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CAE :: Lesson 32

LOS CURSOS DE INGLES GRATIS PREFERIDOS POR LOS HISPANOHABLANTES

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Reading: Part 4/4
Multiple matching exercise.

ACTIVITY 131: You are going to read an article about mazes. Read very carefully and for questions 1-15, choose from the PARAGRAPHS A-E. The paragraphs may be chosen more than once. Then check the correct answers.

PARAGRAPH A There is something enduringly eccentric about mazes. They serve no useful purpose, except perhaps to entertain guests you don't want to see for the afternoon. But the English are mad about them. The Royal Horticultural Society rather frowns on mazes, regarding them as a bit of an oddity, but this has not deterred a nation's gardeners. The second largest maze in the world is at Longleat House in Wiltshire; the largest turf maze is at Saffron Walden, Essex. Adrian Fisher, the world's leading maze designer, is English. His firm designs and builds more than 250 a year worldwide, many for private individuals. PARAGRAPH B One of Adrian Fisher's recent creations is for banker Lord Sandberg in the grounds of his estate. The design of the maze celebrates both his passion for cricket and his career in banking. 'I thought it would be run,' says Lord Sandherg. *My great'great'grandchildren will be able to run around it and think of me. The only snag is that all the yew trees we planted last year have died, so I am back to square one.' In principle, assuming the plants are not diseased, growing a hedge in a temperate climate such as England's is straightforward. It requires less work and care than a lawn. The hedge will need clipping just once a year. After ten years it will be a decent enough size to get lost in. PARAGRAPH C One Microsoft director is planning to build a maze in the garden of his house in the south of France. Another Microsoft employee is starting work on an elaborate 10-metre-wide decorative pavement maze. Perhaps there is something particularly attractive about mazes to software engineers; we have all experienced that moment when we are stuck in a piece of software and cannot get out. 'One of the beauties of a private maze is that you can have all sorts of things that would not be practical in a public maze, where there are health and safety concerns,' says Adrian Fisher. 'In one maze, I designed a series of angled mirrors disguised in some overhanging arches in order to disorientate people,' he says, 'hi another, a three-metre section of hedge rotates on a turntable to change the puzzle design in a few seconds. There is also a cunningly designed wooden bench with hedges behind. Hit the right button and they all roll backwards to reveal a hidden passage to one side.' PARAGRAPH D Mazes have a long and distinguished history. King Minos of Crete instructed Daedalus to build a labyrinth 3,500 years agoThe difference between a laby¬rinth and a maze is that a labyrinth follows one track towards the middle; a maze is full of trickery, dead ends and wrong turns. The most famous maze in the world is probably the Hampton Court maze in England. There are more than 15 copies of the maze throughout the world. The original was built in 1690. It can be easily penetrated by keeping one's left hand on the wall. This works because the hedge that surrounds the centre is continuously connected to the perimeter hedge. Later, mathematically minded maze makers, such as the Earl of Stanhope, solved this problem by creating 'islands', or gaps in the hedges. Using the Hampton Court technique at Stanhope's best example at Chevening would be pointless. If you keep your left hand on the hedge at Chevening, you end up being spat out again at the beginning. PARAGRAPH E There is something inherently furtive and secretive about a maze. Adrian Fisher is designing a private maze for an individual who plans to give summer parties. Round the first corner guests will be served drinks, then left to their own devices to find their way to the centre, where a band will be playing. Once the party is assembled, various decorative maze gates will be opened. The cost of building a maze is a bit like building a garden: it all depends on size and the number of plants, and if you are not careful, the budget continues to grow. The cost of building hardcore paths adds considerably to the cost, but many people don't bother, preferring just to use the mazes when the conditions underfoot are good. One drawback is the amount of time one has to wait for the hedge to grow. Half the fun of having a maze is watching it grow and knowing that it will be enjoyed for years. Most people turn to an experienced designer. Some, though, decide to design their own mazes, although there are pitfalls: one man who pursued this path watched with satisfaction as the hedge grew beautifully, only to discover that the maze did not work.

WHICH PARAGRAPH MENTIONS THE FOLLOWING?

1.	a maze whose layout can be varied

2.	the fact that making economies can result in a maze not being accessible at all times

3.	a maze which is no longer unique

4.	the positive advantages of mazes which are not open to everyone

5.	an improvement to a particular design

6.	the fact that when planting a maze it is easy to exceed the original estimate

7.	the suitability of a particular country for cultivating mazes

8.	the fact that mazes are pointless in terms of a practical function

9.	a maze which reflects the owner's interests

10.	a method of finding your way round one maze

11.	a body which looks down on mazes

12.	the amount of maintenance a maze requires

13.	the appeal of mazes to a certain type of mind

14.	the fact that mazes do not have a clear path to the centre

15.	the fact that people have not been put off by disapproval

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