My First Paddle-Boarding Lesson - Test 7

C1 Advanced · Open Cloze · Cambridge English Advanced 2, Cambridge University Press

For questions 1–8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap.

Here I am in a cold, windy city; (0) ___ a very grey sky. I ask myself (9) ___ I'm standing on an oversized surfboard in the middle of a river with nothing to help me (10) ___ a paddle. I'm about to have my first lesson in paddle-boarding, which is a bit (11) ___ canoeing but with only one paddle and, being upright, you can enjoy the views on offer. The teacher reassures me it's easy, which (12) ___ nothing to reduce the pressure. I desperately try to keep (13) ___ balance and concentrate on not falling in. I wonder if I've left it too late to back out and head for solid ground, but before I can change my mind I'm (14) ___ the move, but not going where I want to. I hear my teacher shouting 'Paddle paddle!'. I try but, (15) ___ my best efforts, I don't make much progress. 'You need to paddle on both sides,' he says, 'because (16) ___ you'll go around in circles. Copy me.' And finally I'm moving in the same direction as everyone else and it feels amazing.

My First Paddle-Boarding Lesson

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