Test in Reading (2 term)

You are going to read a text (once) about an extreme sport. For questions 1-4, mark the answer that fits best from options A, B, C or D.

AN EXTREME SPORT THAT HAS REALLY TAKEN OFF

So many extreme sports have become popular in recent decades that it seems that danger and adrenaline are addictive, and people are constantly looking for new and more exciting ways to experience them. One of the latest extreme sports to become established is a combination of two sports which lots of people consider to be risky in themselves – skiing and paragliding. Speed riding involves descending a mountain on skis at high speed while attached to a parachute-like wing. Using this, the rider can fly over any steep, rocky or otherwise difficult terrain. There are no rules as to when you use your skis and when you pull the cords on your harness and take to the sky, and neither are there any official speed riding routes. In fact, speed riders are generally not allowed to pursue their hobby alongside skiers on the pistes at ski resorts. They need to make their way instead to the highest, wildest places that nature can offer. Even so, the sport has spread from its birthplace in the French Alps as far as Japan, New Zealand and Argentina, with thousands of people taking part in it and dozens of organisations around the world offering instruction in it.

The sport is well-named, as speed riders can reach speeds of 100km per hour on their way down the mountains. But don’t think they go so fast purely for thrills; strange as it may seem, on the most demanding mountains it’s vital to maintain a high speed for safety reasons. That’s because if speed riders slow down too much, their wings fall down and become useless – leaving them with nothing but their skis for getting past whatever obstacles lie ahead, from cliffs to avalanches.

Obviously, experience of both paragliding and skiing is an advantage if you want to take up this growing sport. You can try speed riding if you’ve never paraglided, but you’re unlikely to find someone willing to teach you speed riding if you’re not a competent skier. You need to have enough skill to land smoothly and safely after being airborne.

Unfortunately around 30 speed riders – all of them highly experienced – have lost their lives doing the sport since it became popular in the early 2000s. Several of the fatal accidents were due to sudden poor site conditions – such as fierce winds – or equipment failure, but most of the riders simply lost control of their descent.

1   According to the writer, many people think skiing and paragliding are

Speed riding originated in ...

Why do speed riders go at such high speeds?

Some speed riding accidents have been caused by

Read the text again and mark the following statements as T (true) or F (false).

AN EXTREME SPORT THAT HAS REALLY TAKEN OFF

So many extreme sports have become popular in recent decades that it seems that danger and adrenaline are addictive, and people are constantly looking for new and more exciting ways to experience them. One of the latest extreme sports to become established is a combination of two sports which lots of people consider to be risky in themselves – skiing and paragliding. Speed riding involves descending a mountain on skis at high speed while attached to a parachute-like wing. Using this, the rider can fly over any steep, rocky or otherwise difficult terrain. There are no rules as to when you use your skis and when you pull the cords on your harness and take to the sky, and neither are there any official speed riding routes. In fact, speed riders are generally not allowed to pursue their hobby alongside skiers on the pistes at ski resorts. They need to make their way instead to the highest, wildest places that nature can offer. Even so, the sport has spread from its birthplace in the French Alps as far as Japan, New Zealand and Argentina, with thousands of people taking part in it and dozens of organisations around the world offering instruction in it.

The sport is well-named, as speed riders can reach speeds of 100km per hour on their way down the mountains. But don’t think they go so fast purely for thrills; strange as it may seem, on the most demanding mountains it’s vital to maintain a high speed for safety reasons. That’s because if speed riders slow down too much, their wings fall down and become useless – leaving them with nothing but their skis for getting past whatever obstacles lie ahead, from cliffs to avalanches.

Obviously, experience of both paragliding and skiing is an advantage if you want to take up this growing sport. You can try speed riding if you’ve never paraglided, but you’re unlikely to find someone willing to teach you speed riding if you’re not a competent skier. You need to have enough skill to land smoothly and safely after being airborne.

Unfortunately around 30 speed riders – all of them highly experienced – have lost their lives doing the sport since it became popular in the early 2000s. Several of the fatal accidents were due to sudden poor site conditions – such as fierce winds – or equipment failure, but most of the riders simply lost control of their descent.

There are very few places around the world that teach speed riding.  

Riding fast is key to remaining unharmed.

Speed riders need to be excellent paragliders.  

People have enjoyed speed riding for over a century.