Language in use

A certain hunter had found a piece of forest where there were plenty of animals to hunt. The only trouble was that the place was very difficult to get to.

He returned from his first visit to the place in late autumn, and could not get back until the snows melted in the following spring. Then he went to the pilot of a small plane, who earned his living by carrying hunters over parts of the country where there were no roads and no railways, and asked him to take him back to his favourite piece of forest. The pilot did not know the place, so the hunter showed it to him on the map. “But there is nowhere to land there, man!” said the pilot. “I have flown over that part of the country on my way to other places, and I know that we can’t land anywhere between this river and these mountains.”

“I thought you were a wonderful pilot,” said the hunter. “Some of my friends said you could land a plane on a postage stamp .”

“That’s right,” answered the pilot. “I can land a plane where nobody else can. But I tell you there is nowhere to land in the place you are talking about.”

“And what if I tell you that another pilot did land me there last spring?” said the hunter.

“Is that true?” asked the pilot.

“Yes, it is. I swear it.”

Well, this pilot could not let himself be beaten by another, so he agreed to take the hunter.

When they reached the place, the hunter pointed out a small spot without trees in the middle of the forest, with a steep rise at one end. The pilot thought that there was not enough room to land there, but the hunter said that the other pilot had done so the year before, so down went the plane. When it came to the rise, it turned right over onto its back. As the hunter climbed out, he smiled happily and said, “Yes, that is exactly how the other pilot managed it last time.”

Reading comprehension exercises:

1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in the text.

a. Why was the hunter happy?

b. Why could the hunter not go back to his hunting place until the following spring?

2. Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact words.

a. The pilot knew how to get to the hunting place:

b. The pilot crashed the plane:

c. The pilot earned money by taking hunters to remote places:

3. Find a synonym for each of the words below from these six options.

4. Choose a, b or c in each question below. Only one choice is correct.

1. The pilot did not want to take the hunter to his hunting place because

a. he did not know where it was.

b. he was not a good pilot.

c. he knew there was not enough place to land the plane.

2. The hunter hired a pilot because

a. the place was isolated.

b. the place could be reached faster by plane.

c. the hunter did not like cars.

3. The pilot landed the plane

a. because he found a good place to do so.

b. but he had an accident when he did so.

c. although he nearly crashed the plane.

5. Composition (130-150 words) What is your opinion about hunting?