EXTREME SITUATIONS

Learn about survival! Read about extreme situations and build comprehension.

Have you ever been in an extreme situation?Like lost in a jungle, trapped underground or had to jump from a high place? Breaking news! Thursday, October 12, 1972: Flight 571 carrying Uruguay's championship rugby team took off from Montevideo, Uruguay, heading to Santiago, Chile. On the plane were 45 people: the crew, the Uruguayan players, and their friends and relatives. Soon after take off, the plane had to stop in Mendoza, Argentina because of bad weather.Friday, October 13, 2.18 pm: Flight 571 took off again, heading for Santiago.Friday, October 13, 3.20 pm: About an hour into the flight, the pilots began the descent into Santiago, not realising the plane was still close to the high peaks of the Andes Mountains... Read the breaking news about a real-life story.Answer the following questions. Who are the people in the story and where were they? Where were they going? What do you think happened next? Reading for general understanding 1. It's a good idea to get a general understanding of the message of the text before you complete the task.2. Read the text carefully from beginning to end without worrying about new vocabulary. This will give you a good idea of what the text is about.3. Go back to each paragraph and make notes about the main idea in each one.4. Then take some time to think about all the ideas in the text before starting the exam task. Read the text and answer the questions.(You also can refer to page 84 85 of your textbook) 1. What is the writer doing in this text? giving advice on how to survive explaining incredible past events showing that air travel is dangerous writing an imaginative story 2. Why were the three men disappointed? The view from the mountain was not very good. They didn't know how to return to the plane. They realised they had more problems. They had not brought enough warm clothes. 3. Vizintin returned to the crash site because he had lost hope. he didn't agree with Parrado's situation. he didn't want to walk any further. there wasn't enough food for three people. 4. Parrado and Canela knew they were close to safety because they saw things that belonged to people. they discovered a river. they had been walking for ten days. there were flowers in the snow. 5. Which best describes what happened to the people on Flight 571? The survivors of the crash waited for many weeks in the plane for someone to find and rescue them. Tragically, 29 people died when the plane they were travelling crashed into a mountain in the Andes. In a terrible situation, and with no hope at all, the survivors found a way to save themselves. To stay warm in the freezing cold, they wore the clothes of the people who had died in the crash. Find the meaning of the words and complete the sentences below. You will _ the car if you don't know how to drive it properly. crash It is possible to _ in the jungle if you know how to find food. survive There were many problems and Harry didn't _ them very well. cope with They were in the middle of the desert so nobody could _ them. save After we _ the river, we'll rest before we cross to the other side. reach Rescue teams will continue to _ for the missing mountain climbers. search Do you think you would cope with the situation if you got lost in a foreign country?Why?/ Why not?