E X E R C I S E 2: Choose the correct answer according to the passage. 1. The passage tells us that the Pyrenees A) provided easy access for Spain's enemies, making her vulnerable to attacks
B) are for the most part lower than the Alps
C) were first explored by the American historian Will Durant
D) kept Spain safe from her enemies, but made it difficult for her to develop
E) rise from gentle foothills to lofty peaks
2. According to the passage, no other mountain range in Europe A) has prevented passage and access as much as the Pyrenees
B) extends as far as the Pyrenees
C) has been the scene of battle as many times as the Pyrenees
D) has so many high peaks as the Pyrenees
E) remains snow-capped as long as the Pyrenees
3. It is clear that the saying used by French peasants refers to A) the gentle slopes on the Pyrenees
B) the words of an American historian
C) the lack of development in the land beyond the Pyrenees
D) the great economic advancement and political participation on the Spanish side of the
Pyrenees
E) all of Europe's major mountain ranges
E X E R C I S E 3: Complete the sentences by selecting words from Column B in EXERCISE 1. 1. Although the Alps rise to a height of 4807 metres, most towns are located in the valleys and
on the low , few being over 1800 metres above sea level.
2. The Romans conquered England and Wales, but finding the country neither
nor desirable, they did not venture into Scotland. Instead, they built a
wall to keep the fierce highland tribes within their rugged, wild and cold homeland.
3. The old "Let the buyer beware" - meaning that customers buy things
at their own risk - has been turned on its head by the American legal system. In America
today, a new rule applies, which could be summed up as "Let the seller beware". If a
customer in America trips up in a shop, he or she is very likely to seek financial
compensation through the courts.
4. Because the mountains rise on either side of the valley, it receives as
little as fifty centimetres of rain annually.
5. Heavy rains, which turn the narrow pass to thick mud in winter, make it
to those in motor vehicles and only the bravest traders work their way through, by donkey,
along the steep mountain track.
ELS • 235
