1. Angļu valodas eksāmens 12. klasei

Task 1 - Part I (6 points out of 10)

Read the text and do the task. Some parts of the text are missing. Find the most appropriate part for each gap. Write the appropriate letter in the gap. There are more parts than you need.
“Mushing” is the sport of racing teams of dogs that pull sleds over snow. (1)  The largest and most famous sporting event in Alaska is the Iditarod, an annual race of teams of sled dogs and their drivers (of “mushers”). (2)

 

The Iditarod commemorates a historic event from the winter of 1925, when a relay of 20 teams of dogs and mushers was used to deliver urgently needed medicine to Nome. (3)

 

The first Iditarod was held in 1973. (4)  Over the years, mushers and their dogs have come from Alaska, 20 other U.S. states, and 14 foreign countries to compete in “the last great race.”

 

(5)  The middle section of the racecourse, between the villages of Ophir and Kaltag, alternates each year. A northern route is taken on even numbered years and a southern route on odd numbered years. (6)

(from English Teaching Forum, July 2002)

A	This enables more villages to participate as checkpoints during this test of endurance across very sparsely populated wilderness.
B	In addition, at one point during the race – whenever each musher decides is best – the team must rest for 24 hours. The mushers have to carry certain safety equipment for themselves, such as warm sleeping bag, a pair of snowshoes, and a small cooker for boiling water.
C	The selected teacher follows the trail where the teams race, sleeps in the sleeping bag at checkpoints, travels on Iditarod Air Force planes, and is present for the finish in Nome.
D	Severe weather conditions made delivery by boat or airplane impossible. That heroic effort of men and their beloved dogs prevented an outbreak of diphtheria in Nome and saved hundreds of lives.
E	It grew from an ancient and practical means of transportation of the native people of Alaska: using muscular dogs to carry cargo through harsh winter weather.
F	In fact, the race has its own “air force” of 23 volunteer pilots who transport dozens of race personnel, such as judges, dog handlers and veterinarians, and tons of cargo, including dogs taken out of the race due to sickness or injury.
G	It begins every year on the first Saturday of March in the city of Anchorage, which is on the Gulf of Alaska in the northern Pacific Ocean. It ends in the town of Nome on the coast of the Bering Sea.
H	Perhaps an indication of the tremendous dedication and preparation required to succeed in Iditarod is that 20 races have been won by only five mushers.
I	Most of the sled cargo is dog food. Each musher must also carry a special veterinarian notebook, which is presented to the veterinarian who examines all the dogs on a team at each checkpoint.
J	The race has grown steadily since then, both in number of entrants who compete and the number of volunteers who help behind the scenes.
K	The race takes almost two weeks and covers approximately 1,800 kilometers (1,120 miles) form Anchorage to Nome.