Practice English Reading Exercises for B2 – Extreme Expeditions & World Records 10

Exercises:   123456

Reading 1

You are going to read an article about four adventurers sharing their philosophy on fear.

For questions 1-10, choose from the people/sections (A-D). The people/sections may be chosen more than once.

Which person/section

1   mentions using their apprehension to ensure their pre-expedition routines are flawless?

2   notes that being completely unafraid can result in dangerously careless behaviour?

3   mentions employing a bodily technique to manage and redirect their anxiety?

4   draws a firm line between a beneficial survival mechanism and a harmful loss of control?

5   remembers a specific occasion when trusting their unease saved them from a disaster?

6   considers their fear to be a steadfast ally rather than an adversary?

7   explains how they utilise a biological reaction to improve their mental clarity?

8   talks about coming face-to-face with a predator and needing to stay calm?

9   believes that trying to entirely rid oneself of fear is a pointless endeavour?

10   feels that being afraid ensures they do not underestimate their surroundings?

Embracing the Edge: How Adventurers Use Fear

A Alex – High-Altitude Mountaineer

People often assume that high-altitude mountaineers are entirely fearless. However, nothing could be further from the truth. If you aren’t feeling somewhat afraid while clinging to a rock face at 8,000 metres, you are a genuine liability. In my experience, a complete lack of apprehension breeds complacency, which inevitably leads to reckless choices. I’ve seen overconfident climbers brush off their survival instincts, and it rarely ends well. I vividly recall ascending K2 when an inexplicable sense of dread suddenly washed over me. The sky looked relatively clear, but my gut was screaming that something was terribly wrong. I made the unpopular decision to turn back immediately. Barely two hours later, a devastating blizzard struck exactly where we would have been. Fear isn’t a weakness to be eradicated; it’s a highly sophisticated internal alarm system. By paying close attention to those subtle warning signals, I’ve managed to stay alive in an unforgiving landscape.

B Bella – Cave Diver

Swimming through pitch-black, submerged tunnel systems is undeniably terrifying. Some novice divers ask me how I get rid of the terror, but I always tell them that trying to banish it completely is a total waste of time. Instead, I embrace it. When you plunge into darkness, your body releases a massive surge of adrenaline. Rather than letting this natural chemical reaction induce panic, I actively harness it to sharpen my mental focus. To achieve this, I rely heavily on controlled breathing exercises. By deliberately slowing my inhales and exhales, I prevent my heart rate from spiking. This physical routine transforms my initial terror into heightened awareness, making every shadow and water vibration crystal clear. If I weren’t terrified, I wouldn’t be nearly as alert, and in underwater caves, losing your concentration for a split second can easily prove fatal.

C Chris – Solo Jungle Trekker

Trekking solo through the Amazon rainforest demands a profound understanding of your own psychological triggers. To survive, you must firmly distinguish between rational caution, which keeps you alive, and blind panic, which will almost certainly get you killed. Fear is simply information; hysteria is the loss of control. I remember setting up camp one evening when a jaguar emerged from the dense undergrowth. My heart immediately started pounding, but giving in to terror would have triggered its hunting instincts. Instead of running away, I stood my ground, made myself look as large as possible, and slowly backed away while maintaining eye contact. Had I panicked and fled, I wouldn’t be here to tell the tale. My fear didn’t paralyse me; it heightened my senses and allowed me to rationally calculate my escape route. It is a vital tool that I have learned to rely on implicitly.

D Diana – Big Wave Surfer

When you are staring down a twenty-metre wall of water, fear is an absolute certainty. However, I’ve long stopped looking at my anxiety as an enemy to be defeated. Instead, I treat it as a loyal companion that accompanies me on every single ride. Because I know exactly how much danger I’m in, my apprehension forces me to be incredibly meticulous before I even set foot in the ocean. I double-check every piece of safety equipment, study the weather charts obsessively, and rehearse emergency scenarios in my head until they become second nature. This thoroughness is driven entirely by fear. It ensures that I never take the ocean’s immense power for granted, maintaining a deep, unwavering respect for the unpredictable forces of nature. Ultimately, if you aren’t frightened by the massive waves, you simply don’t respect them enough, and the ocean will quickly teach you a harsh lesson.

Reading 2

You are going to read an article about four explorers talking about the realization that setting a world record is fleeting, but the awe of witnessing the raw, untouched power of nature stays with them forever.

For questions 1-10, choose from the people/sections (A-D). The people/sections may be chosen more than once.

Which person/section

1   experienced an unexpected sense of disappointment when handling the token of their success?

2   observed how rapidly the media’s attention moved on to other things?

3   felt powerless while witnessing a violent and destructive natural event?

4   admits that their initial goal was driven by a need for public recognition?

5   was enchanted by the natural illumination emitted by unique wildlife?

6   states that their official record was later broken by another person?

7   was overwhelmed by the colossal size of an underground water feature?

8   points out that the total lack of sound was a profoundly moving experience?

9   came to the conclusion that nature’s immense age renders human ambition insignificant?

10   mentions being deeply affected by an atmospheric visual phenomenon?

Beyond the Record Books: The True Prize of Exploration

A Lars

When I became the fastest person to trek solo across the Arctic ice, I thought I would feel on top of the world. Yet, as I stood on a stage weeks later, holding the heavy glass trophy, an unexpected wave of anti-climax washed over me. The applause was deafening, but it felt entirely superficial. What truly lingered in my mind wasn’t the ceremony, but the brutal, breathtaking reality of the polar landscape. I often close my eyes and vividly recall the absolute, crushing silence of the ice fields—a profound stillness that makes you feel both tiny and incredibly alive. Furthermore, watching the celestial light show as ribbons of green and violet danced across the frozen sky left a permanent mark on my soul. That raw, majestic beauty completely eclipsed the fleeting satisfaction of seeing my name printed in a record book.

B Maya

Piloting a submersible to the bottom of the Mariana Trench was the culmination of a decade of relentless training. Upon breaking the surface after setting the new depth record, I was met with a frenzy of flashing cameras and interviewing journalists. However, it was astonishing how swiftly the news cycle moved on; within a fortnight, the public’s fascination had completely evaporated. Honestly, I couldn’t have cared less about the fading limelight. My most treasured memory remains firmly rooted at the bottom of the abyss. Staring through the thick acrylic viewport, I was spellbound by the glowing, alien-like species drifting gracefully through the pitch-black water. These delicate creatures produce their own illumination in an environment totally devoid of sunlight. Witnessing an ecosystem so entirely isolated from human interference was deeply moving. It made me realise that while our human accolades are quickly forgotten, the mysterious, untouched depths of the ocean will continue to thrive in the dark long after we are gone.

C Julian

Securing the title of the youngest climber to conquer the lethal West Ridge of K2 initially felt like the ultimate validation. However, that sense of triumph was surprisingly short-lived. Barely two years later, a teenager from Nepal completed the ascent even faster, effortlessly stripping me of the title. Strangely, I didn’t feel devastated. My perspective had already been irrevocably altered during my descent. A massive shelf of snow had fractured just a few hundred metres below our team, triggering a catastrophic rockfall. Watching thousands of tons of ice tear down the mountainside was a terrifying demonstration of untamed power. I felt utterly helpless. It was in that harrowing moment I grasped how profoundly irrelevant our egos are. Those ancient peaks have weathered violent storms for millennia, indifferent to the petty milestones we strive for. The plaque on my wall means nothing, but the sheer, unforgiving force of that mountain is forever burned into my memory.

D Samira

Looking back at my early twenties, I have to admit that my primary motivation for mapping the Son Doong cave system was vanity. I desperately craved the headlines and the prestige that came with exploring an uncharted subterranean world. I spent forty days in total darkness, navigating perilous drops and squeezing through claustrophobic tunnels. While I achieved the endurance record I so badly wanted, the experience changed me in ways I hadn’t anticipated. Deep within the cavern, we discovered an enormous underground river crashing down into a cavernous sinkhole. The sheer volume of the cascading water, thundering in a space large enough to house a skyscraper, was absolutely awe-inspiring. I stood trembling on the slippery ledge, completely overwhelmed by the majesty of a place that had remained hidden from human eyes since the dawn of time. That spectacular, hidden ecosystem cured my obsession with fame. Now, I explore simply to witness the earth’s secret wonders.

Exercises:   123456