Ultimate Adventure Bucket List

Read the text below and choose the best option for the following three questions.

Dive Glacial Meltwater

Iceland

At the cold upper reaches of the Atlantic, Iceland is marked by the fiery wrath of volcanoes and the cool precision of steamrolling glaciers. It's also a spot of remarkable instability, situated right on top of the rift between the North American and European tectonic plates. Dubbed Silfra, the fissure is filled with water that, melted from glaciers and filtered through lava fields, is some of the clearest on the planet, often topping 300 feet (91 meters) of visibility. Though the water barely scrapes above freezing, it's a favorite among divers.

The dive starts on a nondescript platform in the barren tundra of Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. There, divers squeeze into down-lined drysuits and plunge into the water. Few visible creatures live down there other than the occasional trout. Instead, the appeal is the experience of slipping between two of the Earth's great bones, witnessing the fissure's cathedral-like formations, and watching a light show of sunbeams filtering through the rocks and water.

Post-dive, emulate the Icelandic people, who spend much of the 20-plus hours of summer daylight in their wild and sparsely populated wildernesses. Raft the Class III Hvita River, scramble through a kilometer-long cave, hike to remote waterfalls, and discover the perfect accompaniment to cold-water diving in Skaftafell National Park: remote, wilderness hot springs bubbling up from the Earth's internal oven.

Arctic Adventures offers two-tank dives in Silfra for $248, including equipment and transportation from Reykjavik (www.adventures.is) as well as rafting, caving, glacier hiking, mountain biking, whale watching, and canoeing trips. The Iceland Tourism Board can provide information on other activities (www.visiticeland.com).

1.    Melted water from glaciers is …

      

A.	below zero
B.	full of lava
C.	instable
D.	steaming

2.    While in Thingvellir National Park, divers …

A.	are bound to get soaked
B.	may see slippery creatures
C.	watch a lightning show
D.	wear waterproof gear

3.    Among other adventures, Iceland offers the traveller the chance to go …

A.	cathedral touring
B.	cave crawling
C.	fishing
D.	sunbathing on the rocks

Choose the best explanation or synonym for the underlined words and expressions in bold in the text below.

Trek the Salcantay Route to Machu Picchu

Peru

The Inca had a knack for pinpointing⁴ South America's most dumbfoundingly beautiful places, unlike Western explorers. A case in point: Machu Picchu, a lost city tucked deep⁵ in Peru's tropical mountain forests that wasn't "discovered" by Hiram Bingham until 1911. Thousands of trekkers go on pilgrimage along the Inca Trail every year to witness the mountaintop ruins enshrouded in mists⁶, but only a few choose the newer alternative trail: the Salcantay Route. Winding around 20,000-foot (6,096-meter) peaks, along verdant riversides, and through bucolic coffee plantations, orchards, and thatched-hut villages, the 39-mile (63-kilometer) route traverses 15 ecosystems and tops out⁷ at over 15,000 feet (4,572 meters). The grand finale is a view of Machu Picchu from the southwest, one that few tourists see. Many backpackers camp along the way, but for those who prefer to travel like Inca royalty, there are remote luxe ecolodges along the trail. There, the answer to sore legs⁸ is a hot tub, a goose-down bed, a hearty organic cuisine, and a stupefying view of the Inca's sacred snow-crowned peaks.

Mountain Lodges of Peru runs seven-day trips between four ecolodges along the Salcantay Route, including guides, pack horses, food, and lodging  ($2,850; www.mountainlodgesofperu.com).

Adapted from adventure.nationalgeographic.com

4.    had a knack for pinpointing

      

A.	felt completely shocked by directing
B.	were famous for finding
C.	were particularly good at locating
D.	were used to signalling

5.    tucked deep

A.	carved inside
B.	far out of the way
C.	in trouble
D.	not shallow

6.    enshrouded in mists

A.	covered by fog
B.	protected by the clouds
C.	ruined over the mountains
D.	wrapped by the sky

7.    tops out

      

A.	hits
B.	leaves
C.	opens
D.	shelters

8.    the answer to sore legs

A.	relief from tiredness
B.	solution to immobility
C.	therapy for long walks
D.	treatment for disability

When you feel ready, check your score using this answer key sheet.