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Read Text A, Kayaking, in the insert and then answer Questions 1(a)–1(e) on the question paper. Read Text B, and then answer Question 1(f) on the question paper.

Text A: Kayaking Text B: Kayaking is good for your health

Kayaking is a fun activity that involves moving through water using a double-bladed Some plunge down waterfalls, others fish from their vessels, but all kayakers have one thing in
paddle in a small buoyant vessel, a kayak. The paddler sits face-forward in a cockpit common: they all know a thing or two about leading a healthy lifestyle.
with the legs extended beneath a closed deck, propelling ahead with alternating
side-to-side paddle strokes. Bobbing around in a kayak offers far more than a relaxing way to spend a sunny
afternoon. Kayakers can teach the rest of us lots about leading happier, healthier lives,
The kayak has been around for centuries. It was first used by people living in the Arctic 5 and luckily it’s easier to start kayaking than you think.
regions for navigating waterways. It offered a pragmatic way to hunt, fish, and transport
passengers across water. All of that paddling (and water resistance!) lends itself to a serious workout. Just one
hour of kayaking can burn over 350 calories, depending on how hard you paddle, and 5
Nowadays kayaking is also a great activity for enthusiasts of all levels – one reason for builds muscle strength in more areas than just the arms. ‘You can enjoy the benefits
its popularity. It can be a wonderful way to discover quiet, shallow waters at the edge of a full workout far from the confines of a sweaty gym,’ says outdoor-sports expert
of a lake, or an exciting high-energy sport racing along fast-moving rivers and rapids. 10 Brad Bostrom.
Open to everyone, basic kayaking requires no previous experience other than a passion
for exploring open waters. But pick the right vessel. Brad recommends going for a wide boat that you sit on top
of. ‘These boats are much easier to get back in if you flip them over,’ he says. Along 10
Kayaking can be combined with other outdoor activities like camping and fishing, adding with your boat, Brad advises investing in a high-quality, lightweight paddle, which will
another layer of challenge to your trip. If you plan on ski-touring or rock-climbing in make for more efficient movement.
areas that require water travel, a kayak can be an excellent tool for accessing the remote 15
beauty of a region. Apparently, the consistent motion of kayaking is a great way to get your heart beating
too (easier on the knees than pounding pavements) and research shows that elite
Kayaks come in two basic styles: sit-on-top and sit-inside. Sit-on-tops are increasingly kayakers actually breathe more efficiently. 15
popular as they’re the most stable, easy to get in to and out of, so a great choice for
new, or nervous paddlers, for warm environments and for paddling with kids who love And there are just as many mental benefits. Whether battling white water rapids or
to swim. Sit-insides shelter your lower body from the wind, which makes them much 20 drifting along with the help of ocean waves, kayaking is a way to de-stress. Exercise
warmer. They’re great for paddlers on cooler water who want to stay dry while paddling, decreases stress by increasing endorphins, bringing athletes to the present moment
and who consider the kayak more a vehicle for travel than a toy. and actually lifting moods. A new book, Blue Mind, by Wallace J. Nichols, Ph.D., shows
that adding water to the equation brings a whole new level of stress-busting. 20
Sleek and noiseless, kayaks have few limits – though high-traffic waterways are best
avoided to prevent accidents. Faster vessels, emitting pollutants, can seriously harm ‘Though remember that even the best swimmers can tire quickly in rough or cold water.
populations of water-dwelling species who cannot move quickly enough to avoid a 25 Kayakers of all levels should always wear a personal flotation device,’ Brad advises.
speedy oncoming boat. Kayaking is an environmentally friendly alternative to boating. ‘Paddle in a group too – join a club – it’s safer and a great way to make new friends.’
Responsible kayakers always drain their boat before leaving a paddle-site to avoid
transporting water, which may contain some form of living creature or plant material, Time spent outdoors comes with a slew of bonuses, including vitamin D intake from
from one water course to another. ‘sensible sun exposure’ time. But watch the weather. Finding yourself stranded in a 25
storm isn’t fun. Lightning loves to strike water and wind can create dangerous waves.
It’s always good to check the forecast before heading out.

Overcoming extreme challenges like white-water rapids, or even paddling a longer

distance than you did last time, helps build confidence and positive self-image. ‘There’s
nothing like floating quietly through a forest and surprising a sun-bathing alligator,’ says 30
Brad. ‘I see and learn new things every day’.

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Read Text C, and then answer Questions 2(a)–(d) and Question 3 on the question paper. During the next weeks I booked cabins where I could stay for 10 of the 80 nights of the
trip. I mailed my camping essentials to excited friends living near my launching point,
Text C: Paddling Alaska and sent resupply boxes of dried food addressed to myself at post offices en route, with
notes to the incredulous post masters to ‘hold for paddling expedition to arrive approx.
The writer, Audrey Sutherland, worked for years as a careers adviser for high school students (date)’. I dutifully made copies of the daily route so my grown-up family would know 40
before setting off on her first solo kayaking trip through Alaska. Since that first trip she has paddled where to start their search if I didn’t check in along the way and made notches on one
more than 13 000 solo Alaskan kilometres. side of my pencil to measure a nautical mile on some of the ocean charts.

I first saw southern Alaska from the air, looking down on islands with secluded beaches My request for leave came back, unapproved.
and hidden inlets, huge trees and a point for watching sunrise and sunset.
I resigned.
Fifteen kilometres from any town was wilderness; towns were dotted far apart. That left
lots of space to paddle, explore and camp. Since 1967, whenever I could squeeze in And the bear? Well that was actually years later. Beginning this first Alaskan adventure, 45
a vacation, I’d been voyaging in inflatable kayaks. I’d written a fairly successful book 5 I’d have been relieved to know that any bears and I would avoid each other. Every
about my trips around Hawaiian islands. Paddling through Alaska was top of my Alaskan has a bear story. Should I start with mine? ‘The grizzly bear stood one metre
25-morale-building-things-to-do list. My publisher was also keen. away, his enormous muzzle visible through the plastic sheet over the cabin window …’
Nah, I’ll tell you about that later.
Looking at the map, my choice was clear: I could paddle direct along established routes
for fishing boats, or go ‘gunkholing’, as boaters say, prowling in and out of tiny coves
and meandering south. Connecting a roundabout route of hot springs, old cabins, the 10
smallest islets and resupply towns, I could trace excerpts of historic voyages, forage
natural delicacies and communicate with such endearing animals as whales and otters.
I wasn’t yet factoring in grizzly bears.

This second route would be over 800 miles and involve crossing open sea and
dangerous straits. Obviously, I’d go gunkholing. 15

My inflatable kayak would be the smallest boat to attempt this distance, an impertinent
toy compared to the crafted cedar-log-dugout canoes paddled for centuries along these
misty shores, or sturdy modern fibreglass canoes.

‘You’re seriously paddling 800 miles in Alaska in that?’ said a man on a beach one day.
‘Where’s the unicorn head and mermaid flippers to go with it?’ 20

He sneered at the limp, shapeless roll of plastic on the sand. I attached the hose of the
air pump to a valve in the newly patched intrepid vessel and the plastic kayak squirmed
slowly and reluctantly out of its wrinkles into a tube shape. I kept pumping. The second
side and the hull gradually assumed a wonky banana shape, a bit like a boat-shaped
doughnut, bright yellow with ridiculously optimistic red-and-white ‘racing stripes’ down 25
the sides.

Why use this boat? Well, I already owned it. It would roll up in a small bag that I could
take on the plane. I’d paddled enough rough seas in it to know it was seaworthy. Above
all, it was light enough to carry by myself up the beach above high tide each night.

My yellow colour scheme was reinforced when my order of foul-weather gear arrived. 30
I tried it on, laughing at my incongruous image in the mirror. ‘Getting older aren’t you?’

I’d asked for two months off work to complete the trip. I wanted to be lean, hard and
kind. Instead I felt soft, fat and mean. Years of a desk job can do that. After decades
spent helping others decide what to do with their lives, I wondered whether I knew what
to do with mine. 35

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