CZYTANIE 1 EN [#31]

Tekst 1

A warm Welsh welcome waits for you at Snowdon Mountain Railway, in the beautiful village of Llanberis. Visitors have been coming here to experience this unique railway since 1896. And today visitors still arrive in the village to begin their journey up to the top of Snowdon - Yr Wyddfa in Welsh.

Trains depart from Llanberis station and begin their climb to the summit of Yr Wyddfa. Some 140, 000 travellers a year take this journey up the mountain. 450 million years ago volcanic forces created this mountain range and once it was 10,000 metres high. Today Snowdon, 1,085m, is the highest mountain in England and Wales.

After you leave the station in Llanberis, the train crosses two viaducts across the Afon Hwch river. Then the train goes into the open, treeless countryside. The train next passes Hebron Station, named after the nearby Hebron Chapel. In 1833 the poor families in this valley collected money to build themselves a chapel. It was finished a year later and soon it became their spiritual centre. In 1835 a priest started coming to the chapel regularly. People still used it in 1966 when it was bought for just £450. Now it is covered by bushes.

As the train climbs higher, in the distance above the village of Beddgelert, you can see Moel Hebog. It means Hill of the Falcon and is one of the many Snowdonian homes of the Peregrine Falcon, the world’s fastest bird. To its north there is a cave. People say that Owain Glyndwr, a Welsh rebel, lies there waiting to lead his people against the English.

The train then stops at Halfway Station where the steam engines stop to re-fill their water tanks. From there the train travels across a rocky landscape with wonderful views to the valleys below. Finally it reaches Clogwyn Station, which is located between Llanberis Pass and Clogwyn Du’r Arddu cliffs.

The season starts in mid-March (if the weather is good). However, initially the train goes just to Clogwyn, ¾ up the mountain. In early spring, ice or snow stops trains from reaching the summit. Trains are able to reach the summit from May. The railway and Hafod Eryri - the visitor centre on the top of Snowdon - usually close for winter on the last Sunday in October.

Hafod Eryri, the UK’s highest visitor centre, has beautiful panoramic views. On a clear day you can see as far as Ireland. And you can enjoy the exciting atmosphere of Eryri – the Land of the Eagles.

1. People come to Llanberis ...

2. Hebron Chapel was built …

3. The Welsh name for Hill of the Falcon is ...

4. You can get to Hafod Eryri by train ...

Tekst 2

At 2 pm on 5 December 1945, five US bombers started from Fort Lauderdale in the USA for a training flight – Flight 42 – in perfect weather. They were flying in the area called the Bermuda Triangle. Soon, the pilots radioed that their flight instruments were not working correctly. Two hours after take-off, all contact with the planes was lost. A reconnaissance plane was immediately sent to search for the missing planes. Within 20 minutes, radio contact with it was also lost. Six planes and 27 men disappeared.

Flight 42 was not the first or the greatest disaster within the triangle. Sailors and pilots often talked about navigational problems there. In March 1918 the Cyclops, a 19,000-ton US ship, was sailing from Barbados to Norfolk, Virginia, when it disappeared with its crew of 309. It did not make any SOS call and rescue planes did not find any wreckage on the ocean. On December 28, 1948, a Douglas DC-3 aircraft disappeared while on a flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Miami. No trace of the aircraft, or the 32 people on board, was ever found.

The disappearances of boats and planes in that area are impossible to explain. After the disasters the Bermuda Triangle has become a legend. It has also been called the Devils’ Triangle, or the Triangle of Death. 140 ships and planes and more than 1,000 people disappeared there. Today many airmen and sailors are still afraid of that area of the Atlantic Ocean. Even though, accidents there are very rare.

5. On December 5th 1945, the six planes ...

6. The biggest number of people disappeared on ...

7. Today, accidents in the Bermuda Triangle ...

Tekst 1

Every year in August there is an air show in the United States' Ramstein Air Base in Germany. It is a big international event which is popular with pilots, local people and tourists. Individual pilots and acrobatic flight teams, both civilian and military, show their skills in the air. They also present their aircraft to the public on the ground. The Ramstein Air Show is usually a great success.

But the August 1988 air show was different because of the tragic event that happened then. The Italian acrobatic team were presenting their program. They were doing difficult aerial acrobatics when suddenly something went wrong. One plane hit another in mid-air. There was an explosion and both aircraft fell onto the ground killing 67 and hurting over 300 spectators. Three Italian pilots also died in the accident.

Many people had to be evacuated quickly. Medical evacuation helicopters took spectators with the most serious injuries to hospitals. But there was a problem with letting civilian German ambulances into the US Air Base. They had to wait in front of the gate instead of transporting many more hurt people out of the airfield. The evacuation was not the best because it lasted 96 minutes, which was too long.

Since that accident, the organizers have improved safety procedures to make a potential evacuation faster and more effective. Nowadays German and American medical teams train together before every air show. There are also more ambulances and fire engines on duty on the airfield.

13. Civilians can take part in the air show in the Ramstein Air Base

14. The accident happened after the Italian team’s show

15. The evacuation from the airfield was very good

16. Today medical teams from both countries train together

Tekst 2

Last Wednesday I took my sister to a Thai restaurant for dinner. She had never eaten Thai food before so I wanted her to try some. It was a weekday and that was why I didn’t make a reservation. The restaurant was half empty but we had to wait for 20 minutes. Then the waiter came and showed us to our table. He also brought us the menu.

We ordered tomato soup with coconut milk for starter. It was really nice. Next we ate chicken curry with grilled vegetables for the main course and brown rice as side dish. The food looked delicious. It was spicy but very tasty, just the rice was a little undercooked. We decided to have some cake and coffee for dessert. Unfortunately, the waiter disappeared and didn’t come back for a long time. When he returned, we ordered the dessert. A moment later he brought us the cake, but he forgot about our coffee. We had to wait for it for another 5 minutes. After the man finally brought it, I asked him for the bill.

We were surprised because the waiter appeared with the bill very quickly. He was smiling and asked politely if everything was OK. We said the food was delicious, but we were not very happy with the service. The waiter took the money, but he looked irritated because we didn't leave him a tip.

17. The writer and his sister got seats at the table right away

18. They enjoyed eating chicken curry and vegetables

19. The waiter brought them the cake and the coffee at the same time

20. The service at the Thai restaurant was as good as the food