Read the article. Then do the exercises on the following pages.

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Students go back to nature

Have you ever had to sleep outside? Have you ever had to cook for more than fifty people? What about going to the toilet outside? Well, a group of students from Hong Kong had to do all those things and more when they went on a Wilderness Experience Camp in South Africa.
The camping trip was organised by Cathay Pacific and the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, and lasted for nine days. During that time, the students, along with others from many different countries, had to do many different activities.The aim was to help them understand the importance of looking after the environment.
During their time at the camp, the students went on trips to explore the wilderness. They saw lots of wildlife and experienced nature in an environment that had not been spoiled by people. They also did studies of the ecology and water to learn more about the local environment.
While at the camp, the students had to live in an environmentally friendly way. What that means isthat they had to live without some of the nice things we are all used to. They had to sleep outside and take showers outdoors, even when the temperature was less than ten degrees Celsius. They even had to make their own toilets by digging holes in the ground, then burn the used toilet paper!
Living in the wild was not easy, and there was a lot of work to do. For example, the students had to take turns to cook dinner for everyone. But there were fun things to do too — one day they all had a big mud fight!
For the students from Hong Kong, it was a new and exciting experience. They got to try lots of new things, and learnt a lot about environmental protection at the same time.

AAre the following statements true or false? Write ‘T’ or ‘F’ in theboxes. Then correct the false statements. Write complete sentences in the spaces provided.

1 / The wilderness camp was based in Hong Kong. /

F

The wilderness camp was based in South Africa.
2 / There were students from all over the world at the camp. / T
3 / Life at the camp was very easy for the students. / F
Life at the camp was not / wasn’t very easy for the students.
4 / At the camp, the students could not take showers. / F
At the camp, the students had to take showers outdoors.
5 / The students had some fun by taking turns to cook dinner. / F
The students had some fun by having a mud fight.
6 / The students learnt a lot about caring for the environment. / T

BChoose the best answer for each question. Circle the correct letter.

1The environment around the camp was …

Adirty.

Bruined.

Cunspoiled.

/ 2The students had to make their own ...

Atoilets.

Bshowers.
Cbeds.
3Life at the camp was …

Aboring.

Beasy.
Cdifficult. / 4The students mainly learnthow to care for …

Athe environment.

Bwild animals.

C each other.

CAnswer and discuss the questions below.

1Would you like to go to the wilderness camp talked about in the article? Why? Why not?

2Have you ever been camping in Hong Kong? Compare your experiences of camping in Hong Kong with the experience the students had in South Africa.

3The students at the camp had to cook for each other. Do you like cooking? Why? Why not? Tell your classmates about a time that you cooked for someone.

4The students at the camp learnt about protecting the environment. What other ways are there to learn about protecting the environment?

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