Microsoft Word - L2 033 Reading

P O Z I O M 2

ARKUSZ ODPOWIEDZI

C Z Y T A N I E

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KOD

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TASK ONE

Read the text and circle T for True or F for False.

At first glance the island of Stromboli seems like a perfect place to relax. That is, of course, if

one  can  rest  on  an  active  volcano.  In  recent  years,  its  regular  activity  has  kept  the  civil  protection
authorities  watchful.  Those  who  monitor  the  mountain  clearly  remember  its  powerful  explosion  in
2002  which  sent  a  huge  chunk  of  the  island  into  the  sea  causing  a  tsunami.  5  to
damaged  Stromboli  homes  and  paralyzed  ship  traffic  round  a  20
Panarea.

The civil protection authorities have their hands full, especially in summer when the island’s

population swells from 600 residents to nearly 8,000 tourists, hotel workers, and Italians with
summer homes. Many of the summer residents have VIP
attention to them. Umberto Eco, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana all have summer houses here.

Choosing to invest in real estate on an active volcano may seem risky, but in fact the north

eastern part of the island has never suffered from an eruption. Homes in the western part, called
Ginostra, have been hit by rocks that broke roof tiles and windows, but the authorities warn of such
rock-throwing eruptions well in advance. However, the fact that the volcano erupt
15 minutes does not mean that every such explosion is a threat to the residents. Therefore, not to
spread unnecessary panic, the authorities warn only of those eruptions that are really dangerous.

All day the volcano emits sounds simil

spokesman for Italian civil protection, says the villagers often know as soon as experts when the
mountain is acting up. “We can usually tell several hours in advance of increased activity,” he says.
“But the locals also have a keen sense of what is going to happen. They
that’s out of the ordinary.”

Visitors to Stromboli can be divided into two groups: one

makers who want to feel the atmosphere of the volcanic island. Once the residents realize you’re part
of the second group, they take you in. Adopted locals enjoy the privileges of Strombolian hospitality.
These include being served drinks on credit in a bar, not having to ask for your newspaper by name, or
even receiving credit at the grocer’s if the cash machine has

Since there is only one of every non

fishmonger’s – becoming a regular Strombolian is practically unavoidable. Just ask Mario Cincotta,
whose restaurant, Ingrid, is a wine bar by evening, a breakfast bar in the morning and a lunch café in
between. Directions to anywhere on the island generally start with, “from the bar
is a typical Strombolian and comes from one of the oldest families on the is

For those who aren’t interested in mingling with the locals, there are numerous beaches which

are covered with black volcanic sand and surrounded by petrified lava cliffs. Swimming, however, is
recommended only near the port areas. The top of Stromb
3,000 metres extends beneath the surface. The lava makes the sea boiling
little wonder the authorities advise tourists to be careful. “This is a beautiful place, but in this beauty
lie hidden dangers,” says Forina.

A tsunami destroyed houses on Panarea.

The locals are excited about the presence

Authorities issue reports about every eruption.

According to Forina, the locals can predict the eruptions themselves.

Long-term visitors are offered some services for free.

The choice of facilities for locals is limited.

Some Strombolian beaches are dangerous for swimmers.

Read the text and circle T for True or F for False.

Sitting on a Powder Keg

At first glance the island of Stromboli seems like a perfect place to relax. That is, of course, if

one can rest on an active volcano. In recent years, its regular activity has kept the civil protection

who monitor the mountain clearly remember its powerful explosion in

2002 which sent a huge chunk of the island into the sea causing a tsunami. 5 to
damaged Stromboli homes and paralyzed ship traffic round a 20-kilometre distant island calle

The civil protection authorities have their hands full, especially in summer when the island’s

population swells from 600 residents to nearly 8,000 tourists, hotel workers, and Italians with
summer homes. Many of the summer residents have VIP status – although Strombolians pay little

them. Umberto Eco, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana all have summer houses here.

Choosing to invest in real estate on an active volcano may seem risky, but in fact the north

nd has never suffered from an eruption. Homes in the western part, called

Ginostra, have been hit by rocks that broke roof tiles and windows, but the authorities warn of such

throwing eruptions well in advance. However, the fact that the volcano erupt

15 minutes does not mean that every such explosion is a threat to the residents. Therefore, not to
spread unnecessary panic, the authorities warn only of those eruptions that are really dangerous.

All day the volcano emits sounds similar to an approaching storm. Robert Forina,

rotection, says the villagers often know as soon as experts when the

mountain is acting up. “We can usually tell several hours in advance of increased activity,” he says.
“But the locals also have a keen sense of what is going to happen. They immediately

Visitors to Stromboli can be divided into two groups: one-day trippers and long

makers who want to feel the atmosphere of the volcanic island. Once the residents realize you’re part

d group, they take you in. Adopted locals enjoy the privileges of Strombolian hospitality.

These include being served drinks on credit in a bar, not having to ask for your newspaper by name, or
even receiving credit at the grocer’s if the cash machine has run dry, as often happens in high season.

Since there is only one of every non-tourism facility – one pharmacy, one bank and one

becoming a regular Strombolian is practically unavoidable. Just ask Mario Cincotta,

s a wine bar by evening, a breakfast bar in the morning and a lunch café in

between. Directions to anywhere on the island generally start with, “from the bar

Strombolian and comes from one of the oldest families on the island.

For those who aren’t interested in mingling with the locals, there are numerous beaches which

are covered with black volcanic sand and surrounded by petrified lava cliffs. Swimming, however, is
recommended only near the port areas. The top of Stromboli protrudes 900 metres above water, while
3,000 metres extends beneath the surface. The lava makes the sea boiling-hot in some places, and it’s

ties advise tourists to be careful. “This is a beautiful place, but in this beauty

A tsunami destroyed houses on Panarea.

The locals are excited about the presence of celebrities on the island.

issue reports about every eruption.

the locals can predict the eruptions themselves.

term visitors are offered some services for free.

The choice of facilities for locals is limited.

Some Strombolian beaches are dangerous for swimmers.

At first glance the island of Stromboli seems like a perfect place to relax. That is, of course, if

one can rest on an active volcano. In recent years, its regular activity has kept the civil protection

who monitor the mountain clearly remember its powerful explosion in

2002 which sent a huge chunk of the island into the sea causing a tsunami. 5 to 10-metre waves

kilometre distant island called

The civil protection authorities have their hands full, especially in summer when the island’s

population swells from 600 residents to nearly 8,000 tourists, hotel workers, and Italians with

although Strombolians pay little

them. Umberto Eco, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana all have summer houses here.

Choosing to invest in real estate on an active volcano may seem risky, but in fact the north-

nd has never suffered from an eruption. Homes in the western part, called

Ginostra, have been hit by rocks that broke roof tiles and windows, but the authorities warn of such

throwing eruptions well in advance. However, the fact that the volcano erupts on average every

15 minutes does not mean that every such explosion is a threat to the residents. Therefore, not to
spread unnecessary panic, the authorities warn only of those eruptions that are really dangerous.

ar to an approaching storm. Robert Forina, the

rotection, says the villagers often know as soon as experts when the

mountain is acting up. “We can usually tell several hours in advance of increased activity,” he says.

immediately notice any activity

day trippers and long-term holiday

makers who want to feel the atmosphere of the volcanic island. Once the residents realize you’re part

d group, they take you in. Adopted locals enjoy the privileges of Strombolian hospitality.

These include being served drinks on credit in a bar, not having to ask for your newspaper by name, or

run dry, as often happens in high season.

one pharmacy, one bank and one

becoming a regular Strombolian is practically unavoidable. Just ask Mario Cincotta,

s a wine bar by evening, a breakfast bar in the morning and a lunch café in

between. Directions to anywhere on the island generally start with, “from the bar Ingrid...”. The owner

For those who aren’t interested in mingling with the locals, there are numerous beaches which

are covered with black volcanic sand and surrounded by petrified lava cliffs. Swimming, however, is

oli protrudes 900 metres above water, while

hot in some places, and it’s

ties advise tourists to be careful. “This is a beautiful place, but in this beauty

TASK TWO

Read the text and choose the best answer A, B or C.

The Birth of England

Before the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, England

was an independent nation for several hundred years. But earlier than that it was a mixture of
separate warring kingdoms. The first person to talk of England as one nation was the Venerable Bede
who was born in northern England around 672. Bede was not well travelled, but he was fantastically
well read. He knew all about life in southern cities such as London. In his mind at least, he travelled far:
he even knew about the Muslim Advent in the Mediterranean. Having been born near Sunderland,
Bede probably never journeyed further south than York in his entire life.

In 732, he wrote his 'History of the English Church and People', in which he treated the people

of  lowland  Britain,  whether  Saxons,  Jutes  or  Angles,  as  one  English  nation.  Bede  pioneered  an  early
idea  of  the  unity  of  the  English  people,  even  though  'England'  consisted  of  many  small  regional
kingdoms  and  numerous  tribes.  His  idea  was  in  many  ways  similar  to  the  Roman  Church’s  which,
following  St  Augustine’s  mission  in  597,  had  created  one  structure in  Britain.  Each  area  had  its  own
bishop  but  everything  was  controlled  from  Canterbury.  The  idea  of  one  church  for  one  people  was
therefore easily argued and the same could be done with politics.

Although Bede's subject was the English Church and people, he also showed an early tradition

of a political ruler. Bede talks of seven kings who held some kind of control over England. In the tenth
century, the Anglo-Saxons seized on this idea to unite politically and religiously the peoples who lived
in England. The reason this happened was due more than anything else to the Vikings’ invasions. They
destroyed several of the ancient English kingdoms, the Northumbrians and the East Angles, and forced
the defending English kingdoms to give up their local conflicts and unite against the common enemy.

One dynasty – that of Wessex – emerged as the winner in that military and political struggle.

The Kingdom of Wessex was in the south west of the country (Wessex means West Saxons) and it was
the last Saxon kingdom to be free of Viking control. The turning point came in 878 when the Wessex
King, Alfred the Great, unexpectedly defeated the Vikings at Edington in Wiltshire. Wessex was able to
not only defend itself but start attacking parts of England controlled by the Vikings. Eventually, during
the tenth century, Wessex integrated all the other areas in one English kingdom.

Alfred the Great was succeeded by his son Edward the Elder. By the 910s Edward was strong

enough to begin the military conquest of the Midlands and East Anglia. The tide had turned and Bede's
idea suddenly became realistic. Edward died in the summer of 924. His son, Athelstan, became king in
925, and he turned out to be one of the greatest of all the Anglo-Saxon rulers. He fought a whirlwind
campaign, took in the whole of England, and became its single ruler. He also forced the kings of the
Scots and Welsh to surrender to him, all within one year. By 928, a King of Wessex had not only
become king of all the English people, but also 'Emperor of the World of Britain'.

The rulers of continental Europe now queued up to marry their sons to women of the English

royal family. England was suddenly sitting at the high table of Europe's political and intellectual elite.
Continental writers talked of England's bravery in driving out 'the pirates' (the Vikings) and praised
their efforts to restore learning, 'making Britannia famous through the world of the liberal arts'. It is no
exaggeration to say that a new phase in British history had begun.

By 973, Athelstan's grandson Edgar had a great imperial coronation in Bath, in the presence of

his  subject  kings.  Bath  was  one  of  the  largest  towns  in  the  south  of  England  where  the  Wessex
powerbase  was.  However,  it  was  most  likely  chosen  because  of  its  imperial  atmosphere:  an  ancient
Roman  city  with  Roman  walls  and  monuments,  including  the  Roman  baths.  The  English  kings  were
now  the  rulers  of  Britannia.  They  were  the  most  powerful  rulers  of  the  land  since  the  Romans,  and
they were aware of it. In less than a century, Alfred's dynasty had broken out from a few square miles
of marshland to become Emperors of Britain.

The Venerable Bede was born near …

York

Sunderland

London

In 732 Bede described England as being …

many nations

three nations

one nation

Bede's ideas were finally realised because of …

Viking threat

religious power

internal danger

Edington in Wiltshire was the site of a great victory for the …

English

Saxons

Vikings

England was finally united under …

Athelstan

Alfred

Edward

European leaders asked for …

help against pirates

English princesses

important art pieces

The city of Bath was probably chosen for King Edgar's coronation because of its …

location

history

size

TASK

THREE

In this task six phrases have been removed from the text and placed at the bottom. An extra phrase has
been included. You must decide which phrase goes into which gap and write the letter in the box below
the sentences.

Building Afghans’ NCO Corps

A strong noncommissioned officer corps that is competent in marksmanship, leadership and

literacy is critical to building an Afghan force as one day they will take over U.S. military duties. In the

past nine months, the Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan … (1) … , 13 battalion-

sized units called “kandaks,” 3 combat service support kandaks and 2 commando kandaks.

By year’s end, the command will have 13 basic training schools that will graduate 7, 000

soldiers a month. Another 20,000 soldiers are in training. They attend one of 95 courses located at 27

training centers. Sgt. Maj. Robert Cogan, the team’s senior advisor, said that … (2) … is important to

general success. One-fourth of the Afghan army’s 134,000 fielded soldiers are NCOs. The team’s goal is

to reduce the NCO/officer deficit by November 2011. The number of non-commissioned officers

trained annually has increased from 1,950 in 2009 to 15, 450.

The team also … (3) … from 88 to 770, and officer courses from 1,265 to 4,470 since

November. “As the army continues to build, they’ve got a great opportunity to get new skills and

become effective leaders,” said Cogan. “I’m confident that we’re going in the right direction.” Cogan

said the NCOs have to change their mentality. In the Soviet model, they learned that leadership was

only within the officer corps. “As we train and develop the NCOs, we want them … (4) … and become

more responsible for their own decisions,” he said.

Marksmanship qualifications with the M16 have risen in the past year among NCOs. A special

promotion programme is being prepared, and their reading and writing abilities have also increased.

A minimum third-grade reading level is required … (5) … . The troops will be at a fifth-grade level

within six months. Some 30,000 troops will have completed a reading course by year’s end. “We’ve

invested in the NCO corps. I believe that … (6) … ,” Coban said. “They want to serve their country, and

with our expertise I hope it’s going to work”.

… A … has increased staff courses

… B … to enter a training course

… C … to take more control of their troops

… D … has created a corps headquarters

… E … they are the backbone of the Afghan army

… F … to become a powerful group of officers

… G … a strong NCO corps