Vitamins

📖 Bài đọc (reading passage)

Vitamins
If there's one thing about nutrition we think we know for sure, it's that vitamins are good for us. In reality, however, most of us know nearly nothing about vitamins. And our faith in vitamin supplements or pills, combined with our current beliefs about nutrition and health, is doing us harm.

Discovered barely a century ago, vitamins were a revolutionary breakthrough in nutritional science, providing cures and ways of preventing some of the world's most terrifying diseases. But it wasn't long before vitamins moved from the labs of scientists to become supplements that could be added to food or taken independently. By the end of World War Two, vitamins were available in forms not found in nature - vitamin-fortified peanut butter, vitamin gum, even vitamin doughnuts. Vitamins had entered the scientific mainstream, yet far from expressing perfectly reasonable scepticism over these products, the public asked for more. This is a process that has continued ever since.

In the 21st century, we're such believers in vitamins' inherent goodness that we don't really realise to which scientists still don't truly comprehend how vitamins work in our bodies, or how much of each vitamin we require. We're not aware that vitamins (and our enthusiasm for them) are what opened the door for the array of supposed wonder nutrients that intrigue and confuse us today, whether they be probiotics or antioxidants or omega-3s.

We don't notice the ways the food marketers and dietary supplement makers use synthetic vitamins to add an appearance of health to otherwise unhealthy products; nor do we acknowledge the extent to which we use vitamins and these other vitamin-inspired nutrients to give ourselves permission to overeat foods of all kinds. And we certainly don't recognise that by believing in the idea that isolated dietary chemicals hold the keys to good health, our obsession with vitamins is making us less healthy.

One assumption about vitamins is definitely true: we do indeed need them. The 13 dietary chemicals that we call vitamins affect each one of us every minute of every day, helping us to think and speak and move our muscles, extract calories from what we eat, even see the words on this page. Deficiencies in these vitamins cause serious illnesses and even death - something that still occurs around the world today - and when administered soon enough, vitamins can be astoundingly powerful; give vitamin A to a girl suffering from the vitamin A deficiency condition of night blindness, and she can recover full vision within days. Our need for them is no more avoidable than our need for air.

But the very power of vitamins makes them a double-edged sword. Their ability to save lives has promoted the idea that they can do the impossible in all of us, regardless of whether we're actually deficient in them. This has led to beliefs in vitamins that are based more on faith than fact. When we seek out vitamins today, it's not because we're worried about night blindness, or pellagra (a disease caused by a lack of vitamin B3), or beriberi (a disease caused by a vitamin B1 deficiency), or any of the other conditions that vitamins can actually prevent and cure. Instead, we use vitamins as insurance policies against whatever else we might (or might not) be eating, as if by making up for our bad eating habits, vitamins can save us from ourselves. We think that vitamins will help us live longer and stay healthier, even prevent or reverse disease. It is now generally accepted that vitamins will help give us an advantage over other competitors at sporting events. Many people choose to take more vitamins as they don't want to rely on conventional treatment by doctors. Perhaps that's why when we hear the word 'vitamin', we immediately think of pills, turning substances found naturally in foods into something we can just take. Yet, while we all have access to information and research about the side effects of pills, and it seems unlikely that any one drug could possibly fix all our issues, we assume that vitamins are both cures and entirely risk-free.

In a way, our attraction to vitamins, like our general obsession with nutrition, is perfectly logical: our well-being is affected by what we eat, and no one wants to be sick. But that doesn't explain how the term 'vitamin', a word coined by Polish biochemist Casimir Funk before any vitamin had even been chemically identified, has come to be synonymous with health. Isn't it odd, for example, that cyanocobalamin and alpha-tocopherol sound intimidating, while vitamins B12 and E - which are names for the same substances - seem good? Isn't it strange that we worry about hydrogenated oils, high fructose com syrup, artificial sweeteners, and genetically-modified food, but allow synthetic vitamins to be added to nearly anything without question - and then use the presence of those vitamins to define the food as healthy?

❓ Câu hỏi (questions)

The author mentions that vitamins were discovered 'barely a century ago' in order to

show how important timing is in scientific discoveries.

suggest that scientists started researching them then.

illustrate how quickly awareness of them has become widespread.

suggest that we are healthier now than in the past.

What does the writer imply about the food marketing and dietary supplement industries in the fourth paragraph?

They mislead the public into buying unhealthy food.

They were the driving forces behind scientific progress.

They believe that vitamins improve food quality.

They are currently working to discover new vitamins.

Why does the writer refer to vitamin A in the fifth paragraph?

To correct a common misunderstanding about vitamins.

To question why some people are reluctant to take vitamins.

To exemplify that vitamins are a necessity for human health.

To illustrate that some vitamins are less important than others.

What is the writer doing in the last paragraph?

Questioning the history of vitamin development.

Outlining the chemical make-up of some vitamin supplements.

Explaining why vitamin supplements can be difficult to manufacture.

Illustrating how we view vitamins differently to other substances.

At the end of World War Two, the public should have questioned the practices of food manufacturers.

Scientists in the 21st century have a thorough understanding of the function of vitamins.

Omega-3s are more important to a healthy diet than some vitamins.

The presence of vitamins in food encourages people to consume too much of it.

Vitamins are more effective at treating pellagra than beriberi.

Vitamins: Why they are necessary and some common beliefs about them

People need vitamins because they are essential for a range of ﻿. Not having enough vitamins can cause suffering and disease. 
However, people overestimate the power of vitamins. They believe these substances can result in ﻿ for everyone — even people who are not lacking in vitamins. Many people believe that vitamins can stop them from getting sick or even prolong their lives. Many people also believe that vitamins can lead to ﻿ in physical activities. It is now common for people to think of vitamins as ﻿. People often fail to take into account ﻿ surrounding health and nutrition, and put all their trust in vitamins.

alternative medicine

chemical compounds

improved performance

common sense

amazing transformations

clear evidence

bodily functions

🔥 Answer key (đáp án và giải thích)

Giải thích chi tiết

☺️ Ứng dụng Linearthinking để giải quyết dạng bài Multiple Choice

Step 01: Read the question to understand

Simplified: The author mentions that vitamins were discovered “barely a century ago” in order to … ?
Main idea: Xác định mục đích của việc nhắc “mới được khám phá cách đây khoảng 100 năm”.

-------

Step 02: Locate relevant information 🔍 Từ khóa: “barely a century ago”

→ Dựa vào từ khoá, tìm được trích dẫn ở Đoạn 2.

-------

Step 03: Read relevant information to understand

📌 Trích dẫn: "Discovered barely a century ago, vitamins were a revolutionary breakthrough in nutritional science... Vitamins had entered the scientific mainstream, yet far from expressing perfectly reasonable scepticism over these products, the public asked for more." (Đoạn 2.)

Dựa vào phần Simplify & Connection ở trên, có thể suy ra:

→ Main idea của cả đoạn: Mốc thời gian vitamin được khám phá => nhấn mạnh mức độ mới / gần đây của phát hiện => phục vụ mục đích giải thích sự phát triển nhanh / sự lan rộng nhận thức về vitamin.

-------

Step 04: Compare meaning with meaning

A. show how important timing is in scientific discoveries. ❌ Nói về “tầm quan trọng của thời điểm” không xuất hiện. Trọng tâm đoạn là tốc độ lan rộng chứ không phải vai trò “đúng lúc”.

B. suggest that scientists started researching them then. ❌ Việc “các nhà khoa học bắt đầu nghiên cứu khi đó” là hiển nhiên, nhưng câu hỏi yêu cầu mục đích hiện tại của tác giả – không dừng ở việc “bắt đầu nghiên cứu”.

C. illustrate how quickly awareness of them has become widespread. ✅ Khớp với main idea: Phát hiện chưa đầy 100 năm nhưng đã “moved from the labs … the public asked for more”. Tác giả dùng mốc thời gian ngắn để nhấn mạnh tốc độ lan rộng và sự phổ biến nhanh chóng.

D. suggest that we are healthier now than in the past. ❌ Đoạn không bàn đến việc “khỏe mạnh hơn”. Chỉ nói về sự phổ biến của vitamin.

=> ✅ Đáp án đúng: C

Xem full giải thích

IELTS Reading Practice

Gồm làm đề, xem giải thích chi tiết, học từ vựng của những bài thi IELTS Reading phổ biến nhất trên thị trường

The Lost City IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation

Luyện tập đề IELTS Reading Practice với passage The Lost City được lấy từ cuốn sách IELTS Cambridge IELTS Practice Test 12 - Test 2 - Passage 2 với trải nghiệm thi IELTS trên máy và giải thích đáp án chi tiết bằng Linearthinking, kèm list từ vựng IELTS cần học trong bài đọc.

Elephant Communication IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation

Luyện tập đề IELTS Reading Practice với passage Elephant Communication được lấy từ cuốn sách IELTS Actual Test 6 - Test 5 - Passage 3 với trải nghiệm thi IELTS trên máy và giải thích đáp án chi tiết bằng Linearthinking, kèm list từ vựng IELTS cần học trong bài đọc.

History Of Refrigeration IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation

Luyện tập đề IELTS Reading Practice với passage History Of Refrigeration được lấy từ cuốn sách IELTS Actual Test 6 - Test 6 - Passage 1 với trải nghiệm thi IELTS trên máy và giải thích đáp án chi tiết bằng Linearthinking, kèm list từ vựng IELTS cần học trong bài đọc.

A Song On The Brain IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation

Luyện tập đề IELTS Reading Practice với passage A Song On The Brain được lấy từ cuốn sách IELTS Practice Test Plus 2 - Test 3 - Passage 1 với trải nghiệm thi IELTS trên máy và giải thích đáp án chi tiết bằng Linearthinking, kèm list từ vựng IELTS cần học trong bài đọc.

How Baby Talk Gives Infant Brains A Boost IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation

Luyện tập đề IELTS Reading Practice với passage How Baby Talk Gives Infant Brains A Boost được lấy từ cuốn sách IELTS Cambridge IELTS Practice Test 13 - Test 3 - Passage 2 với trải nghiệm thi IELTS trên máy và giải thích đáp án chi tiết bằng Linearthinking, kèm list từ vựng IELTS cần học trong bài đọc.