Chinese Stretch to Catch Up with Teenage Model Reading Answers

Oct 20, 2023

Chinese stretch to catch up with teenage model Reading Answers is a IELTS academic reading subject explores about chinese stretch. The Chinese stretch to catch up with teenage model IELTS reading answers have a total of 13 questions in total. The specified topic generates a single question type, choose the correct letter. Candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly in order to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions below. IELTS reading practice papers, which feature topics such as Chinese stretch to catch up with teenage model Reading Answers. Candidates can use IELTS reading answers to enhance performance in the reading section.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Chinese Stretch to Catch up with Teenage Model

THE young in China are going to desperate lengths to add extra inches to their height in pursuit of celebrity and wealth. They are being urged on by a government shamed by the news that, for the first time in history, the Japanese now stand taller than the Chinese. There is constant pressure on Chinese adolescents to think tall. The government is encouraging them to drink milk as a way of promoting growth, while magazines and television are replete with the images of lanky supermodels and basketball stars.

One of the greatest influences has been the astonishing success of Huang Xinye, a 14- year-old schoolgirl from a fishing village in southern China. She was whisked away by talent scouts for a modeling contest late last year. Until then, her 6ft 1in frame had marked her out as a gawky also-ran in the school playground. Having won the contest, Huang was spotted by the international modeling agency Elite and flown to Europe. The news of her glamorous new life and the £12,000 that she won in the modeling contest has inspired thousands to attempt to follow in her footsteps - even if they don't have her natural advantages.

Teenagers are inundating hospitals that claim to be able to enhance their height with requests for leg-lengthening operations. Xia Hetao, a doctor whose clinics perform the operation said: "I have received many letters from people saying that, because they were born short, they have suffered and are looking for some solace." If they are accepted on Xia's waiting list, the aspiring patients are guaranteed only more pain in the short run. Xia slices the thigh bone in half and inserts a steel rod supported by a metal frame on the outside of the bone. The patient cranks the mechanism wider every day, forcing the leg to grow longer.

Most can stand the pain only for the month that it takes to stretch an inch, but others persist. The record is held by a young man who gained 6.5 inches. Last year, The Telegraph highlighted the case of the British girl, Emma Richards, 16, from Wadebridge, Cornwall, who underwent a series of leg-lengthening operations to gain an extra five inches so that she could become an air stewardess.

Even in successful cases in China, the lengthening and attendant physiotherapy and rehabilitation lasts months. Frequently, however, the result is disastrous - the bone never sets properly, but constantly breaks, eventually turning the patient into an invalid. Those who either cannot afford the equivalent of the £2,000 that the doctor charges or are unwilling to suffer the pain that it entails can take advantage of scores of products that claim to boost growth - ranging from the absurd to the downright dangerous. In department stores throughout the country, salesmen entice shoppers to try the Wanlijian shoe pad, a magnetic insole that claims to stimulate pressure points in the foot, triggering the release of a natural growth hormone. White-coated salesmen on the same shopping floors tout a vast array of lotions and pills for enhancing growth, such as "Increasing Brains and Stature" tablets, which contain a double boost for the anxious consumer. Manufacturers of such products claim that sales are booming, thanks in large part to the emergence of towering young role models such as Huang Xinye.

9 Zhang Mei is one of the many who want to look like Huang. She says cosmetic surgery will create undreamt-of opportunities for her. She and her friends swap tales of operations to lengthen their legs, enlarge their breasts, reduce their thighs, straighten their noses and tuck their eyelids. She said: "A nice body is the passport through the door leading to our dream life." Teenage boys have their own giant heroes, in the form of a trio of basketball players known as the "Walking Great Wall". The average height of Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi and

Menk Bateer is 7 ft 6 in. At last year's Olympic Games, they towered over rivals from Scandinavia and confidently looked the American Dream Team straight in the eye. Since then, China's growing legion of basketball fans has been proudly confident that a Chinese player will one day establish the country as a great force in the sport. For centuries, the Chinese have derisively referred to the Japanese as "dwarfs", which is why the news that the average Chinese person is now smaller than his Japanese counterpart caused such official consternation. The explanation is undoubtedly the better nutrition enjoyed by recent generations of Japanese, which is why Beijing has made it compulsory for every school child from nursery school upwards to drink a quarter-pint of milk every day.

Officials believe that the reason for China's physical shortfall is the fact that Japanese children drink 18 times as much milk a year as Chinese infants. However, the order to drink milk is not popular with children, most of whom (as with the majority of Chinese) are lactose-intolerant and, therefore, have difficulty digesting the natural sugars in milk. It has been accepted by all, however, as a necessary evil if modern Chinese people are to achieve the greater goal of a taller nation. Height and beauty, though, are not always enough, as Huang Xinye is discovering. "When I have enough money, I will buy a place in Beijing for my family," she said as she boarded a plane for Geneva late last year. Sadly, her parents are still in their fishing village as Huang is struggling to make her name on the international modeling circuit.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 28-32
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Which of the following is the Chinese government using to stimulate their citizens to grow?

Huang Xinye.
Magazines and television.
Dozens of products.
Milk.

Answer: D
Supporting statement: “...The government is encouraging them to drink milk as a way of promoting growth, while magazines and television are replete with the images of lanky supermodels and basketball stars......”
Keywords: encouraging, supermodels
Keyword Location: para 1, line 4
Explanation: It is given that the chinese government encouraged the citizens to grow their height. Hence they started to push the citizens to consume milk.

How much taller does the average patient grow after having the bone stretching operation?

6.5 inches
1 inch
5 inches
16 inches

Answer: B
Supporting statement: “....Most can stand the pain only for the month that it takes to stretch an inch, but others persist. .....”
Keywords: pain, stretch
Keyword Location: para 5, line 1
Explanation: It is mentioned that on an average a person who had a bone stretching operation could grow upto 1 inch. There was a record of someone growing as long as 6.5 inches.

Generally, the Chinese are motivated to have the operation because of the possibility of:

being taller than their Japanese counterparts.
being world class athletes.
becoming rich and famous.
overcoming an inferiority complex.

Answer: D
Supporting statement: “..."I have received many letters from people saying that, because they were born short, they have suffered and are looking for some solace.".....”
Keywords: suffered, solace
Keyword Location: para 3, line 2
Explanation: It is clearly mentioned in the statement that the people were motivated to become taller because they thought it made them inferior and they were looking for solace. Hence D is the correct answer.

The main problem with the government's strategies is that:

the operation is too expensive.
many of the growth stimulating products do not work.
the recovery process puts the patients' health at risk.
the Chinese race cannot digest milk properly.

Answer: D
Supporting statement: “....most of whom (as with the majority of Chinese) are lactose-intolerant and, therefore, have difficulty digesting the natural sugars in milk.....”
Keywords: lactose, digesting
Keyword Location: para 12, line 3
Explanation: It is given that the people in China have become lactose intolerant. Hence given the huge amount of milk will not help. Because they will find it difficult to digest the natural sugars present in the milk.

The Chinese government adopted the new policy because it:

wants China to be a great sporting nation.
it is embarrassing.
wants to promote a better quality of life for its citizens.
is trying to stimulate the growth of new industries.

Answer: B
Supporting statement: “.....For centuries, the Chinese have derisively referred to the Japanese as "dwarfs", which is why the news that the average Chinese person is now smaller than his Japanese counterpart caused such official consternation....”
Keywords: derisively, counterpart
Keyword Location: para 11, line 1-3
Explanation: the people of Japan have always been humiliated by being called dwarfs. This was started by Chinese people, but now due to a good diet the Japanese have grown taller than chinese. Hence they are now embarrassed.

Questions 33-40
Complete each sentence with the correct ending A-E from the box below.
Write the correct letter A-E in boxes 33-40 on your answer sheet.
Some people match more than one answer.

Huange Xinye
Dr Xia Hetao
Chinese officials
Zhang Mei
Salesmen

Having cosmetic surgery like the stretching operation can result in a more glamorous career.

Answer: D
Supporting statement: “...Zhang Mei is one of the many who want to look like Huang. She says cosmetic surgery will create undreamt-of opportunities for her......”
Keywords: cosmetic, undreamt
Keyword Location: para 9, line 1
Explanation: It is clearly mentioned that Zhang Mei was very happy with the cosmetic surgery she had. And it created a lot of opportunities for her.

The stretching operation helps people who feel prejudiced by their lack of height.

Answer: B
Supporting statement: “....Xia slices the thigh bone in half and inserts a steel rod supported by a metal frame on the outside of the bone. The patient cranks the mechanism wider everyday, forcing the leg to grow longer......”
Keywords: slices, mechanism
Keyword Location: para 4, line 2
Explanation: It is clearly given that the stretching operation done by Xia follows a process of inserting rod between the thigh bone to make them grow longer.

Being tall is a question of national pride.

Answer: C
Supporting statement: “....It has been accepted by all, however, as a necessary evil if modern Chinese people are to achieve the greater goal of a taller nation......”
Keywords: necessary, achieve
Keyword Location: para 12, line 5
Explanation: It is indirectly said by officials that being taller is a question of their pride because they are believing that being a taller nation will be more modernist.

Being tall does not necessarily result in success.

Answer: A
Supporting statement: “....Height and beauty, though, are not always enough, as Huang Xinye is discovering. ....”
Keywords: beauty, discovering
Keyword Location: para 13, line 1
Explanation: It has been stated by Huang Xinye that the height and beauty are not the only important things in life. It also implies that being tall is not a measure of success.

The public is easily influenced when it comes to increasing their height.

Answer: E
Supporting statement: “....salesmen entice shoppers to try the Wanlijian shoe pad, a magnetic insole that claims to stimulate pressure points in the foot, triggering the release of a natural growth hormone....”
Keywords: magnetic, hormone
Keyword Location: para 7, line 4
Explanation: It is given that the salesman has claimed that shoppers have bought shoe pad, magnetic insoles from them. Hence it implies that the public is easily influenced when it is about increasing the height.

Until recently, being well above average height was more of a disadvantage than a desirable quality.

Answer: A
Supporting statement: “...She was whisked away by talent scouts for a modeling contest late last year. Until then, her 6ft 1in frame had marked her out as a gawky also-ran in the school playground......”
Keywords: scouts, gawky
Keyword Location: para 2, line 2
Explanation: It is said that Xinye was rejected by talent scouts for a modeling contest. Hence she didn’t feel that having a good height is a desirable quality. It was more of a disadvantage to her.

The traditional diet is the cause of their nations small stature.

Answer: C
Supporting statement: “....Officials believe that the reason for China's physical shortfall is the fact that Japanese children drink 18 times as much milk a year as Chinese infants......”
Keywords: shortfall, infants
Keyword Location: para 12, line 1-2
Explanation: It is given that the official claimed that the cause of people in china having short height is due to less intake of milk. And they have also claimed that the japanese consume 18 times more milk than chinese.

Alternatives are available for people who do not have the means to pay for the stretching operation.

Answer: E
Supporting statement: “....Those who either cannot afford the equivalent of the £2,000 that the doctor charges or are unwilling to suffer the pain that it entails can take advantage of scores of products that claim to boost growth.....”
Keywords: unwilling, boost
Keyword Location: para 7, line 1-2
Explanation: It is given that the people who cannot afford the stretching operation also have different ways out. There are a lot of products in the market that claim to boost the growth of a person. Shoepads and a lot of options are available for them.

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