How I spend my free time – A2 English Reading Test

How I spend my free time

Jay Portman describes his unusual hobby, hill running, and tells us why he enjoys it.

Hill running is the sport of running up and down hills and mountains, through open countryside. It’s not popular among my friends, but I love it. My dad took me and my brothers out running when we were little, and then when I was about fifteen, I joined a hill running club, called the York Merlins.

There are some excellent runners in the club. When we do our practice runs, I’m always a long way behind them. But that doesn’t bother me. They’re all really nice and often give me advice. What I love is being outdoors and finding all these beautiful places I never knew were there.

We race against other clubs at the weekends. In these races, runners are told where to finish, but not how to get there. You need a good map and compass so you don’t get lost. Everyone starts together at the beginning, but later in the race you often find yourself running alone.

Anyone can enter these races – you just get there in the morning, pay your £5, and run. There are no T-shirts or medals for the winners. The most you get is a piece of cake! Often there are international hill running champions taking part, but they are just as friendly as everyone else.

That doesn’t mean it’s an easy sport. Last weekend I did a race in heavy rain and high winds, and I was asking myself what I was doing out there. But I got to the end, and that was an amazing feeling.

1   Jay’s first experience of hill running was with

      A   a club.

      B   some friends.

      C   his family.

2   How does Jay feel about the good runners in his club?

      A   He’d like to be as fast as them one day.

      B   He doesn’t mind that they are better than him.

      C   He thinks they should help slower runners improve.

3   What does Jay say is important in the races he enters?

      A   listening to the instructions

      B   staying close to other runners

      C   being able to find your way

4   What do we learn about the races from the fourth paragraph?

      A   They don’t have big prizes.

      B   They are only for local runners.

      C   They are free for some people to enter.

5   What does Jay say about the last race he did?

      A   The bad weather made it dangerous.

      B   He was very happy when he finished it.

      C   It wasn’t as difficult as some races he has done.