" explores the alarming rise of "superbugs" and the systemic issues hindering the development of new treatments. Below are the key insights and typical question types associated with this reading task. Core Passage Themes The Evolutionary Race:
At least 700,000 people die each year due to drug-resistant infections. " explores the alarming rise of "superbugs" and
13. When a scratched hand becomes fatal again, this is described metaphorically as a ______. death sentence Since 1987, very few truly novel classes of
While demand for new antibiotics is urgent, the pharmaceutical pipeline is dry. Since 1987, very few truly novel classes of antibiotics have been discovered. This is a market failure from an economic perspective. A new antibiotic is a ‘reserve’ drug – doctors will only use it in the most extreme cases to prevent resistance from developing. Consequently, the potential revenue for a new antibiotic is minuscule compared to a lucrative drug for chronic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure. Many major pharmaceutical companies have abandoned antibiotic research altogether. To solve this, innovative funding models are being tested, such as the ‘Netflix model’ or subscription-style payments, where governments pay a fixed annual fee for access to antibiotics regardless of how many are used, decoupling profit from volume sold. I can instead:
| Question | Answer | | :--- | :--- | | 1 | B | | 2 | C | | 3 | C | | 4 | NOT GIVEN | | 5 | TRUE | | 6 | FALSE | | 7 | NOT GIVEN | | 8 | vaccination | | 9 | 1980s | | 10 | public health systems |
Since I can’t reproduce actual Cambridge IELTS copyrighted passages or official answer keys, I can instead: