Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

Adventure hiking
Your cousin loves the outdoors and wants you to be interested in it too. He gives you a blog
entry about an outdoor activity. Read the blog entry and answer the questions. Write your
answers in the spaces provided. For multiple choice questions, choose the best answer and
blacken the circle next to the corresponding letter.

The call of the wild: a brief guide to adventure hiking

Posted by Phillip Leung on 18th June 20_ _

1 If you want to have a real

outdoor adventure, you’ll find it 123RF.com
5 on an extreme hiking tour. But
there’s a lot more to adventure
hiking than booking a trip and
buying a new pair of hiking
boots. I’ve been on several
10 extreme hiking tours in
countries around the world,
including Canada, Australia and
Iceland, so I thought I’d share
some tips and advice on how
15 you can have a safe, fun and exciting adventure in the wild.

2 Your adventure starts with research. Yes, you read that correctly! Doing
research before you book a trip will help you to learn about the place that you’ve
decided to explore — its history, weather conditions, native wildlife, and so forth.
It’ll also help you to pack for the trip. Most adventure hiking companies require
20 you to bring your own clothing, footwear, sleeping bag, toiletries, crockery and a
backpack, and provide you with accommodation, food, water, cooking
equipment, safety gear, a satellite phone and medical supplies. But again —
reading a guidebook or surfing the Internet in advance will ensure that you know
exactly what to bring before you leave home. There’s nothing more frustrating
25 than setting out for an adventure somewhere far from home only to discover
that you’ve forgotten something important like a hat or sunscreen.

3 Now it’s time to book the tour. If you prefer going on long trips, you’ll have
no trouble finding companies that offer five-, seven-, ten- and even fourteen-day
guided hiking tours. I suggest going for at least a week — it always takes a day
30 or two to settle into a rhythm in the wild. Once, I went on a three-day hiking
tour on a glacier near Whistler, Canada. I had an amazing adventure, but on the
third day, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed when my tour guide advised me
to start packing up to head back to ‘civilisation’. Nobody had told me that three
days wouldn’t be enough time to explore the area properly. To make matters
35 worse, we’d spent most of the first day in a cabin waiting for a blizzard to pass. I
promised to return to Whistler, and I have — twice — but you might not get a
second chance to explore the same area, so make sure you book the right trip
the first time.
Please turn over.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 1

 Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

4 Once you’re in the wild, you need to follow certain rules, not only to ensure
40 your safety and protect the unspoilt nature of your surroundings, but also to
guarantee that you experience the best adventure possible. Your tour guide will
keep reminding you what you should and shouldn’t do while you’re in the
countryside — things like drinking enough water, untying your boots during
breaks, storing your food in a sealed container at night to keep bears away, not
45 feeding the wildlife, packing up your rubbish and taking it away with you, etc. If
you pay attention to your guide, you’ll start to learn how to interact with Mother
Nature in her backyard — a skill that will provide you with a lifetime of
adventures.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 2

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

1 What activity is the blog entry about?

2 Who are the likely audience for the blog entry?

 A adventure hiking tour guides
 B experienced adventure hikers
 C people interested in the outdoors
 D people nervous about camping

3 What does ‘it’ (line 4) refer to

4 Name three countries that the writer has gone adventure hiking in.

5 In line 15, what is the meaning of ‘the wild’?

6 Which of the following items do most adventure hiking companies NOT provide?
1 2 3 4

VR Photos. Shutterstock In Green. Shutterstock SteveWoods. Shutterstock Sergey Yechikov. Shutterstock

 A 1
 B 2
 C 3
 D 4

7 In paragraph 2, what sources does the writer suggest for finding information about
adventure hiking?
a)
b)

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 3

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

8 Fill in the missing words in the advice. Choose an answer from the six options given
below. Write the answer in the space provided. Only FOUR options can be used.

book / explore / follow / learn / research / teach

a) Before you your holiday, you need to prepare.

b) You should first the country that you are going to visit.
c) Websites will you a lot about the weather and wildlife.
d) Make sure you the advice they provide.

9 i) How much time does the writer recommend spending on a guided hiking tour?

ii) Why does the writer recommend this amount of time?

10 What two things did the writer NOT like about his first Whistler hiking tour?
a)
b)

11 How many times has the writer visited Whistler, Canada?

12 Find a word in paragraph 4 that means ‘tightly closed’.

13 Decide if the following statements are ‘Dos’ or ‘Don’ts’ for adventure hikers. Blacken
ONE circle only next to each statement.
Do Don’t
a) Drink plenty of water.  
b) Loosen your footwear when not hiking.  
c) Leave food for wild animals to eat.  
d) Bury your rubbish in the ground when you leave your camp.  

14 Paragraph 4 _____.
 A explains how to keep bears away from your camp
 B gives tips for choosing a suitable tour guide
 C offers different ways to take care of your feet while hiking
 D stresses the importance of following rules during an adventure tour

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 4

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

15 Would you like to go on an adventure hiking tour? Why or why not?

Glossary

Word / Phrase Pronunciation Meaning*

extreme adj (line 5)
native adj (line 18)
toiletries n (line 20)
crockery n (line 20)
/ɪkˈstriːm/ used to describe a sport which is done in a way
that has much more risk than an ordinary form of
the sport
/ˈneɪtɪv/ growing, living, produced, etc. in one particular
place
/ˈtɔɪlətriz/ things such as soap and toothpaste that are used
for cleaning yourself; ‘toiletries’ is always used in
the plural form
/ˈkrɒkəri/ cups, dishes, plates, etc.

accommodation n /əˌkɒməˈdeɪʃən/ a place for someone to stay, live or work

(line 21)
settle into a rhythm
v phr (line 30)
civilisation n (line 33)
cabin n (line 35)
unspoilt adj (line 40)
guarantee v (line 41)
*A word or phrase can have various meanings. Each meaning listed here is for the use of the word or phrase in
the specified text.
/ˈsetl ˌɪntə ə to begin to feel happy and relaxed in a new
ˈrɪðəm/ routine
/ˌsɪvəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/ a place such as a city where you feel comfortable,
especially because it is modern and developed
/ˈkæbən/ a small house built of wood in an area of forest or
mountains
/ˌʌnˈspɔɪlt/ used to describe a place in the countryside that is
beautiful because it has not been developed
/ˌɡærənˈtiː/ to promise to do something or to promise that
something will happen

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 5

 Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

AK
Adventure hiking
Your cousin loves the outdoors and wants you to be interested in it too. He gives you a blog
entry about an outdoor activity. Read the blog entry and answer the questions. Write your
answers in the spaces provided. For multiple choice questions, choose the best answer and
blacken the circle next to the corresponding letter.

The call of the wild: a brief guide to adventure hiking

Posted by Phillip Leung on 18th June 20_ _

1 If you want to have a real

outdoor adventure, you’ll find it 123RF.com
5 on an extreme hiking tour. But
there’s a lot more to adventure
hiking than booking a trip and
buying a new pair of hiking
boots. I’ve been on several
10 extreme hiking tours in
countries around the world,
including Canada, Australia and
Iceland, so I thought I’d share
some tips and advice on how
15 you can have a safe, fun and exciting adventure in the wild.

2 Your adventure starts with research. Yes, you read that correctly! Doing
research before you book a trip will help you to learn about the place that you’ve
decided to explore — its history, weather conditions, native wildlife, and so forth.
It’ll also help you to pack for the trip. Most adventure hiking companies require
20 you to bring your own clothing, footwear, sleeping bag, toiletries, crockery and a
backpack, and provide you with accommodation, food, water, cooking
equipment, safety gear, a satellite phone and medical supplies. But again —
reading a guidebook or surfing the Internet in advance will ensure that you know
exactly what to bring before you leave home. There’s nothing more frustrating
25 than setting out for an adventure somewhere far from home only to discover
that you’ve forgotten something important like a hat or sunscreen.

3 Now it’s time to book the tour. If you prefer going on long trips, you’ll have
no trouble finding companies that offer five-, seven-, ten- and even fourteen-day
guided hiking tours. I suggest going for at least a week — it always takes a day
30 or two to settle into a rhythm in the wild. Once, I went on a three-day hiking
tour on a glacier near Whistler, Canada. I had an amazing adventure, but on the
third day, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed when my tour guide advised me
to start packing up to head back to ‘civilisation’. Nobody had told me that three
days wouldn’t be enough time to explore the area properly. To make matters
35 worse, we’d spent most of the first day in a cabin waiting for a blizzard to pass. I
promised to return to Whistler, and I have — twice — but you might not get a
second chance to explore the same area, so make sure you book the right trip
the first time.
Please turn over.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 1

 Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

4 Once you’re in the wild, you need to follow certain rules, not only to ensure
40 your safety and protect the unspoilt nature of your surroundings, but also to
guarantee that you experience the best adventure possible. Your tour guide will
keep reminding you what you should and shouldn’t do while you’re in the
countryside — things like drinking enough water, untying your boots during
breaks, storing your food in a sealed container at night to keep bears away, not
45 feeding the wildlife, packing up your rubbish and taking it away with you, etc. If
you pay attention to your guide, you’ll start to learn how to interact with Mother
Nature in her backyard — a skill that will provide you with a lifetime of
adventures.

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 2

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

1 What activity is the blog entry about?

adventure / extreme hiking

2 Who are the likely audience for the blog entry?

 A adventure hiking tour guides
 B experienced adventure hikers
 C people interested in the outdoors
 D people nervous about camping

3 What does ‘it’ (line 4) refer to

a real outdoor adventure

4 Name three countries that the writer has gone adventure hiking in.
Canada, Australia and Iceland

5 In line 15, what is the meaning of ‘the wild’?

nature / the countryside

6 Which of the following items do most adventure hiking companies NOT provide?
1 2 3 4

VR Photos. Shutterstock In Green. Shutterstock SteveWoods. Shutterstock Sergey Yechikov. Shutterstock

 A 1
 B 2
 C 3
 D 4

7 In paragraph 2, what sources does the writer suggest for finding information about
adventure hiking?
a) guidebooks
b) the Internet

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 3

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

8 Fill in the missing words in the advice. Choose an answer from the six options given
below. Write the answer in the space provided. Only FOUR options can be used.

book / explore / follow / learn / research / teach

a) Before you book your holiday, you need to prepare.

b) You should first research the country that you are going to visit.
c) Websites will teach you a lot about the weather and wildlife.
d) Make sure you follow the advice they provide.

9 iii) How much time does the writer recommend spending on a guided hiking tour?
at least a week / seven days

iv) Why does the writer recommend this amount of time?

because it always takes a day or two to settle into a rhythm in the wild

10 What two things did the writer NOT like about his first Whistler hiking tour?
a) It didn’t last long enough / wasn’t long enough / was too short.
b) There was a blizzard on the first day (of the hiking tour).

11 How many times has the writer visited Whistler, Canada?

three

12 Find a word in paragraph 4 that means ‘tightly closed’.

sealed

13 Decide if the following statements are ‘Dos’ or ‘Don’ts’ for adventure hikers. Blacken
ONE circle only next to each statement.
Do Don’t
a) Drink plenty of water.  
b) Loosen your footwear when not hiking.  
c) Leave food for wild animals to eat.  
d) Bury your rubbish in the ground when you leave your camp.  

14 Paragraph 4 _____.
 A explains how to keep bears away from your camp
 B gives tips for choosing a suitable tour guide
 C offers different ways to take care of your feet while hiking
 D stresses the importance of following rules during an adventure tour

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 4

Longman English Edge Extra reading text JS2

15 Would you like to go on an adventure hiking tour? Why or why not?

(Student’s own answers)

Glossary

Word / Phrase Pronunciation Meaning*

extreme adj (line 5)
native adj (line 18)
toiletries n (line 20)
crockery n (line 20)
/ɪkˈstriːm/ used to describe a sport which is done in a way
that has much more risk than an ordinary form of
the sport
/ˈneɪtɪv/ growing, living, produced, etc. in one particular
place
/ˈtɔɪlətriz/ things such as soap and toothpaste that are used
for cleaning yourself; ‘toiletries’ is always used in
the plural form
/ˈkrɒkəri/ cups, dishes, plates, etc.

accommodation n /əˌkɒməˈdeɪʃən/ a place for someone to stay, live or work

(line 21)
settle into a rhythm
v phr (line 30)
civilisation n (line 33)
cabin n (line 35)
unspoilt adj (line 40)
guarantee v (line 41)
*A word or phrase can have various meanings. Each meaning listed here is for the use of the word or phrase in
the specified text.
/ˈsetl ˌɪntə ə to begin to feel happy and relaxed in a new
ˈrɪðəm/ routine
/ˌsɪvəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/ a place such as a city where you feel comfortable,
especially because it is modern and developed
/ˈkæbən/ a small house built of wood in an area of forest or
mountains
/ˌʌnˈspɔɪlt/ used to describe a place in the countryside that is
beautiful because it has not been developed
/ˌɡærənˈtiː/ to promise to do something or to promise that
something will happen

© Pearson Education Asia Limited 2018 5