One rainy afternoon I was sitting at home feeling so bored.

Instead of feeling sorry for

myself, I wanted to meet people and have new experiences so I decided to start volunteering. I
logged onto my computer and found a website where I could volunteer on a farm in France.
Volunteering provides so many opportunities to have fun and share great stories. My time
working on a farm was a new experience for me. It was basically a free holiday as food and
accommodation were provided. However, it was not your typical holiday as I had to look after
fifteen horses and sleep at the top of a tower in a fourteenth century castle! I soon discovered that
I was an awful farmer but it did not matter because I made some great friends and also improved
my French.
However, you do not need to go abroad to volunteer, I have had plenty of adventures at
home as volunteering can become a hobby. For example, I love singing so I had a good laugh
waving my arms in an attempt to conduct my local choir. At university, I organised a concert for
charity with my friends. It was really fun finding bands and raising money for a cause we believe
in.
It is true that you feel good volunteering but there are also other advantages. I once
volunteered as a steward at a charity sports event where the organisers gave me cupcakes from
an expensive London bakery to thank me. I also volunteered in a charity shop so I found loads of
nice cheap clothes to update my wardrobe.
While this is all fun, my favourite aspect of volunteering is creating and sharing stories.
Talking to volunteers from different countries and backgrounds has also helped me learn more
about the world.

1. Volunteer in text is used in the meaning

A) a situation in which people help each other or work together
B) someone who leaves their country because of a war or other threats
C) someone who works without expecting to be paid for what they do
D) someone who joins the armed forces without being forced to
E) someone who offers to do something and does not have to be made to do it

2. Her volunteering now is …

A) creating stories
B) working as a farmer
C) working as a steward
D) looking after the horses
E) organising a concert

3. She started volunteering …

A) being unhappy
B) on a rainy evening
C) on a summer holiday
D) being bored
E) feeling new experiences

4. Her first charity work was …

A) in a choir
B) in her own country
C) in a tour agency
D) on a farm
E) costy
5. On a French farm she …
A) didn't pay for food and shelter
B) improved her French
C) took care of horses
D) all the answers are tue
E) made some friends

6. No information about
A) meeting new cultures
B) a medieval place
C) the places she has volunteered
D) advantages of volunteering
E) how long she has been volunteering

7. The paragraph she combines her hobby with volunteering in is …

A) N2
B) N5
C) N4
D) N1
E) N3

8. The best summary of the text is …

A) Practising new languages
B) Meeting new people
C) Working on a farm
D) Advantages of charity work
E) Learning the world

9. She volunteers because …

A) she wanted to visit France
B) she enjoys experiencing something new
C) her friend suggested her doing it
D) she likes extreme things
E) she was a good farmer

10. The writer …

A) advertises volunteering abroad
B) describes her personal experiences as a volunteer
C) persuades the young people to become volunteers
D) teaches how to become a volunteer
E) informs how exciting it is to be a volunteer
 Sylvia Earle: National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence
Sylvia Earle was called a "Hero for the Planet" by Time magazine. She’s an
oceanographer, explorer, author, and lecturer.
Sylvia Earle is a world-famous ocean scientist and a National Geographic Explorer-in-
Residence. She loves diving in the ocean. She spends a lot of time under the sea. Earle has been
the leader on more than a hundred expeditions. She also set a record for solo diving in 1,000-
metre deep water. In total, she has spent more than 7,000 hours underwater.
Earle describes the first time she went to the ocean: ‘I was three years old and a big wave
knocked me over. I wasn’t frightened, I was excited. That was the beginning of my interest in the
ocean.’
In the past, Earle was the chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) in the USA. Now she works with Google Earth’s Ocean. Earle’s special
interest is the development of a network of areas on the land and in the ocean. This network can
protect the life systems that are important to the Earth. She explains why this is important:
‘When I went to the Gulf of Mexico in the 1950s, the sea was a big blue infinity. I didn’t
understand that the sea was in danger from the actions of people. That was an impossible idea.
Then, after thirty years (only thirty, not a thousand!), the blue paradise disappeared. At the end
of the 20th century, there were only about 10 percent of the sharks, whales and other animals in
the Gulf.’
Why is the ocean important to life on Earth? Earle says, ‘The ocean is alive. The living
things in the ocean generate oxygen and take up carbon. Our planet doesn’t work without the
ocean.’
There are many problems in the Gulf of Mexico. But Sylvia Earle says, ‘In 2003 I was in
clear water in the Gulf. I was a long way from the mouth of the Mississippi River. The area was
full of healthy sea life. We can protect the ocean and our future.’

The main reason Sylvia works with Google Earth's Ocean is that …
A) the beautiful paradise disappeared
B) sea creatures are disappearing
С) she worked as a chief scientist
D) she saw the beautiful sea
E) she wants to develop network between land and ocean

The thing that interested Sylvia in the ocean

A) fear
B) a big wave
С) shock
D) excitement
E) age

No information about
A) the beginning of the 21 century
B) the reason she started her interest
C) the importance of the ocean
D) the damage to sea creatures
Е) the expenses spent on sea protection

The first time when the Gulf of Mexico was beautiful

A) in the 1980s
B) in the 1950s
C) in 2003
D) at the end of the 20th century
E) in 1950

Sylvia is interested in …
A) fishing
B) in leadership
С) in different expeditions
D) computer networks
E) protecting our future

A gulfin the text means

A) a piece of land that is completely surrounded by water
B) an area of land along the edge of a sea
C) the land that is on the edge of a sea or lake
D) a large and important difference between people and groups
E) a large area of sea that is almost surrounded by land

What Sylvia couldn't imagine is …

A) how to live in the future
B) how the ocean works
С) how to protect the ocean
D) people harm the nature
E) why the ocean is important

In the first paragraph the writer wants to emphasise …

A) her expeditions
B) the importance of diving
C) the time she spent underwater
D) Sylvia's types of work
E) her getting the title

What had happened to the Gulf of Mexico after thirty years?

A) lots of fish appeared
B) the blue paradise disappeared
С) there were only about 20 percent of the sharks,
D) the blue paradise appeared
E) other animals appeared

What is the article about?

A) Sylvia's job
B) the Gulf of Mexico
C) the importance of the ocean
D) the Mississippi River
E) the Pacific Ocean