Ambergris Reading Ielts Answers and Questions

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Ambergris Reading Passage

Ambergris

A. The word ambergris comes from the Spanish ambergris, where amber means amber and gris means grey; hence, the name represents grey amber. Ambergris is presently only used in Europe as a constituent of perfumery. Even though it historically played a small role in medicine, its price per ounce ranges from $15 to $25. Additionally, ambergris was adorned and used as jewelry during the Renaissance. It plays an important role in Eastern perfumery, where it is also used in prescriptions and as a seasoning ingredient.

B. Some people have been obscured by the fact that amber and ambergris are two distinct essences. Even before the discovery of the New World, Europeans were friendly with amber, which is the fossilized resin of trees, and appreciated it as a jewelry material. Amber is a hard, transparent, fully organic material produced from the resin of extinct tree species. Between 10 and 100 million years ago, in the dense forests of the Middle Cretaceous and Tertiary periods, these resin-bearing trees fell and were carried by rivers to coastal areas. There, silt covered the trees and their resin, and over the course of millions of years, the resin crystallized into amber.

C. Ambergris and amber may both be discovered on beaches, connecting them. Ambergris is a solid, waxy, and flammable substance having a dark grey or blackish hue with a marbled pattern. Similar to the odor of isopropyl alcohol, it has a peculiarly sweet, earthy scent. It is now established that this substance is a diseased fluid generated in the intestines of Atlantic and Pacific sperm whales. Due to its low density, ambergris can be found floating in the water, on the beach, or in the sand near the ocean. It is found across the Atlantic Ocean, along the shores of Brazil, Madagascar, Africa, the East Indies, China, Japan, and the Molucca Islands; nevertheless, the bulk of ambergris brought to England originates from the Bahamas. Occasionally, it is detected in the abdomens of whales; it always takes the form of variously shaped and sized masses weighing between 1/ 2 oz and 100 or more lb. The Dutch East India Company bought a 183-pound object from the King of Tyre. An American fisherman from Antigua discovered a piece of ambergris weighing around l 30 lb and sold it for 500 pounds sterling, approximately 52 leagues southeast of the Windward Islands.

D. Similar to many other substances whose origins were buried in obscurity or mystery, ambergris was granted worth and abilities depending on the source from which it was derived rather than its inherent properties. Numerous ludicrous hypotheses were given to explain its origins, such as that it was the frozen form of the sea or a fungus that forms in water similar to how fungi grow on trees.

E. In a statement to the Royal Society, Dr. Swediaur was the first to identify ambergris’s true origin and nature. Dr. Swediaur observed that ambergris includes the horny mandibles or beaks of squid, a known food source for sperm whales. This observation, together with the fact that ambergris is regularly taken from the sperm whale’s intestines, provides sufficient proof that the whale’s stomach produces the substance to aid in the passage of undigested, hard, sharp squid beaks.

F. Additionally, it was observed that the whales in which ambergris was recovered were either dead or malnourished and very unwell. This led to the idea that ambergris is connected in some manner to a lethal sickness afflicting sperm whales. Ambergris, which is usually expelled by vomiting, floats in chunks on the water and has a dark gray color, a mushy consistency, and a foul odor. After months to years of photodegradation and oxidation in the sea, this precursor gradually solidifies, developing a dark grey or black tint, a crusty and waxy texture, and a sweet, earthy, marine, and animalistic odor. Many have compared its odor to isopropanol, describing it as far more complex and mellow.

G. The specific gravity ranges from 0.380 to 0.925 in this state. It melts at around 145 degrees Fahrenheit, transforming into a yellow resin-like liquid. It is soluble in ether, volatile oils, and fixed oils, although its reaction with acids is mild. A peculiar chemical is created by digesting ambrein in hot alcohol. In terms of chemical makeup, ambrein resembles cholesterin, an abundant component of biliary calculi, quite closely. Based on its location and chemical content, it is therefore probable that ambergris is a biliary concretion identical to those formed in other mammals.

Sperm whales were nearly hunted to extinction as a result of ambergris-based businesses. The Moby Dick whalers, who mostly worked from 1740 to 1880, and the contemporary whalers, whose activity peaked in 1964 with 29,255 sperm whales killed, performed two significant hunts. Prior to whaling, there were around 1,100,000 whales in the globe, a number that has now decreased to roughly 360,000. Ninety percent of ambergris was collected by killing sperm whales in the 20th century. Ambergris continues to be the most expensive material produced from sperm whales. Raw ambergris costs around 20 USD per gram, depending on its quality. The Endangered Animal Act of 1978 makes it illegal to possess any part of an endangered species, including ambergris that has washed ashore.

Historically, ambergris has been primarily employed in the synthesis of fragrances. Obtaining a regular and reliable source of high-quality ambergris is, however, challenging. Due to the need for ambergris and its exorbitant cost, the fragrance industry has sought and synthesized substitute compounds. The most often used amber odorant in perfume manufacturing is Ambrox. Additionally, techniques for the microbiological production of Ambrox have been created.

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Ambergris IELTS reading questions

Questions 1 – 5

The reading passage “Ambergris” consists of nine sections, A – I
Classify the following statement as applying to

A.Ambergris only
B.Amber only
C.Both amber and ambergris are
D.Neither amber nor ambergris

1: very pricey
2: meal taste
3: used as money
4: guided to in a contact
5: could be witnessed via

Questions 6 – 9

Complete the summary paragraph described below in boxes 6-9 on your answer sheet.
Write the correct answer with one word.

The creation of ambergris involves many steps. First, when sperm whales consume the hard and pointy 6 __________ of squid, their intestines generate ambergris to aid in the 7_______ process. The ambergris can then be 8_________ awoken by sperm whales and float on the sea. After months of exposure to the air, its 9________ and the coloration changes to a dark grey or black.

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Questions 10 – 13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
In boxes 10-14 on your answer sheet, write
True if the statement agrees with the information.
False if it contradicts the information.
Not given if there is no information on this

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10. In the 20th century, the majority of ambergris was produced by slaughtering sperm whales.
11. The price of ambergris has soared recently.
12. Ambergris is still used in perfume production.
13. Ambergris remains the most essential amber odorant in perfume production.