My Stay in the Rainforest Last year, I left my job and went to Borneo to work without pay in the rainforest. So many
people have said to me, 'I would love to do something like that', and I say, 'If you want to, just do
it. They always reply, 'I can't. But, if you really want to do it, there are ways to make it happen.
After three days' training, I started work on an environmental project with a group of
young people. The accommodation was very basic and we had to build our own place to sleep.
This consisted of a simple bed, a cloth roof and a net to keep insects out.
It was never dangerous there, but it was very challenging. There were things that we
didn't think we could manage to do, but we did. I had some of my worst moments there, but also
some of my best - it made me feel alive. I didn't miss my home comforts as much as I'd thought
I might. We had food, water, somewhere to stay, about three sets of clothes and really good
conversation. We were in the most beautiful place and we had things to keep us busy. We didn't
need any more.
One of the teenagers said: 'Before we came here, it was really important to me what
clothes I wore and who my friends were. I was always thinking about shoes, but really none of
that matters. Here, people accept me for who I am, what I believe and think, not for what kind of
clothes I've got'. When she said that, it summed it up for me.
Part A. Circle the correct answer – A, B, C, or D. (1 pt. each)
1. What is the writer, Claire, trying to do in the text?
a) Give the reader information about Borneo
b) Advise people not to work in the Borneo rrainforest
c) describe how she felt when she was in borneo
d) explain what kind of work she did in borneo