synonyms of "agricultural sector" and "livestock" to pinpoint the exact phrase used in the text. 3. True / False / Not Given
Filling in blanks using exact words from the text, adhering strictly to word counts (e.g., NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS ).
Most pharmaceutical companies are actively funding the research of new antibiotics because of high profit margins.
Antibiotics are medicines used to prevent and treat bacterial infections. Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria change in response to the use of these medicines. It is the bacteria, not the humans or animals, that become antibiotic-resistant. These bacteria may infect humans and animals, and the infections they cause are harder to treat than those caused by non-resistant bacteria.
: Pharmaceutical companies often prioritize drugs for chronic conditions over antibiotics because they are more profitable.
The implications of a "post-antibiotic era" are profound. Routine medical procedures that rely on prophylactic antibiotics, such as joint replacements, organ transplants, and cancer chemotherapy, would become life-threateningly risky. Common infections, such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, and blood poisoning, could once again become fatal. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that antibiotic resistance threatens the very core of modern medicine and could result in a global economic burden comparable to the 2008 financial crisis, due to prolonged hospital stays and lost productivity.
The Growing Global Threat of Antibiotic Resistance Reading Time: 20 minutes
For IELTS test-takers, it's essential to be familiar with the topic of antibiotic resistance and its related vocabulary. Here are some sample IELTS reading answers and insights:
The consequences of this trend are already visible. Common infections, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs), pneumonia, and gonorrhoea, are becoming increasingly difficult to treat. A patient with a resistant infection may require second- or third-line drugs, which are often more toxic, more expensive, and require longer hospital stays. In the worst cases, doctors are forced to revert to ‘last-resort’ antibiotics like colistin, a drug so toxic it can cause kidney failure. When colistin fails, the infection becomes untreatable. According to a 2019 report by the UN Ad Hoc Interagency Coordinating Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, at least 700,000 people die each year from drug-resistant diseases. If no action is taken, this number is projected to rise dramatically: to 10 million deaths per year by 2050, surpassing cancer as a leading cause of death.
The pharmaceutical pipeline for new antibiotics has slowed, leaving doctors with fewer options to treat resistant bacteria. 4. Addressing the Threat: Solutions and Future Outlook
According to the passage, what is "horizontal gene transfer"?
Which economic model has the UK introduced to encourage antibiotic development?
According to the 2026 AMR Benchmark report, what has happened to antibiotic research?
The threat is categorized as "global" and "growing" because it transcends geographical borders and affects every aspect of modern life. The Rise of "Superbugs"
Addressing this multifaceted global peril requires a unified, aggressive approach known as the "One Health" strategy. This framework recognizes that human health, animal health, and the shared environment are inextricably linked. Globally, governments must implement stricter regulations to ban the routine use of growth-promoting antibiotics in farming and enforce prescription-only access in human medicine. Simultaneously, public health campaigns must educate both patients and healthcare providers on responsible stewardship. On the scientific front, public-private partnerships and economic incentives are desperately needed to revitalize pharmaceutical research into alternative therapies, such as bacteriophage therapy and rapid diagnostic tools that can instantly differentiate between bacterial and viral infections. Only through international coordination can humanity hope to preserve the efficacy of these life-saving medicines. Top IELTS Reading Question Analysis & Strategies