jeudi 22 septembre 2016

Reading Comprehension #10 - Intermediate

Tom trekked to Everest Base Camp to raise money for charity. Read his competition-winning article and match the headings to the correct paragraph.

Trying not to look down!
An adventure in memory of my grandfather

0   a
I’ve always been afraid of heights. Even climbing up a ladder to change a light bulb or paint the ceiling makes me feel quite sick, so imagine everyone’s surprise when I announced that I would be trekking to Everest Base Camp which is over 5,000 metres above sea level. Well, it’s all about overcoming your fears and challenging yourself, isn’t it?

1   ___
I’ve wanted to raise money for charity for a long time and when I saw an advertisement in the paper I jumped at the chance and I’d signed up. Of course as soon as I’d made my decision, I started to panic. What was I thinking? I’d never be able to get fit enough. I wouldn’t be able to cope.


2   ___
What kept me going, however, was the thought that I was doing this for my grandfather who was such a great influence on me as a child. I miss him every day and I felt that this would be the best way to commemorate his life as he was a great adventurer and used to tell me stories of his travels around the world. He’d always wanted to see the great mountain but had never managed to get there.


3   ___
Training was hard but I was determined to carry on. I went to the gym several times a week and went jogging after work. Not only that, I also had to raise money for the charity. I sent out letters to everyone I knew and I asked my colleagues to sponsor me. I held coffee mornings and even went to the local schools to give talks.


4   ___
And finally departure day arrived and soon we were standing in Lukla, at the foot of the mountain, ready to start our trek. Although I was physically fit, nothing could have prepared me for the mental challenge. I had to face my fear of heights every single moment. Crossing rope bridges hundreds of feet above raging rivers made my stomach turn but I carried on and thought of how proud my grandfather would have been.


5   ___

I would say that all the climbers went through some personal highs and lows but I’m proud to say that I achieved everything I set out to do. I raised money for those who’ve had a difficult start in life and I’ve done something that no-one believed I could do. In fact, I felt so good when I came back that I started to look for new challenges and am now thinking of running in next year’s London Marathon. Watch this space...

 

Match the headings to the correct paragraph.

a Motivation.
b A sense of achievement.
c Fundraising.
d Second thoughts
e Overcoming obstacles
f Inspiration

 

 

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