Across Antarctica

Grammar

1 Choose the correct alternative to complete the sentences.

1 I was getting/got off the train when I dropped my suitcase.

2 When we were arriving/arrived at the station, I got a taxi home.

3 I noticed a mark on the door while I was cleaning/cleaned the car.

4 When the plane was landing/landed in London, it was raining.

5 We were cycling/cycled to the river and had a picnic on the grass.

6 I was seeing/saw my friend Pete while I was waiting on the platform.

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2 Complete the sentences with the correct form of used to and these verbs.

travel not enjoy drive get not have live

1 My mum _______________ me and my brother to school every morning before she went to work.

2 I _______________ long car journeys when I was a child.

3 Where exactly __________ you __________ in London?

4 My sister always _______________ carsick when she was young.

5 Schools _______________ so many computers when I was a student.

6 How __________ your dad __________ to work when you lived in the countryside?

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3 Complete the sentences with the correct past form of the verbs given.

1 After the plane __________ (take off), the air steward gave us tea and sandwiches.

2 We didn’t get a table in the restaurant because we __________ (not booked).

3 By the time we __________ (get) to the cinema, the film had started.

4 I made a lot of mistakes while I __________ (write) the essay.

5 I __________ (not go) to the museum with Penny because I had been before.

6 When I arrived at the bus stop, Niall and Jimmy __________ (wait) there.

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Vocabulary

4 Complete the sentences with these words.

motels tent caravan hotel campsite youth hostels

1 The __________ was very wet, so we didn’t put our tent up. We decided to stay in a hotel overnight.

2 When we put the __________ up, we realised there was a huge hole in it!

3 The __________ was quite comfortable, with a small kitchen and three beds.

4 We stayed at a great __________ which had a swimming pool and two restaurants.

5 When I was a teenager, I used to stay in cheap __________, but now I prefer something more comfortable!

6 There are a lot of __________ along the motorways in my country and they’re not too expensive.

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5 Choose the correct alternative to complete the sentences.

1 They had to miss/cancel the 7.30 train because of a serious engine problem.

2 I’ll get a single/return ticket because I’m getting a lift back with Julie.

3 The air ticket/fare to Australia is really expensive.

4 I must catch/miss the 5.15 bus to get to the concert on time.

5 My uncle’s a millionaire and he’s just bought a big ferry/yacht to use at the weekends.

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6 Complete the sentences with the correct prepositions.

1 A lot of cars had broken _____ on the motorway in the snow yesterday.

2 We set _____ really early, but we still nearly missed the train.

3 These days, it’s easier to check _____ online to avoid the queues.

4 My sister was a bit scared when the plane took _____, but she soon calmed down.

5 It’s important to get _____ on holiday at least once a year.

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Reading

7 Read the article from which some sentences have been taken out. Choose the correct sentences A–G to fill the gaps. There is one sentence you do not need.

Across Antarctica

For many people, an ‘adventure’ is something quite simple, like going to another country for an annual holiday and experiencing a different culture and unfamiliar scenery and climate. However, for others, an ‘adventure’ has an altogether different meaning. (1) ___ They were competing with a team from Norway to do the journey in the fastest time. However, unlike the Norwegians, who were professional skiers and familiar with the conditions, the British team were amateurs. For them it was a real adventure, and one that they only just survived!

For Ben Fogle, a TV presenter who loves a challenge, and James Cracknell, an Olympic rowing champion, it was not their first crazy journey!
(2) ___ During that journey, the pair had to deal with a range of problems. This included heat exhaustion, lack of sleep and hurricane-type weather, and nearly drowning when their boat was turned upside down by huge waves. Amazingly, they decided to get together again for another difficult challenge – the race to the South Pole.
(3) ___ This adventure was even more dangerous because Ben had just recovered from a very serious medical condition he had caught while he was filming in the jungle for a TV programme.

In spite of all his problems, Ben recovered in time and, with the other two, spent months training for the task ahead. This journey proved to be even more difficult than the rowing race. (4) ___ They only allowed themselves four hours sleep a night and before they could rest they had to spend four hours melting ice to provide enough water for them all to drink. They finished the race completely exhausted, with no food left and with their hands and feet suffering from the icy temperatures. (5) ___ Even worse, they did not beat the Norwegians!

So, what is the attraction of adventures like these? Is it the fascination of going to places that very few other people have been to? (6) ___ It is certainly very exciting to read about exploits like these, but perhaps a little bit too exciting to motivate the majority of us to take part ourselves!

A Every day they had to cover over 25 miles in freezing conditions.

B A few years before this, they had rowed across the Atlantic in a seven-metre rowing boat in another race.

C Many teams have tried the same challenge and failed.

D Is it maybe the desire to push your body and spirit to its limits?

E All three had lost a lot of weight and were in severe pain.

F This time they were joined by another amateur, doctor Ed Coats.

G For three young men in 2009, it meant a journey of 430 miles across some of the most hostile country on our planet, Antarctica, in a race to the South Pole.

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