IELTS Practice Tests Plus 1 - Practice Test 2 - IELTS Reading Passage 1 - Tackling Obesity in the Western World

a stone in weight

14 pounds

leptin

A hormone produced by adipose (fat) cells that acts as a satiety factor in regulating appetite.

fat cells

Adipocytes, also known as lipocytes and fat cells, are the cells that primarily compose adipose tissue, specialized in storing energy as fat.

metabolism

All of the chemical reactions that occur within an organism

predisposed

Tending toward or open to something beforehand

freezer

a large piece of electrical equipment that is used for freezing food

geneticist

a specialist in the field of genetics

epidemic

a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease

on the threshold of

at the start of

hypothalamus

brain region controlling the pituitary gland that controls hunger

philosophically

calmly

behaviour modification

changing one's behaviours

hormone

chemicals in the body

sealed

closed tightly

solace

comfort

so-called

commonly described as

sentences

considers, deems, says

persistence

continual occurrence

dictate

control

regulating

controlling

tackling

defeating

variations

differences

weak-willed

easily swayed

obesity

extreme fatness

battling

fighting

putting on weight

gaining weight

considerable

great, large

severe

harsh

discounted

ignored or doubted

defect

imperfection, flaw, problem

groundbreaking

innovative

claimed many lives

killed many people

slothful

lazy

sought

looked for

manufactured

produced

side effects

reactions to medicine other than the one intended

genetic

relating to genes or heredity

nonsense

ridiculous, silly

condition

sickness, illness, disease

minor

small, unimportant

cure

solution to an illness or disease

myth

story, lie

hiccup

sudden catching of breath with a spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm

morbid obesity

the condition of weighing two to three times, or more, than the ideal weight; also known as clinically severe obesity

rodent

the group of small animals that includes mice, rats, rabbits, and squirrels

culprit

the guilty, the responsible

appetite

the psychological desire for food

metabolic rate

the rate at which the body uses energy

epidemic proportions

the seriousness of being an epidemic

lain

to lie flat

disproved

to prove to be false or wrong

disabuse

to set right; to free from error

took the news

understood the new information

major

very important

surgery

when a doctor cuts your body open and repairs or removes something