Read the text. For questions 6.1.–6.4., choose the appropriate paragraph and write
the corresponding letter (A–E) in the table. One paragraph does not match any of
the questions.

 

In which paragraph does the author refer to 

6.1.	an advantage today’s explorers enjoy when they are on a long-distance hike?
6.2.	a route taken on the basis of misinformation?
6.3.	an unfortunate outcome of ignoring safety notices?
6.4.	a doubt cast on one of Darwin’s findings?

 

                       FOLLOWING IN CHARLES DARWIN’S FOOTSTEPS

A. From the nine times I have made the journey to the Galápagos Islands to follow in
Charles Darwin’s footsteps, the most enduring impression I have gained is of life’s
fragility. The minute a person steps off any of the tourist trails and heads into
the untamed interior of one of the islands, there is the risk of death under the intense
equatorial sun. On Santa Cruz Island, 17 people have disappeared since 1990. Some
were subsequently found alive after having become lost in dense underbrush and
volcanic terrain; the others weren’t so lucky. Although signs in numerous places say
bluntly, “Do not go beyond this point. You could die,” not everybody complies.

B. Making the same journey as Darwin, one begins to understand the hardships that he
endured, which are not apparent to readers of his works. Trekking distances here are
dictated by how much water one can carry, which limits each excursion to about three
days; longer excursions require provisions to be stashed along the route. To Darwin,
such logistics would have been even more problematic, as he did not have the modern
lightweight equipment we have at our disposal. Still, with characteristic understatement,
reflecting perhaps his excellent physical condition, Darwin wrote of the 3,000-foot climb to
the summit of Santiago merely that the walk was “a long one”.

C. During one of the expeditions, I came to appreciate much more profoundly than I would
have liked, Darwin’s comparison of Galápagos lava flows to “infernal regions”. When we
were on Santiago, where Darwin had camped, our guides had suggested a shortcut
across a coastal lava flow. What none of us could have known was that it involved more
than eight miles of almost continuous lava rock – not just the mile or two that our guides
had led us to expect. A six-hour excursion became a 51-hour nightmare as we climbed
over piles of blocks with razor-sharp edges. 

D. On another occasion, I accompanied the botanist, Alan Tye, on a search for a rare plant
which Darwin had collected in 1835. The plant hadn’t been seen for a century, causing
some to question the locality reported by Darwin. Fortunately, we did find the plant,
resolving the mystery and vindicating Darwin’s record. However, our expedition was not
without trials. At one point, while using a machete to clear our way, I inadvertently cut
a branch of a tree whose fruit is poisonous to humans. Some of the tree’s sap got onto
my wristband and then into my eyes. The sting was almost unbearable, and dousing my
eyes with water did nothing to help.

E. Darwin personally reported no afflictions during his own Galápagos visit, although he did
complain about a shortage of fresh water and the oppressive heat. More than once, he
was reminded of the potentially fatal consequences of excursions into the Galápagos
wilds. One should not be surprised, then, that while Darwin was engaged in fieldwork, he
would have focused his attention substantially on surviving the many hazards of the
Galápagos. But the truth is that Darwin became convinced of the theory of evolution,
eureka-like, during his visit to the islands. How could he not have been? In retrospect,
the evidence for evolution seems so compelling here.

                                                                                         Adapted from: www.smithsonianmag.com