Speaking

D How much do you know about Antarct ica? Do the quiz. Then t urn t o
page 160 and check your answers.
1 Antarctica has the world's largest
A volcano. B desert. C mountain range.
2 Has Antarctica always been cold?
A No, it used to be tropical.
B Yes, it's always been covered in thick ice.
C Yes, but the ice used to be a lot thinner.
3 Which of these animals do you NOT get in Antarctica?
A penguins B seals C polar bears
4 Who led the first team to reach the South Pole in 1911 7
A Roald Amundsen
B Robert Falcon Scott
C Ernest Shackleton
5 Why is Ernest Shackleton's 1908 expedition famous 7
A Everyone except Shackleton survived the trip.
B The men survived but they didn't get to the South Pole.
C All the men died on the way back from the South Pole.

~-
" 50
Multiple choice (Part 4) m Check your answers in pairs. Then listen again.
What words or phrases did you hear to justify
~ EXAM FOCUS p.205
choosing A, B or C for each question?
fJ You are going to hear an interview in which
an explorer called Leo Stone is talking about
a book by Henry Worsley on his expedition
D Discuss the questions.
What would you find hard about a trip like this'
to the South Pole. Before you listen, read the
questions and underline the key words. 2 Shackleton is considered a hero and a role model by
many people. Who are your heroes and role models'
What does Leo say about Henry Worsley's team'
3 Where would you most like to travel to' Why?
A They had never considered doing a trip to the South
Pole before.
B They had personal reasons for wanting to complete
Vocabulary
the journey. idioms: the body

2
C They were trying to break a world record.
What does Leo say was the hardest thing for Worsley's
m Match the underlined idioms 1-10 with
meanings A-J.
team before the expedition'
A organising the finance The hardest part was getting their heads around doing
a 900-mile journey.
B preparing mentally
2 When he came face to face w ith conditions there,
C getting physically fit
Shackleton began to doubt he'd ever reach the Pole.
3 What does Leo say was easier for the twenty-first
3 He's always Dutting his foot in it. He just doesn't know
century expedition than for Shackleton's expedition?
when to keep his mouth shut.
A planning their daily route
4 My father and I don't see eye to eye. Perhaps our
B doing the cooking relationship will improve when I leave home.
C carrying their equipment S Something in the distance caught my eye.
4 What problem did both expeditions experience? 6 I must keep an eye on the time. I don't want to be late.
A running out of food 7 It was really difficult to keep a straight face; he looked
B a serious illness so silly.
C bad weather 8 I'm beginning to get cold feet about the whole idea.
S How did Worsley feel when he was crossing the 9 I can't face going to work. I feel terrible.
Antarctic plateau' 10 You need to put your foot down. Don't agree to
A He hadn't expected it to be so difficult. working late every evening.
B He was worried they wouldn't reach the South Pole.
A pay attention to
C He doubted his skills as a leader
B look serious
6 The part of the book Leo enjoyed most was
C attract your attention
when Worsley
D change your mind
A reached the South Pole.
E get on with each other
B arrived at the point Shackleton had got to.
F feel unable to
C completed the trip.
G very close to
7 What does Leo admire about Shackleton'
H say the wrong thing
A his determination
say no to something
B his ambition
J understand/accept an idea
C his bravery

EXAM TIP
D When was the last time you
put your foot in it?
The information on the recording will be in the same
2 couldn't face doing something'
order as questions 1-7.
3 put your foot down?
4 couldn't keep a straight face'
D0 14 listen to the review and answer
questions 1-7.
Unit 4 Battling natu re 37
 Narrative forms past perfect simple and past perfect
past simple, past continuous and continuous
past perfect mComplete the sentences with the
past perfect simple or past perfect
~ GRAMMAR REFERENCE p.l77
continuous form of the verbs in brackets.
D You are going to read a story about a man who was Then match the examples with one of
shipwrecked on a desert island. Read paragraph 1 the statements, A or B.
and pred ict what happens next. 1 He.. ....... (work) as a lifeguard for ten years but
.............. (never need) to rescue anyone until last
week.
Last October, 79-year-old
Mark Richards set off from 2 Andy's leg .............. (hurt) for ages before he went
to the doctor.
Florida in his cabin cruiser. He
had planned to sail to Nassau 3 We ............ (never see) a glacier before.
in the Bahamas in twelve 4 I.. .. .. (not hear) the news until Sophie rang me.
hours. However, while he was
A Only the simple form is possible here.
sailing there, a storm blew up
B It is more natural to use the continuous form
and he was shipwrecked on a
here because the action continues over a period
small island. of time (although it isn't wrong to use the simple
form).

fJ Read paragraph 1 again. Which ofthe underlined D Complete the sentences so that B has the
forms is same meaning as A. Sometimes more
than one form is possible.
1 past simple? 2 past continuous? 3 past perfect?
1 A Jack was hoping to compete in the Olympics.
D Which one Then he hurt his back.
B Before he ............................. (hurt) his back,
1 refers to a finished event?
Jack ......................... (hope) to compete in the
2 describes a si tuation which happened before another past Olympics.
action?
2 A Luke spent six months in hospital. He studied
3 describes an action already in progress when something else
to be a lawyer during this time.
happened?
B While Luke ............................. (recover) in hospital,
he .. .. .... (study) to be a lawyer.
11 Read the rest of the story quickly. Don't worry about 3 A During his swim to the island, Lewis cut his
the gaps yet. How well did you predict the ending?
knee badly on a rock.
B Lewis .............. (swim) to the island when
D Now complete the story with the correct form of the he .............................. (cut) his knee on a rock.
verbs in brackets.
4 A Fauzia didn't feel well all day, so she decided
not to go to Zhara's party last night.
His family realised he (1) ............. (miss) and a massive B Because she... .. ......... ((een well all day,
search was launched. But they (2) ............. (have to) wait Fauzia ............................... (decide) not to go to
for three long days before they finally (3) ............. (hear) Zhara's party last night.
that some fishermen (4) ............ (rescue) him.
Mr Richards survived for three days on a mixture of
dried noodles and snack bars which (5) ...... .... (jIoat)
ashore from his boat. Mr Richards knew he would be
rescued eventually because there were a lot of boats
in the area. ' I wasn't frightened but r was pleased to
be rescued on the third day because r (6) ............. (start)
to feel quite hungry,' he said.
 fI Look at the exam task in Activity 1 and discuss
the question with a partner. Ta lk about:
what in particular you think would be easy/difficult
about each skill.
why you personally might find a particular ski ll
difficult.

11 0 15 Look at Activity 1 and listen to two

students doing the second part of the task.
Do you agree wit h their opinions?

D Complete the sentences and then listen again

to check your answers .
..... ........ ... .. of the ..... .. .......... for me would be finding
water.
2 I'd ........................ making a fire.. . ...... making a shelter.
3 I t hink learning how to make a fire would be the
........................ for me.
Collaborative task (Part 3) 4 So ....................... five skills, making a fire and finding water
wou ld be the most useful.
ranking
~ EXAM FOCUS p20? g Change the sentences in Activity 4 so that
o Work in pa irs. Look at the examiner's
they have the opposite meaning.
instructions and underline the two things you
have to discuss.
m Decide with a partner which two survival skills
you think would be the least useful on the
I'd like you to imagine that you are going on a island. Include some of the expressions from
college expedition to a desert island. Here are some Activity 5.
survival skills you might need on the island. Talk to
each other about how difficult it would be to learn
these surviva l skills.
EXAM TIP
(after a two-minute di scussion) Thank you. Use all of the time (about one minute) you have to
deci de someth ing together - don't reach a decision too
Now yo u have about a minute to decide whic h two
survival skills would be the most useful on the island. qu ickly

Discussion (Part 4)
making a shelter
~ EXAM FOCUS p.20?
fJ Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
, What kind of person do you need to be to survive on
a desert island'
How difficult 2 How essential is it for people to know how to survive
finding wou ld it be making a in the wild?
water to learn these fire 3 Do you think most people today have lost touch
survival skills? wi t h nature'
4 In what ways can the natural world be a threat
to humans'

building a boat/raft fishing without a rod

Unit 4 Battling nat ure 39

 Speaking 1:1 Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
D Look at the paragraph headings in the article. 1 Which person do you think had the luckiest escape?
Discuss questions 1-4 with a partner. 2 How do you think you would react in
1 Which of these experiences do you think would be the these situations?
most frightening? 3 Do you know of any disaster films connected to the
2 Which of these experiences might give you shock, weather? What happens?
frostbite or hypothermia?
3 Which could give you injuries such as broken bones? Vocabulary
4 What other kinds of extreme weather conditions can collocations and idioms: weather
you think of?
m Match the words in column A with their
collocations in column B.
Multiple matching (Part 7)
~ EXAM FOCUS p,203 ColumnA Column B
1 freezing A wet
fJ Read the article. Did anyone have serious
2 boiling B black
injuries as a result of their experiences?
3 soaking C frozen
11 Read the questions in Activity 4 and underline 4 pitch D cold
the key words and phrases. Then scan the texts 5 absolutely E hot
for words and expressions which have the 6 thick/dense F wind/sun
same meaning. The first one is done for you. 7 torrential/heavy G sea
8 strong H frost
EXAM TIP 9 a rough I rain

Be careful' There might seem to be similar information 10 a hard J fog

in more tha n one text Make su re the word or expression
you choose has the same meaning as in the question,
D Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
Which of the weather conditions in Activity 6 have you
D For questions 2-10, choose from the people experienced?
A-D. The people may be chosen more than 2 Where were you and how did you feel?
once.
Which person El) How would someone be feeling if
remembers panicking about the situation A
he was in? 1 they froze when they saw something?

describes his efforts to stay awake? 2 2 they stormed out of somewhere?

mentions being in pain all over after the 3 they moved like lightning?
incident? 3 4 they were icy with someone?
assumes he must have been thrown up 5 their face clouded over?
into the air? 4 6 their face was li ke thunder?
believes that crying helped him to survive? 5
describes the multiple injuries he received? 6
remembers the long wait before being
rescued? 7
mentions the temporary deafness he
suffered? 8
says he was unable to relate to his rescuers? 9
talks about experiencing big variations in
body temperature? 110 1

40 Unit 4 Battling nature

 11
Battling fi~tu re
FOUR PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THEIR STORIES OF SURVIVAL

A L ester Morlang was buried in an avalanche in Colorado.

There was no warning. It was instant. AI! of a sudden I was curled up in a ball. Then it
was over and I was buried under about fifty feet of snow. It was totally dark. My mouth was
packed with snow and the pressure was enormous. It was hard to breathe and I didn't know
which direction was up. I thought I was already dead. Luckily I had my hands over my face
so I cleared the snow out of my mouth and then I started screaming. I absolutely lost it -I
was out of my mind and then 1noticed my tears were running across my face so 1realised I
I

must be lying kind of upside down. Now I felt determined to get out. I dug for twenty-two
hours, and when [ fjnal1y saw the first little bit of light I was over the moon, although it was
fourteen hours before anyone found me .•

B Rod Herd was on a boat with the New Zealand Police Search and Rescue
team when he nearly drowned.
When we hit the wave, I was thrown against the window, which smashed and let in a
tremendous volume of water. There was no air, just pitch darkness, noise and violent
movement. I had no idea the boat had overturned. I felt sad, anxious and despairing, and
the fear of drowning was unbearable. I couldn't hold my breath any longer and at this
point I had a vision of my wife and sons waving me goodbye, and I felt at peace. But then
I grabbed a stair rail and found myself back in the real world. I managed to pull myself up
to the surface and then had to deal with the shock and hypothermia. Trying to stay afloat
kept my mind off it, although I had to fight the desire to go to sleep. When the helicopter
arrived soon afterwards, I vividly remember feeling disconnected from the people who
were there to save me .•

C John Neidigh survived a tornado in Mississippi.

I heard the warning on the television and had just enough time to lie down and cover
my head with my arms. The feel of a twister approaching is like a goods train - that low,
ever·louder howl and the shuddering ground. First, a sheet of rain sprayed against the
side of my trailer like machine-gun fire. I could hear trees snapping, and the roof began
to come off as the trailer started moving up and down. Just as I felt the entire trailer lift
off the ground, I lost consciousness and woke up twenty minutes later face-down outside.
The evening was completely quiet, no wind, no cars, no insect noises. I had gone through
the trailer wall, ended up thirty feet up in a tree, and then dropped to the ground. I had
concussion, a collapsed lung, cracked ribs and a shattered leg. These things should have
killed me but the surgeons sewed me back together again .•

D M axlightning
Dearing was on the golf course in North Carolina when
struck.
It happened on a lovely July afternoon while I was playing golf with friends from work.
When it started to drizzle, we decided to get under a shelter. We were standing there
teasing each other and I remember the air had an unusual sweet smell. When the lightning
struck, I felt absolutely frozen but then part of me was boiling hot too. I saw these flashing
lights and there was such an incredibly loud noise that I couldn't hear anything for a while.
My arms and legs felt heavy. Every bit of my body - including my hair, my eyelashes - hurt.
It was a dull ache and yet so sharp at the same time, like a bad headache and needles
being stuck in every part of your body .•

Unit 4 Ban ling nature 41

 Articles Speaking
definite, indefinite and zero articles Q Work in groups. Find somebody w ho has had
~ GRAMMA R REFERENCE p.163 one of the following experiences. Tell the class
about it.
D Choose the correct option a/an, the or (-) for
Have you ever
no article to complete rules 1-8. Use the text
on page 4 1 to help you. 1 been afraid of a storm'
2 been snowed in'
We use a/ an/the/(-) when there is on ly one of
something in existence. 3 had heatstroke'

2 We use a/an/thel(-) when there is on ly one of 4 been in a fiood'

something in t his context. 5 skidded on a patch of ice'
3 We use a/an/the/ (-) to talk about plural countable 6 seen lightning strike'
nouns in general. 7 lost your way in fog'
4 We use a/ an/thel(-) to refer back to nouns mentioned 8 been in or on a rough sea?
before (or where the meaning is clear from the
context). •
5 We use a/an/ the/(-) with superlative forms.
6 We use a/an/thel(-) with many common expressions
such as home, school, etc. A pilot's story
7 We use a/ an/ thel(-) with singular countable nouns
when mentioned for the first time, or when it is not As pilots, we have to get used to (1) .
important which one.
storms and (2) ... .. .. .... . severe weather, and
8 We use a/an/ thel(-) with uncountable and abstract
nouns.
we are obviously prepared for (3) .
emergencies. However, sometimes they can
fJ Match rules 1-8 from Activity 1 with extracts take you by (4) ........... surprise. A year ago,
A-F from the text on page 41.
I was flying to (5) .... .. . USA and we were
A I grabbed a stair rail and found myself .. over (6) ... ... ... .. . Atlantic Ocean when a ball of
B I could hear trees snapping.
lightning struck (7) ......... aircraft I was flying.
C .. . and the roo/began to come off.
Within seconds, (8) ... . bright blue ball of
D My mout h was packed with snow and the pressure
was enormous. light with (9) .. .... ...... . yellow tail filled
E I cleared the snow out of my mouth. (10) . .. .. . . windscreen and there was
F I was playing golf with fr iends from work. (11) .... .. .... . loud bang. My colleague said it felt
as if (12) .. . cat had brushed against his
LANGUAGE TIP leg as (13) .... ....... .. lightning struck Fortunately,
We norma lly use possess ives, not articles fo r parts of t he after a lot of violent shaking, (14) ... ... .... ... things
body, e.g. my face NOT the face.
soon returned to (15) .. . . . .. . normal.

D Complete the gaps in the story with a/an,

the or (-).

42 Unit 4 Battling nature

Vocabulary
negative prefixes
m Use the word given in capitals at the end of some
of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the

o In each sentence, underline the prefix

which makes a word negative.
same line. Which words need a negative prefix?

EXAM TIP
1 The first expedition was unsuccessful. You may need to add a prefix or a suffi x to change the word to
2 The Antarctic is the most incred ible place I another part of speech, e.g. happy ~ happiness.
have been to.
3 The group on t he expedition felt discouraged
at ti mes.
4 It's impossible to think of living in such
freezing conditions.
5 They misunderstood our instructions and rJ~~;:~e:~=~'~;~; place In North America got
t,! a very (1) ................. group of
went the wrong way.
11f!"r.• .cr(>SSE!d It on their way to California In
6 Some people thought it was irresponsible to '9. Ha\~ng no Idea that temperatures could
go in such icy conditions. degrees Fahrenheit, they nearly
which IS why It was named Death
f) Add a negative prefix to the underlined
words in sentences 1-6.
lOne advantage of winter is how much we M><.nitP itS name more than 1 3 milhon
spend on heating our homes.
B
~;iik~~:'i;~~,;;v;st;;:dI90 there !!Very year.
that many of them have
2 I read how severe the weather conditions
would be so was not prepared.
how (3) ................ .
dry dlmate can be Also,
3 It's likely that we'll be able to have a barbecue
unless it gets much warmer. !'~~;gh.~wal;:;kers often do not drink
" or wear the (5) .. .......... ..
4 I've noticed that people get patient when a~ ~Ulred In thiS extreme heat.
they're driving during hot weather.
5 It was a great job despite the regular
working hours.
6 I'd be capable of surviving in low temperatures
even if I had the right equipment

IJ Work in pairs. Discuss something

1 which is unusual about you.
2 incredible that has happened to you.
3 that makes you impatient

Word formation
(Part 3)
~ EXAM FOCUS p.20 I

IJ Look at the photo and the title of the

article. What kind of place do you think
Death Valley is? How do you think it
got its name?
El What advice would you give to someone going to a
very hot or cold climate?
D Look at each gap and decide what part Examples:
of speech is missing.
You should (drink) .. Make sure you (wear) . . Avoid (sitting in the
sun). Don't (ignore) warning signs.

Unit 4 Battling nature 43

 Essay (Part I) D Think of some more points and supporti ng
expressing and supporting ideas information (examples or reasons) for notes
1 and 2 in Activity 2. Compare your ideas w it h
~ WRITING REFERENCE P 180 a partner.
o Wou ld you like the chance to explore an
extreme environment such as Antarctica? EXAM TIP
What would you li ke to do if you had the
Re member to clearly state your main point in the form of
opportunity?
a to pic sentence for each note. Support it with a reason
or example if t here is space.
f) Work in pairs. Read the essay title and discuss
whether you agree or disagree with t he idea
of adventure tourism.
m Think about what your own point w ill be for
note 3 in Activity 2 and compare your idea
In your English class you have been talking about w ith a partner. There are some suggestions
extreme environments. Now your English teache r below. Remember to give a reason for the
has asked you to write an essay. point you choose.
Write an essay usi ng all the points and give reasons
fo r your point of view. Write 140-190 words. local job opportunities personal development
cost ofrescuing people
knowledge about the world
Do you think 'adventure tourism' in unexplored
parts of the world should be encouraged?

Notes
11 Read the essay tit le and task and plan how
you will answer it. Use the guidelines 1-4
Write about:
below.
1 negative effects of tourism
In your English class you have been discussing the
2 personal risk
importance of nature. Now your teacher has asked
3 . ......................... (your own idea)
you to write an essay.
Write an essay using all the notes and give reasons
11 Mat ch the ideas 1-4 with notes 1 and 2 for your point of view. Write 140-190 words.

in Activity 2. Decide whether the writer is

agreeing or disagreeing with the essay title in
Many people think living in the countryside
each case.
provides a better way of life. To what extent do
1 If peo_ple trai" and prepare fo_, expedition)} there') you agree?
a 900d chance they'll be ,afe.
Notes
2 The problem i, that bea"ti{,,/ places.. wilLget ,poilt _ Write about:
__ iL too maQy_p.eople 9.0 the.re.
3 AS' long as people r.eS'pectthe efwironmeni; there 1 health benefits
2 day to day life
,ho."ld be very little damage.
3 .............. ...........__......... (your own idea)
~ In my View, anythin9 too dan9ero", ,ho"ld be left
to the profeSSionalS'.

Read the question and underline the key points.

D Match the reasons A-D with the points 1-4 in 2 Brainstorm ideas around the topic. What will your own
Activity 3. idea be?
3 Make notes on the positive and negative points.
A An increased number of totJriS'tS' ~j!llead to more Do you agree or disagree, or can you see both sides?
b"ildin9 developmeo.t
4 Plan how many paragraphs you wi ll have and decide
8 If people don't kl'loW whatthelre doin91 it can endanger which notes you will include in each one.
their liYeS" and the Jiver of otherS'.
_ C_ It requiref people to be_rerpgnS'ibJe Qfld avoid leaVing _
_ _ rvbbiS'h arovnd. _ _ _ ______ _
_ D The,e ..<iay" there i, ~ !.et.Q(<t.q "ipme.ntto help_people. _

44 Unit 4 Battli ng nature

D Complete the gaps in t he article with a/an, the If) Use the word given in capitals at the end of the
or (-) for no article. sentence to form a word that fits the space.
lam .. .. of skiing. I'm too scared. CAPABLE
2 ...... his explanation and went the wrong way.
UNDERSTANDING
3 He is a very .......... worker. He never arrives on time.
RELY
4 My mother is .......... with my younger brother She
never explains things properly. PATIENCE
S That is an extremely ....... way to behave. Vou
should be trying to set a good example.
RESPONSIBILITY
6 If you're ....................... , speak to the manager and I'm sure
he'll be able to help. SATISFACTION

11 Match the first part of sentences 1-6 with

their endings A-F.
I always put my foot in it when I'm nervous and
2 I can never keep a straight face so
3 I'm getting cold feet about the cycling race because
4 Tom and I don't see eye to eye about many issues so
5 My parents wan t me to keep an eye on my brother so
6 If something in a shop window catches my eye

A I'm useless at telling jokes.

B I say really embarrassing things.
C I won't be able to go out tonight.
D I can't resist going in to look at it.
E I don't think I've trained enough .
F I can't see our relationship lasting.

IJ Complete the second sentence so that it has a

similar meaning to the first sentence using the
word given. Use between two and five words,
including the word given.
I lived in London until I got married last year.
BEEN
I ............. in London until I got married last year.
2 It took three days for us to walk there.
WERE
We ..... ......... three days.
3 I couldn't remember the way there, so I got a taxi.
FORGOTTEN
I. .............. get there, so I got a taxi.
4 It was th ree years since I'd visited Peru .
NOT
................... ........... to Peru for three years.

Unit 4 Battling nature 4S