Liquorice
Read Liquorice, an IELTS Reading practice passage. Liquorice is a type of sweet snack with a semi-firm consistency, often black or red in colour, flavoured with the extract of the root of the liquorice plant. In recent years it has been marketed as a healthier snack food because it contains almost…
Passage preview
Liquorice is a type of sweet snack with a semi-firm consistency, often black or red in colour, flavoured with the extract of the root of the liquorice plant. In recent years it has been marketed as a healthier snack food because it contains almost no fat per serving. It is one of the oldest forms of confectionery, and continues to be a popular product today.
Vocabulary from this passage
10 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- ailment noun
A physical illness, typically a minor one, that affects a person's health and requires medical treatment
Traditional plant extracts were historically used to treat various respiratory ailments before modern medicine.
- confectionery noun
Sweets, chocolates, and other sugar-based snack foods manufactured and sold collectively within a specific commercial industry
The company expanded its market share in the global non-chocolate confectionery sector.
- consistency noun
The precise degree of thickness, firmness, or viscosity of a physical liquid or semi-solid substance
The grade of raw sugar used does not negatively affect the consistency of the final product.
- conventional adjective
Based on or in accordance with what is generally done or believed within an established industry
The factory replaced its conventional manufacturing techniques with automated, high-pressure industrial cooking methods.
- derive verb
To obtain or extract a chemical substance or material from a specified original source
The natural sweetener used in the manufacturing process is derived directly from sugar cane.
- dilute verb
To make a liquid thinner or functionally weaker by adding water or another chemical solvent
The pure botanical extract is quite expensive, so it is often diluted with cheaper substitute oils.
- incorporate verb
To take in or contain something as an integral part of a whole mixture or system
Modern food manufacturers incorporate artificial flavours to chemically enhance the taste of their products.
- inhibit verb
To hinder, restrain, or prevent a chemical action, biological process, or physical reaction from happening
The chemical additive effectively inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria in the packaged food.
- moisture content noun
The precise proportional amount of water contained in a solid material, such as soil or food products
The thermal cooking stage is designed to significantly reduce the moisture content of the industrial mixture.
- prolong verb
To intentionally extend the duration of something; to make a physical object or state last longer
Artificial preservatives are frequently utilized to prolong the shelf life of supermarket perishable goods.