Darmowe konto pozwoli wrócić do niego później.

Camp and report the story from the glacier at the foot of the Tibetan side of the mountain. Mark

insisted that I make the decision at once, so I said “yes” and went as far as to book a flight and

get the required immunizations. But then, after I’d thought it through, I backed out at the last

minute. Given the aversion to Everest I’d expressed over the years, one might assume that

I declined to go on principle, but I did it for a different reason. As a child, I often imagined

myself conquering the mountain, so the call from Outside had unexpectedly aroused a powerful,

long-buried desire. I realized it would be unbearably frustrating to spend two months in

the shadow of Everest without ascending higher than Base Camp. If I were going to travel to

the far side of the globe and spend eight weeks away from my wife and children,

I wanted an opportunity to climb the mountain.

A few days later, I thought of a possible alternative. I contacted the editor and asked if he would

consider postponing the assignment for a year and changing it so that I got the chance to reach

the summit. The immunizations would still be valid and a twelve-month delay would give me

time to train intensively to meet the physical demands of the expedition. The biggest question

was if the magazine would be willing to book me with one of the more reputable guide services

and cover the $65,000 fee. I’d written more than sixty pieces for Outside over the previous

fifteen years, but the travel budget for these assignments had never exceeded two or three

thousand dollars.

Bryant called back a day later. He said that the magazine didn’t usually spend such high sums

on any expedition, but he thought the story about the commercialization of Everest was worth

it, and if I was serious about trying to climb to the top, Outside would figure out a way to make

it happen.

adapted from Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

6.1. The author rejected the magazine’s original offer because of

A. the prospect of being separated from his family.

B. the limited time to book an appropriate flight.

C. his greater ambitions concerning Everest.

D. his negative attitude to Everest.

6.2. The author realized the alternative assignment would mean

A. improving his fitness.

B. repeating the immunizations.

C. limiting his budget for guide services.

D. looking for other sponsors.

6.3. In the text, the author

A. gives an account of his preparations for an assignment that the editor cancelled.

B. describes how he found a way to make his dream come true.

C. explains how he was tricked into joining a climbing expedition.

D. presents the challenges of reaching Everest Base Camp.

Tekst 2.

TREE CLIMBING

It had been nearly 40 years since I climbed a tree, and to be honest it was not something

I’d expected to do again. But earlier this summer, I found myself on the Isle of Wight, putting

on a safety helmet and harness and preparing to scale a 70ft oak tree, using only ropes and my

own strength.

For grown-ups, tree climbing is not only a chance to relive childhood adventures while flexing

some underused muscles again, it can also give your brain a big boost. Research published at

the University of North Florida revealed that tree climbing can benefit our working memory.

This is the part of our memory we rely on to follow instructions or directions and to remember

phone numbers or items on a shopping list. The researchers discovered that when you climb

a tree, your brain is constantly calculating and evaluating your spatial awareness, balance and

orientation. This provides it with a vigorous workout. Quite simply, after such a challenging

physical activity, your brain becomes extremely alert and ready for mental tasks.

With this information firmly in mind, my wife and I, along with our sons, decided to see whether

tree climbing would work that well in our case. We headed to the Isle of Wight, where Paul

McCathie, an experienced tree surgeon, runs a tree climbing business. Here anyone over the

age of eight can learn to climb safely.

Before we started, any fears we had about tree climbing – everything from branches giving way

to suffering vertigo – were calmly talked through by Paul. He had us trained before we set off

and managed to pacify all our worries. Think the rope’s going to snap, for instance? Don’t

worry. Each one could bear the weight of a two-ton rhino. Paul explained we would be secured

to the rope via a carabiner, a metal loop attached to a waist harness. Surprisingly, I felt totally

secure in the harness. He also assured us that we could come down at any time.

When our two hours were up, we were exhausted but didn’t feel like returning to ground level.

When we started climbing, I had the sensation of everything spinning around, but in the end

I was surprised to find the experience really calming. We all agreed it was one of the most

challenging and thrilling family activities we had done together.

Did it work? Did I feel more alert after my brain workout? I did my weekly supermarket

shopping that evening and I didn’t forget any of the items I was supposed to buy. It’s not proof

but the scientists might be right.

adapted from www.express.co.uk

6.4. The main reason for the author’s visit to the Isle of Wight was to

A. overcome his fear of heights.

B. make an attempt at an activity completely new to him.

C. relive thrilling childhood adventures.

D. test the findings of an academic study.

6.5. Which is TRUE about the family’s experience of tree climbing?

A. They had to go down before their time was up.

B. Not everyone in the family enjoyed the activity.

C. The instructor’s explanations soothed their anxiety.

D. While training, they all had to slide down the rope to test the harness.

PRZENIEŚ ROZWIĄZANIA NA KARTĘ ODPOWIEDZI!

D

6.5.

3.3. Zdający znajduje w tekście określone

informacje.

C

Znajomość środków językowych

Zadanie 7 (0–4)

Wymagania

ogólne

Zadanie

Wymagania szczegółowe

Rozwiązanie

I. Znajomość

środków

językowych.

Zdający posługuje

się bogatym

zasobem środków

językowych

(leksykalnych,

gramatycznych,

ortograficznych)

[…].

7.1.

1. Zdający posługuje się bogatym zasobem

środków językowych (leksykalnych,

gramatycznych, ortograficznych) […].

B

Akceptowana jest

także odpowiedź

C

7.2.

D

7.3.

B

7.4.

A