Vit IELTS

Traditional Maori Medicines
The Maori are the indigenous people of the islands of New Zealand. Their traditional medicine, which is believed to date back as far as the 13th century, was a system of healing that was passed down through the generations orally. It comprised diverse practices and placed an emphasis on the spiritual dimension of health. Its practice included remedies made from herbs, and physical therapies such as massage to relieve discomfort in the muscles and bones.
Maori systems for treating illness were well developed before European arrived in New Zealand in the late 1700s: they had quite detailed knowledge of anatomy and recognition of the healing properties of various plants. When Europeans first visited New Zealand, the average age of death for Maori adults was around 30. However, apart from this, the people were fit and healthy, and troubled by few diseases.
Illness was often seen as spiritually based. Maori saw themselves as guardians of the earth, and the focus of their existence was to remain at one with the natural and supernatural world. Rather than a medical problem, sickness was often viewed as a symptom of disharmony with natures.
In Maori culture, illnesses were divided into diseases of the gods (mate atua) and physical diseases (mate tangata). Diseases sent by the gods were often attributed to attacks by evil spirits, because the person had broken a religious rule. For instance, for Maori, Places where people had died, or places where their ancestors were buried were sacred, so if someone took food from a river where someone had died, or took a stick form a tree that had held their ancestor’s bones and placed it on a cooking fire, it was believed that the gods could punish them for their disrespectful acts by making them sick.
More than 200 plants were used medicinally by Maori. The leaves of the flax plant were used to treat skin infections and food poisoning, and the hard part of the leaf was also used as a splint or brace for broken bones and injured backs. Flax fibers were used along with a sharpened stick to sew up bad cuts. The bark and leaves of the pepper tree were used to heal cuts, wounds and stomach pain. People who had toothache were instructed to chew the leaves of this same tree, and this was found to be of considerable benefit. The pepper tree was also used in vapor baths to treat people with painful joints.
Colonization by European in the 1800s had a significant effect on traditional Maori healing. Europeans brought many new diseases with them which Maori healers had limited ability to combat. Though Western medicine was also relatively ineffectual at the time, this failure still strongly affected Maori confidence in their healers. Some western missionaries attributed the spread of disease to the fact the Maori did not believe in Christianity, and as Maori healers appeared powerless, many Maori accepted this explanation and turned to Christianity. Over time the schools of higher learning which had trained healers started to close and the tradition of the Maori healer declined.
From the late 20th century, there was renewed Maori interest in their traditional medicine. This was due to several factors. There was a resurgence of all aspects of Maori culture in New Zealand. Furthermore, people started to be less trusting of Western medicine – statistics from the 1970s came out revealing that Maori health continued to be poorer than that of other New Zealanders. There were also problems with access to health care for Maori. Additionally, there was and still a today a perceived lack of a spiritual dimension in Western health services.
Although Maori today largely accepted Western concepts of health and illness, and use the mainstream health system, there is significant demand for traditional medicine. This is true for unusual illnesses, or those that fail to respond to standard medical treatment, but also for common ailments such as the cold and influenza.
Today’s healers differ significantly from those of old times. Training is highly variable, usually informal, and often less tribally bound than the rigorous education of the traditional houses of higher learning. Many modern healers work in urban clinics, some alongside mainstream health professionals. They experiment, incorporating knowledge from Western and other medical systems. As a result, their modern day work has no standard system of diagnosis or widespread agreement about treatments. Despite this, many healers are recognized as having knowledge and ability that has been passed down from their ancestors. The Maori language is also seen as important by many of those receiving treatment.

1. Early Maori healers learned their skills through studying written texts.
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Đáp án: FALSE
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Dẫn chứng: Đoạn 5, dòng cuối và đoạn 8, dòng 2: “…schools of higher learning which had trained healers… training is highly variable, usually informal… knowledge and ability that has been passed down from their ancestors.”
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Giải thích: Hệ thống giáo dục của người Maori cổ đại là truyền miệng và thông qua các “ngôi trường học thuật cao” (houses of higher learning), không phải qua văn bản viết (written texts). Thực tế, văn hóa Maori truyền thống là văn hóa truyền miệng trước khi người Châu Âu đến.
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2. The first Europeans in New Zealand were surprised by how long the Maori lived.
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Đáp án: NOT GIVEN
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Dẫn chứng: Đoạn 1, dòng 3-5: “When Europeans first visited New Zealand, the average age of death for Maori adults was around 30. However… the people were fit and healthy…”
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Giải thích: Bài đọc có nêu tuổi thọ trung bình của người Maori lúc đó là khoảng 30 tuổi và họ rất khỏe mạnh. Tuy nhiên, bài không đề cập đến việc người Châu Âu có “ngạc nhiên” (surprised) về tuổi thọ này hay không.
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3. Diseases of the gods were believed to be more serious than physical diseases.
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Đáp án: NOT GIVEN
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Dẫn chứng: Đoạn 3: “In Maori culture, illnesses were divided into diseases of the gods (mate atua) and physical diseases (mate tangata).”
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Giải thích: Bài đọc chỉ phân loại bệnh tật thành hai nhóm dựa trên nguồn gốc (tâm linh hay thể chất) chứ không so sánh xem loại nào “nghiêm trọng hơn” (more serious).
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4. The leaves of the pepper tree were used to treat toothache.
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Đáp án: TRUE
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Dẫn chứng: Đoạn 4, dòng 5-6: “People who had toothache were instructed to chew the leaves of this same tree [pepper tree], and this was found to be of considerable benefit.”
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Giải thích: Thông tin trong bài khớp hoàn toàn với câu hỏi: lá cây tiêu được dùng để trị đau răng.
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5. Western religion was one reason why traditional Maori medicine became less popular.
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Đáp án: TRUE
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Dẫn chứng: Đoạn 5, dòng 6-8: “…many Maori accepted this explanation [from Western missionaries] and turned to Christianity… the tradition of the Maori healer declined.”
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Giải thích: Các nhà truyền giáo phương Tây cho rằng bệnh tật lây lan là do người Maori không tin vào Kitô giáo. Khi các thầy thuốc bản địa không chữa được bệnh mới, người dân chuyển sang tôn giáo mới, dẫn đến sự suy giảm của y học truyền thống.
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6. Modern day Maori healers often reach the same conclusion about the type of treatment which is best.
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Đáp án: FALSE
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Dẫn chứng: Đoạn 8, dòng 6-7: “As a result, their modern day work has no standard system of diagnosis or widespread agreement about treatments.”
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Giải thích: Cụm “no widespread agreement” (không có sự thống nhất rộng rãi) trái ngược hoàn toàn với “reach the same conclusion” (đi đến cùng một kết luận). Các thầy thuốc hiện đại thử nghiệm và kết hợp nhiều phương pháp khác nhau nên không có tiêu chuẩn chung.
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Questions 1–6

7. rule
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Dẫn chứng: Đoạn 3, dòng 2-3: “Diseases sent by the gods were often attributed to attacks by evil spirits, because the person had broken a religious rule.”
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Giải thích: Bệnh do thần linh gửi đến được cho là hậu quả của việc vi phạm một quy tắc (rule) tôn giáo hoặc tâm linh.
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8. river
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Dẫn chứng: Đoạn 3, dòng 4-5: “…if someone took food from a river where someone had died… it was believed that the gods could punish them…”
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Giải thích: Việc lấy thức ăn từ một con sông (river) linh thiêng (nơi có người chết) được coi là hành động thiếu tôn trọng dẫn đến bệnh tật.
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9. confidence
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Dẫn chứng: Đoạn 5, dòng 3-4: “…this failure still strongly affected Maori confidence in their healers.”
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Giải thích: Khi các thầy thuốc bản địa không thể chữa được những căn bệnh mới từ Châu Âu, người Maori đã mất niềm tin (confidence) vào họ.
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10. schools
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Dẫn chứng: Đoạn 5, dòng 8-9: “Over time the schools of higher learning which had trained healers started to close…”
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Giải thích: Theo thời gian, những ngôi trường (schools) đào tạo thầy thuốc bắt đầu bị đóng cửa, dẫn đến sự suy thoái của y học truyền thống.
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11. statistics
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Dẫn chứng: Đoạn 6, dòng 3-4: “…statistics from the 1970s came out revealing that Maori health continued to be poorer than that of other New Zealanders.”
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Giải thích: Những số liệu thống kê (statistics) được công bố vào những năm 1970 cho thấy tình trạng sức khỏe của người Maori vẫn kém hơn so với những người New Zealand khác.
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12. clinics
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Dẫn chứng: Đoạn 8, dòng 4-5: “Many modern healers work in urban clinics, some alongside mainstream health professionals.”
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Giải thích: Hiện nay, nhiều thầy thuốc Maori làm việc tại các phòng khám (clinics) ở thành phố, đôi khi kết hợp cùng với các bác sĩ Tây y.
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13. language
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Dẫn chứng: Đoạn 8, dòng cuối: “The Maori language is also seen as important by many of those receiving treatment.”
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Giải thích: Những bệnh nhân hiện nay đánh giá cao việc ngôn ngữ (language) Maori được các thầy thuốc sử dụng trong quá trình điều trị.
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