1 Unit Test

Name

Mark

Optional Reading Read the text and answer the questions that follow.
Tornado Tourism
I

An increasing number of travellers from all over the world are trading in their beach holidays for storm-chasing
tours. Many of these tours take place in Tornado Alley, an area in the Midwest of the United States which is
famous for its tornadoes. They are led by meteorologists and experienced storm chasers and allow participants to
follow tornadoes, in the hope that they will actually get to see one up close.

II

Storm-chasing tours last from a few days to a few weeks. Participants travel in vehicles equipped with the latest
high-tech equipment, such as mobile Internet and satellite connections. Tour guides use this equipment to help
them head in the right direction. They are trying to get to a place that will allow participants to witness the storm
without being in danger.

III

Although participants in storm-chasing tours say that the experience can be exhilarating, they warn that it can also
be exhausting. Tornado tourists, as storm chasers are called, can sometimes drive up to 600 miles on any given
day. They live out of a suitcase and have no idea where they are going to sleep on any particular night. Whats
more, since all storm chasers are heading for the same area, they often have to fight over the limited number of
available hotel rooms. It is not unusual for them to have to share a room or even a bed with fellow chasers!

IV

Participants in storm-chasing tours must expect to be frustrated. They can spend days driving around before they
actually get to see anything. In addition, while they are likely to witness severe weather conditions on their trip, the
chances of actually seeing a tornado are quite slim.

For people who join storm-chasing tours, a single storm-chasing experience is often not sufficient. In fact, stormchasing tour operators note that much of their business comes from repeat customers, and that a significant number
of people who participate in a storm-chasing tour come back. It appears that storm chasing is addictive.

Choose the correct answer. (2 x 3 = 6 points)

1. Storm-chasing tours are suitable for people who .

a.
b.
c.
d.

want to spend their holidays on the beach

do not mind spending many hours in a car
do not like sharing a hotel room with a stranger
expect to see a tornado

2. Many people who join storm-chasing tours .

a.
b.
c.
d.

have participated in a similar tour in the past

have the latest hi-tech equipment
get to see a tornado from up close
live in Tornado Alley

Answer the questions. (2 x 3 = 6 points)

1. How do tour guides know where to take tornado tourists?

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2. Why do storm chasers often have to fight over hotel rooms?
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1 Unit Test

Decide if the following sentences are true (T) or false (F). Find evidence in the text to justify your answers.
(3 x 3 = 9 points)

1. Tour guides aim to take tornado chasers to dangerous places.

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2. People who participate in storm-chasing tours have mixed feelings about the tours.
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3. People who participate in storm-chasing tours are told in advance where they will be staying.
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Find words or expressions in the text that mean: (4 x 1 = 4 points)

1. assist (paragraph II)

2. thrilling, exciting (paragraph III)

3. see (paragraph IV)

4. enough (paragraph V)