Daring. Defiant. Free.
A new generation of superclimbers is pushing the limits in Yosemite
Every rock climber who has come to Yosemite has a dream. Alex Honnold’s dream was to
free solo Half Dome, a 2130-foot (649-meter) wall of granite1. Free soloing means climbing
with only rock shoes and some chalk to help keep the hands dry. Honnold couldn’t use a rope
or anything else to help him s�ck to the slippery stone. The few people who had climbed Half
Dome before had used ropes, and it had taken them more than a day to do the climb.
On a bright September morning, Honnold was clinging2 to the face of Half Dome, less than
100 feet (30 meters) from the top. He had been climbing for two hours and forty-five minutes,
but all of a sudden, he stopped. Something poten�ally disastrous had occurred—he had lost
some of his confidence. He hadn’t felt that way two days before when he’d been racing up the
same rock with a rope. That climb had gone well. Today though, Honnold hesitated. He knew
that even the slightest doubt could cause a deadly fall, thousands of feet to the valley floor
below. He knew he had to get moving, so he chalked his hands, adjusted his feet, and started
climbing again. Within minutes, he was at the top.
Bloggers spread the news of Honnold’s two-hour-and-fi�y-minute free solo, and climbers
were amazed. On this warm fall day, 23-year-old Alex Honnold had just set a new record in one
of climbing’s biggest challenges.
1- granite: a kind of very hard rock
2- cling: to hold something �ghtly
Comprehension (4pts)
Exercise 1: Circle the correct answer. ( …... /1pt)
1. When you free solo, you climb without shoes / rope.
2. Alex Honnold’s free solo of Half Dome was / wasn’t successful.
3. Honnold lost his confidence / rope for a moment on his way up Half Dome.
4. No / Some climbers before Honnold climbed Half Dome in under three hours.
Exercise 2: Answer the following ques�ons. ( …... /1pt)
- What happened to Alex Honnold in the middle of the climb?
He lost some of his confidence.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
- What was his final big achievement?
He set a new record.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Exercise 3: Find synonyms from the text for the following words. ( …... /2pt)
amazed
Astonished (adj) = ………………………… deadly
Mortal (adj) = …………………………
bright
Shiny (adj) = ………………………… occured
Happened (v) = …………………………
Grammar (8.75pts)
Exercise 1: Write “1” above the underlined ac�on or situa�on that happened first.
Write “2” above the one that happened second. ( …... /1pt)
1. Honnold climbed Half Dome without a rope. Others had climbed it with rope.
1
2. He had been confident un�l he got near the top.
1
3. This �me was different from the last �me. The last �me he had used a rope.
1
4. He climbed the fastest. Nobody had ever climbed so quickly.
1
Exercise 2: Choose the correct form of the verb: past simple / con�nuous / perfect. ( …... /2.25pt)
eat
was eating
1. I couldn’t understand what she was saying because she ................................. an apple.
ate
2. The meal was terrible, but John ................................. it all up. He must have been hungry.
had eaten
3. There was nothing in the fridge. The kids ................................. everything.
talk
talked
4. The class was so boring. The teacher just ................................. for four hours.
had talked
5. I knew about Manel’s problem because I ................................. to her mother the day before.
were
6. Who …………………………………… talking
you ........................... to on the phone just now?
drive
drove
7. “How did you get here?” “I ................................ ”
had driven
8. I was tired and needed to go to bed. I ................................. 300 miles that day.
was driving
9. I................................. to work when I had an accident and hit a tree.
Exercise 3: Rewrite these sentences in the passive voice. ( …... /3pt)
1. My brother is walking the dog tonight. ➡ …………………………………………………………………………........
The dog **is being walked**..
2. The company employs 5 people. ➡ ………………………………………………………………………………………….
5 people **are employe** ...
3. My great grandfather built this house 60 years ago.
➡ ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
This house **was built**
4. The Egyp�ans buried pharaohs in pyramids. ➡ …………………………………………………………………………
The pharaohs **were buried** ...
5. The performance impressed her. ➡……………………………………………………………………………………………
She **was impressed** ...
6. The nurse reads the newspaper to the old man every day.
➡ ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
The newspaper **is read** to the ...
Exercise 4: Use condi�onal type 0 or 1, based on the correct use. ( …... /2.5pts)
1. heat
If you …………………………….……… boils
(heat) water, it …………………………….……… (boil).
2. studies will succeed
If she …………………………….……… (study) hard, she …………………………….……… (succeed).
3. train
If I ……………………………. will have
(train) seriously, I …………………………….……… (have) a fit body.
4. touch
If you …………………………….……… (touch) fire, it …………………………….………burns (burn) you.
5. will happen doesn't open
What ………….………………… (happen) if my parachute …………………….….……… (not open)?
Pronuncia�on (1.75pts)
Exercise 3: Circle the word with the same pronuncia�on as the one in bold. ( …... /1.75pt)
1. fair fear fire fare
2. hire higher hair high
3. one when won own
4. weigh why we way
5. threw though tough through
6. �e tea Thai toe
7. peace pies piece peas
Writen Expression (5.5pts)
What would you do if you were leader of the world? What would you change in economics,
poli�cs, socie�es? ... etc.
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