Read the texts below. For questions (6-10) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D). Write your answers on the separate answer sheet.
Ski Patrol: Always on Alert for Avalanche Safety
When he was about 10 years old, Doug Driskell narrowly escaped an avalanche. He and
some friends were waiting for a tram to carry them down a mountain at a ski resort, and
they started fooling around. “We were just walking around having snowball fights,” he
says. “All of a sudden, the snow layer took off and I ran and jumped out of the way.”
5 Within five seconds of taking off, an avalanche can move at 80 miles an hour (129
kilometers an hour), so people rarely have time to jump or run out of harm’s way like
Driskell did as a kid. But these days, avalanches don’t often overtake skiers at resorts
because the ski patrol makes sure the slopes are safe.
10 As long as skiers stay in the official ski areas, they don’t have to worry. “We control the
hazard, so it is unlikely you’ll get caught,” Driskell explains. “We do that by compacting
the snow, and we use explosives to make an avalanche move or to test an area to see if it
is unstable.” This work can be dangerous, so ski patrol members look out for each other
and keep the public at a safe distance.
15 People going out into the backcountry often carry a special instrument called an
avalanche transceiver that sends out a radio signal. All members of the ski patrol carry
one as well, in case they get caught in an avalanche while working. The signal tells the patrol
where to dig if someone ends up under the snow. Once the patrol identifies the area where a
20 person might be, they push a probe down into the snow. When it hits an object, they
start digging with the shovels they always carry. Everyone on the ski patrol has studied first
aid, and many are Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) or paramedics, so they can
start treating life-threatening injuries right there on the mountain.
25 An Australian shepherd, a Labrador retriever, and a German shepherd are important
members of the Aspen Mountain Ski Patrol team. These amazing dogs are trained to use
their keen sense of smell to seek out people unseen beneath the snow. First, they learn to
find their master, then someone else they know, then a stranger.
Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the Ski Patrol?
AThey know how to help people who are hurt.
BThey use explosives after heavy snowfalls.
CThey have special electronic devices to find people under the snow.
DThey are equipped with spades to get to people caught in the avalanche.
