exam0006

Reading B

You are going to read a newspapcr article about a useful object. Sevcn sentcnces have been removed from the article. Fili each gap (24-30) with the sentence which you think fits bcst from the list A-G.

Glance down any expcdition equlpment list of recent years and therc is one item you are surę to come

across: a knlfe. [24]............ At First glance the number and rangę of blades, tools and gadgets can be

somewhat confusing. Indeed it's usually necessary to refer to the enclosed instructions to avoid any embarrassment when you are asked the question: „So what docs this one do then?"

It was introduced to me durlng my first winter in the Antarctic by a proud owner who assured mc that

one of its grcatest assets was the magnilying glass! [25]............. Duły impressed, I deaded I needcd

one as soon as possible. It should be noted that later attempts by myself to repeat the snów crystal experiment resulted in a rather fuzzy image of dubious value!

I was once dispatched to one of the British Antarctic Survey'$ field huts to rebuild an old Nansen Sledge. I discovercd on arrival that therc were no tools at the hut, and a second trip would have to be

madę to repair the sledge. [26].............Closer inspection revealed all the iterns necessary to carry out

repairs: the wood saw; a Phillips screwdriver; a straight screwdriver; the thing for making holes; the things for making holes larger; the metal saw; the main blade; the File; and the ruler. By the end of the riay the completed sledge was again ready for use.

Untll its loss a few years later, when I had to lock for a replacement, I v/as unoware as to the number of models there werc to choose from. [27]..............

One tool the Swiss have been unable to incorporate into their knives as yet is a hammer. This, however, did not deter an enthusiastic Keith Burgess on a ski Crossing of Greenland in 19S9 as hc struggled with the sledge whcel locating pin. [28]............

Valuable as the Swiss Army Knife may be on expeditions, there appears to be a certain reluctance to

carry the item pcrsonally. [29]............ Alter I had listened to his lengthy argument about keeping the

slcdges as light as possible and cculd we really afford such a luxury, he finally gave in. All of which in my opmion adds to its obvious importance to the expeditlon.

Retircd adventurers still manage to find uses for their once precious possessions. An old sledging

companion carries his everywhere he travels. [30]...............A haircut I recewed recently owcd its

somewhat ragged appearance not to the scissors in a friend‘s Swiss Army Knife but an over-keen hairdresser, who had assured me she had cut hair beforc!

A	The resulting damage to the once shiny red case gave the knife 'character', Keith said, as he handcd it back to me.
B	This was later put to the test OS he used it to study the snów crystals on an avalanchc prone slope that we were trying to cross.
C	Not any old knife, but 3n instrument of almost legcndary stature: the Swiss Army Knife.
D	A phonecall to Steve Martin conFirmed this theory betore our dep3rture to Siberia earlier this year
E	These days however its use is reduced to scruping old wallpaper off walls rather than wax off skis.
F	There were moro than twenty at the last count, with names ranging Trom Picknickor to Swiss Champion, the lalter being a lairly hefty lump, comprising 29 vanous tools, some it must be said of doubtful worth.
G	It was then I remembered the unused knife