[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-460982-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-460982-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","meditation","Meditation","","Academic reading sample focused on the concept of meditation and its effects on mind and body. The passage explains common elements of meditation practice, traces historical spread from ancient Eastern traditions to Western popularity, and presents reported benefits for calmness, psychological balance, illness coping, stress reduction, and improved well-being. It also summarizes claims and research evidence, including biological and psychological advantages and a study involving college students at risk of hypertension, with outcomes measured over time.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/","Healthcare",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/meditation/460982/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/meditation/460982.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Blitz","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-28","2026-09-30",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",8,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What elements are common to most types of meditation?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Most forms include a quiet location with minimal distractions, a comfortable posture, a chosen focus of attention, and an open attitude that lets distractions come and go without judging them.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How is meditation connected to stress in the passage?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"The passage describes a link between stress and the body’s fight-or-flight adrenaline response. It argues that daily triggers can keep people in a permanent stress state, and it notes findings from a study where meditation reduced psychological distress.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What evidence does the passage give about meditation’s effects on health and the brain?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"It mentions research reporting biological and psychological benefits, including improved regulation of physiological mechanisms. It also describes long-term meditators as having better-preserved brains, thicker hippocampal structure related to learning and memory, and increased development in emotion-regulation areas.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},460982,1791215017,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,40,"healthcare",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":107,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":97,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},24464137899374,"https://us-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_3d24733baf745e90a7e4bdd5f77d97b2","ACADEMIC READING EXAMPLE  \nRead the free sample text below from IELTS Academic Practice Test 16 ( High Scorer's Choice series) . Answer the questions on pages 3 and 4. The correct answers are on page 5.  \nREADING PASSAGE 1  \nYou should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.  \nMeditation  \nMeditation is a mind and body practice that has a long history of use for increasing calmness and physical relaxation, improving psychological balance, coping with illness, and enhancing overall health and well-being. There are many types of meditation, but most have four elements in common: a quiet location with as few distractions as possible; a specific, comfortable posture (sitting, lying down, walking, or in other positions); a focus of attention (a specially chosen word or set of words, an object, or the sensations of the breath); and an open attitude (letting distractions come and go naturally without judging them) .  \nAlthough there is little recorded history on meditation, its roots go back to ancient times. Teacher and practitioner Mary Rogers explains: “Researchers speculate that primitive hunter-gatherer societies may have discovered meditation and its altered states of consciousness while gazing at the flames of their fires. Then, over thousands of years, meditation evolved into a structured practice.” It seems meditation was first popular in the East with Indian scriptures known as ‘tantras’ mentioning meditation techniques five thousand years ago. Meditation took thousands of years to spread to Western societies and it was not until the twentieth century when it finally started to gain popularity in the West. Historian David Luttley describes how this happened: “Meditation spread to the West initially due to an increase in the popularity of Buddhism. Meditation being a central part of this religion meant that as Buddhism spread, other countries and cultures soon adopted many different forms of meditation.”  \nSupporters of meditation claim that it can be a part of people’s lives in different ways and is often practiced to acquire balance in people’s physical, emotional, and mental states. Oliver Sachs, an Australian businessman, is an ardent fan. “I find that the deep rest that meditation gives me enables me to make better choices. I can work better all through the day and I sleep better at night.”  \nMeditation has also been used to help people quit smoking and conquer drug and alcohol addictions. Doctor Kristina Smith has researched meditation and found that there are definite biological and psychological benefits. “Proficient meditative practices help to integrate the brain functions and regulate various physiological mechanisms resulting in a state of mental and physical well-being.”  \nOne of the most important claimed benefits of meditation is how it releases stress from people’s bodies. Psychologist Angela Matthews is an expert in this field and has theorised that there is a connection to mankind’s development over time due to evolution. “When people’s bodies are exposed to a sudden threat, they respond with the characteristic fight or flight reaction that is known as an adrenaline rush. If people are in extreme danger, these reactions are of great assistance and gain to them. The same response is now triggered in our daily lives when people are in a traffic hold-up or someone irritates us at work. If people do not confront things (and some things are beyond their control), they end up being in a permanent state of stress.”  \nRelated to stress, a recent study found that meditation helped college students decrease psychological distress and increase coping ability. These kinds of students are also at high risk for developing hypertension, and the meditation was also associated with decreases in blood pressure. The study’s researchers randomly assigned students to a meditation group or a control group. They also created a high-risk subgroup, based on blood pressure readings, fami","cbCaij08P1H1DYkv","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaij08P1H1DYkv","pdf",574865,"English","# Reading Passage 1\n## Meditation definition and common elements\n## Historical development and spread to the West\n## Reported benefits and supporters\n## Evidence on stress and physiological effects\n## Research study on students and hypertension risk\n## Brain changes and educational applications\n## Counterarguments and growing adoption","[{\"question\":\"What elements are common to most types of meditation?\",\"answer\":\"Most forms include a quiet location with minimal distractions, a comfortable posture, a chosen focus of attention, and an open attitude that lets distractions come and go without judging them.\"},{\"question\":\"How is meditation connected to stress in the passage?\",\"answer\":\"The passage describes a link between stress and the body’s fight-or-flight adrenaline response. It argues that daily triggers can keep people in a permanent stress state, and it notes findings from a study where meditation reduced psychological distress.\"},{\"question\":\"What evidence does the passage give about meditation’s effects on health and the brain?\",\"answer\":\"It mentions research reporting biological and psychological benefits, including improved regulation of physiological mechanisms. It also describes long-term meditators as having better-preserved brains, thicker hippocampal structure related to learning and memory, and increased development in emotion-regulation areas.\"}]","Meditation | PDF",1790760226,13]