2nde-Anglais PDF Reading Comprehension

English – Grade 10 Reading comprehension In at the Deep End British explorer Lewis Pugh wants to conquer some of the most inhospitable, dangerous places in the world in his own unique way - by swimming through them. The son of a Royal Navy officer, Pugh was...

English – Grade 10 Reading comprehension In at the Deep End British explorer Lewis Pugh wants to conquer some of the most inhospitable, dangerous places in the world in his own unique way - by swimming through them. The son of a Royal Navy officer, Pugh was 17 before he learned to swim but he took to it, literally, like a duck to water and from then on the British lawyer decided he would combine his passion for adventure with his other love: swimming. Just one month after his first lesson, Pugh decided to do something normally reserved for experienced athletes: the five mile crossing from Robben Island (The island where Nelson Mandela was a prisoner) to Cape Town in water of 16 degrees centigrade. Five years later Lewis swam across the English Channel, the biggest challenge for most extreme swimmers. Twenty years ago a large chunk of the world's waters had still not been swum so Pugh decided that, while getting on with his studies in maritime law, he'd spend as much time as he could going around the world to collect firsts'. Some of these achievements are impressive because of their distance, like the longest cold water swim (204 kilometers down Norway's longest fjord}. Others would make even the greatest animal lover tremble with fear: crossing African lakes filled with hippopotamuses and crocodiles or swimming round the southernmost tip of Africa in shark-infested waters. But for Pugh, each challenge has to be greater than the last. This attitude ended up taking him to the most inhospitable regions in the world: in August 2005 Pugh broke the world record for the most northern swim, as he plunged into the near frozen waters of the Arctic near the North Pole and swam for a kilometer. Four months later, he went on to do the same for the most southern part of the Antarctic. His incredible achievement was broadcast by more than 500 TV channels around the world. The first dive in Antarctica was an unforgettable experience. You get a terrible headache and your breathing speeds up until you can't control it. Then the skin gets terribly burned. After five or ten minutes you start losing the feeling in your fingers and toes; says Pugh, known as 'The Polar Bear- because of his ability to swim in temperatures which, physiologically, should be impossible. Like the seals and polar bears that live in these freezing conditions, Pugh has to insulate his body by putting on 15 kilos before a swim in order to up his fat levels. However, it is his unique ability to raise his core body temperature by as much as two degrees in anticipation of the water by the power of his mind that has made him a medical phenomenon. It is incredible enough that anyone would choose to put themselves through the experiences he does, especially as, to raise the game, he wears only swimming trunks, a cap and goggles. So what drives him? Sometimes we set boundaries for ourselves in life, or even worst-, we allow others to do so. In many cases these boundaries are just in our mind and need to be pushed away. If you worry about sharks and things like that, the fear will paralyse you. You have to do maths problems or think about something else, otherwise you will fail. He insists that everyone - however ordinary - is capable of extraordinary things if you can do this. By swimming more than 1 km in all five oceans of the world Pugh has fulfilled every swimmer’s dream. So his latest adventure - swimming down the Thames in London - might seem a little tame, until you realise that this was the full length of the river - 325 km in 21 days - in a heat-wave. As well as collecting another first, he used this as a publicity opportunity for a concern very close to his heart; during his swim members of his team put on polar bear costumes and gave out leaflets to educate passers-by about ways of preventing global warming. Although he is currently planning his next round of adventures, he remains tight-lipped about them. It may be that I'll quit the aquatic world for a change, he told us. ‘But trust me: no matter what I do, it'll be something that no one has ever seen before.’ 1- Find in the text a word or expression that explain the followings words: a- Overcome : ……………………………………… b- Increase : ………………………………… c- Limitations : …………………………………. d- Realised : ………………………………….. e- Silent : …………………………………. 2- Explain the phrases in bold: a- Took to it: ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… b- Ended up: ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………. c- Speeds up: ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… d- Put themselves through: ……………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………… e- Gave out: ……………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………….. Page 2 of 7 3- What motivates Pugh to do what he does? (30-40 words) …………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4- What does Pugh believe that everyone should do? (30-40words) ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5- By swimming down the river Thames in London, what did Pugh try to accomplish? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Vocabulary: 1- Complete each sentence with words that complete its meaning. The first letter is given to help you. 1. There is a growing concern over the destruction of natural habitats and the shrinking of nature’s b……………... 2. The greenhouse effect is an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere which is believed to be the cause of a gradual w……………………….. of the surface of the Earth. 3. There’s a large chemical factory in our town which is irresponsibly dumping t………………… waste. The Government is very worried about the potential c………………. of our rivers and beaches. 4. A lot of household w………………………..like bottles and newspapers can be r…………….. and used again. 5. E………………………are furious with the American Government for delaying measures which will reduce greenhouse gas e………………………… 6. Farmers contribute to environmental damage by spraying crops with p………..…… which stay in the soil for years. 7. Exhaust f………………………. from cars, other vehicles and factories cause a great deal of damage to the environment. 8. Scientists have shown that the temperature on Earth is increasing by 0.1º every ten years. That's one degree every century. The gases that are produced by factories and cars are allowing more harmful r………………………. from the sun to reach Earth. In the future this will have very serious consequences for humanity. 9. As the Earth gets hotter, the Arctic and Antarctic ice c…………………… will slowly melt and the s………………. levels will rise causing f…………………… in many low-lying parts of the world. 10. There will be major c…………………… changes, too. Some areas will become wetter while others will become much drier. Some areas which today are green and fertile will eventually turn into deserts because of water s………………………… 11. The destruction of the rainforests is very worrying. Thousands of acres of forest are being cut down every year and the h……………………… of many animals are being destroyed. As a result, many species are in danger of e…………………………… 12. If we want to hand on our world to our children and grandchildren, we simply can't continue to misuse the world's natural r…………………………… as we are at the moment and we need to cut down on our energy c………………………………… 2- Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the words in the box. There are more words than you need. emit – implementation - contaminate - erode- proliferate - exhaust – threat – consume – tap – conserve - pollute 1. Experts are trying to track down the source of the …………………………………….. in the water supply. 2. People act like our oil reservoirs are.…………………………………., not realizing that they will one day run out. 3. People need to cut down their energy …………………………. 4. The mechanic is checking the engine to identify the source of the toxic ……………………… coming from my car. 5. The ……………………………………………… of illegal drugs in this country has become a serious social problem. 6. Mongolia, although poor, has considerable ……………………….resources of oil and minerals that can still be exploited. Page 4 of 7  7. Poaching ……………………….the survival of the rhino. 8. Green Peace is trying to ………………………..new waste management measures. 9. Some ………………………………… warn against the use of chemical pesticides as they can harm and eventually wipe out other plants needed for a sustainable habitat. 3- Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words in brackets. a- People must cut down on energy ……………………………………….(consume) to halt the growing …………………………………..(short) in fossil fuels. b- ………………………………………(conserve) work hand in hand with governments to draw plans for the ………………………………………………….(survive) of endangered species. c- NGOs launch ……………………………(human) campaigns in poverty stricken areas. d- The ………………………….(deplete) of the ozone layer leads to the increase of harmful ……………………………(pollute) in the air. e- Soil ……………………………………(erode) is the direct result of deforestation. 4- Use the words in the box to complete the sentences.  habitats  global warming  oil spills  drought  acid rain  extinction  deforestation  pollution  ozone layer  rainforests 1. ___________________ are the lungs of the Earth. 2. ___________________ contains harmful chemicals that damage trees, crops and buildings 3. The _________________ protects all life from the sun’s harmful radiation. 4. Climate change is a tremendous threat to wildlife _______________ and to their survival. 5. March 24, 2009 is the 20th anniversary of one of history’s worst man-made environmental disasters: the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck a reef in Alaska and caused one of the most devastating _____________________ ever. 6. If ______________________________ continues on this scale, the icecaps will melt and the sea level will rise. 7. People who live in industrialized areas face a higher risk of developing serious diseases due to the high level of ___________________. 8. ___________________ in the Amazon rainforest region has led to the __________________ of 26 animal and plant species, a UN report said. 9. Millions of people in Africa face starvation as a result of the long periods of _____________.  5- Fill in with the correct preposition. You can only use each preposition once. Against /on /about / into / with / of / to / for / in / at 1. The future of our planets relies …………….. our actions. 2. We must all fight …………………… the destruction of our environment. 3. Many people don’t care ……………….. the environment. 4. I believe ……………….. environment-friendly technology. 5. We are looking ……………….. more alternative policies. 6. In his speech Al Gore referred ……………….. politicians and their responsibilities. 7. Most politicians agree ……….……. environmentalists but don’t take real action. 8. We all aim ………….a better environment. 9. New researches ……………… sustainable energies is being funded by governments. 10. The impact ………………….radioactive waste is detrimental. 6‐ Fill in the correct form of the irregular verb – All Tenses 1. What ______________________ of your new boyfriend (you think). 2. She ______________________ anything about his past yet (never hear) 3. We __________________them at a restaurant last week (meet). 4. I ______________________ the contents of the contract tomorrow (read). 5. Where ______________________ your last holidays? (you spend) 6. He ______________________ a glass on the floor (just throw) 7. In the past two years she ______________________ a very nice person (become) 8. The exercise book ______________________ 17 € (cost) 9. The woman used to ______________________ with furniture but now she ______________________ with cars (deal, deal) 10. Our cows ______________________ more milk recently (give) 11. It was hot yesterday. The children ______________________ swimming. (go) 12. Since his departure to France I ______________________ any news from him (not hear). Page 6 of 7 13. She was lying in her bed when the phone ______________________ (ring). 14. During the war they ______________________ many people. (shoot) 15. Last night I ______________________ in my bed for the first time (sleep) 16. She never ______________________ about her future (speak). 17. My friend ______________________ me for many years when I ______________________ him last week (not see, meet) 18. As soon as he had done his homework he ______________________ out to play. (run) 19. ______________________________ anyone? (your dog, ever, bite) 20. Shakespeare ______________________ a lot of plays and poems (write) 21. Joan ______________________ four windows since she was born (break) 22. The sun ______________________ the whole day yesterday (shine) 23. She ______________________ her keys. She has been looking for them since Monday but she ______________________ them yet. (lose, not find) 24. How often ______________________ the grass this summer (you, cut) 25. Frank ______________________ the whole pizza before we arrived.(eat) 26. they ______________________ her and trusted her for years.(know) 27. The Titanic ______________________ in less than six hours (sink) 28. Hurry up! The symphony ______________________ (already,begin) 29. George ______________________ off the ladder yesterday (fall). 30. It was the biggest building they ______________________ (ever, build) 31. By the time we graduate,we ______________________ the exams. (,finish)