Read the text and the test questions. Before you answer the test questions, go on to the Further Practice and Guidance pages which follow.
You are going to read a magazine article about the sport of climbing. Seven sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one which fits each gap (9-15). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use-Mark your answers an the separate answer sheet.
Aiming high
Looking for a new sport that keeps you fit and gets the adrenaline flowing? How about climbing? You can climb indoors or out, from small walls or boulders to peaks anywhere in the world -once you get the hang of it!
it's a sport that involves your mind, body and emotions.' John Gibbons of London's Westway sports centre says. 'It's one of the few sports where you compete against yourself. You may be part of a club and climbing with others but you are seeing how good you can be. 9 .................'
Indoor walls can be from 7 to 16 metres, although some centres have walls of 20 metres or more. Each wall has boll-on holds (to place your feet and hands] of different shapes and sizes. These can be moved around and varied to make the climb mote or less challenging - and routes can be changed every few months, 'Big holds, spaced comfortably apart so that you can easily move your feet and hands from one to the other without loo much trouble, are die easiest.' John explains. '10.....................That kind of climb is called a Slab.'
Trickier climbs have smaller holds that are harder to grip, and they are spaced more awkwardly apart, 11 ...................The angle of the wall can also make the climb more difficult,
Is the idea to find the fastest way to the top? 'It's to find the route to lire top!" laughs Graeme Alderson of the British Mountaineering Council. 'Just as when you're skiing, the idea can be to find the best way to get to the bottom without falling over ~ not necessarily the fastest.' 12 ...................The challenge can be to climb the highest you can get without falling off!
Falling is not a problem at climbing centres, though. When you climb, you ate attached by a harness to a rope looped to a firm anchor al the top of the wall and held by your instructor or one of your [earn mates at the bottom. A device called a belay holds it taut, so while you are
climbing, the rope is kept firm in case you slip, 13 ................. Instead, you dangle safely in
your harness away from the climbing wall.
You can enjoy climbing on indoor walls as a sport. 14.................... 'Many people have started
off with climbing walls and then climbed all over the world. You can climb anything from a small boulder to Mount Everest, naming the new peaks you scale,' says Neil Wightwick of the Glasgow Climbing Centre. 'A group of us named five peaks in Chile,' he continues. 'One member of the team named a peak after himself!'
IS.....................Well, you can find out on our website. We've found an online Extreme
Climbing game to test your skills and get you started. You will also find lots of great links to sites with videos of climbers in action, as well as links to nationwide climbing centres, both inside and out, to help you get climbing yourself.
A   Maybe you'd like a go at climbing but don't know where to start.
B   If you do one of those, you have to think more about how to move.
C That's because some climbs look easier than they really are.
D And, unlike other sports, friends of all abilities can climb together and enjoy ,t.
E Or you can use it to work out what level of climb you would be able to do outside.
F If that happens, you don't plunge to the ground,
G With them, you can gently climb to the top without any difficulty.
H Mot everyone gets to the top of their climbs.