Vit IELTS

[COM] The McFaddin hiking and nature trail

<h2 data-path-to-node="2">PART 2</h2>
Susan Meyer: Good morning. I’m Susan Meyer, trail warden for the McFadden Hiking and Nature Trail. Let me tell you a bit about the trail. The trail is 25 miles long, running roughly east to west. To hike it, you may start at either end of the trail or in between. You can hike the whole length of the trail or just a couple of miles, because (11) there are 20 entry points along the trail, each connected to public roads by short paths (B).
For hikers coming from Johnson City, there’s a shuttle bus to each of the two end points every morning and evening, and four of the entry points have a free car park with television camera surveillance. At 1 mile intervals along the trail, there are rest stations providing picnic areas, water, toilets, and places where you can recharge your electronic devices. In response to a poll of walkers last year, we’ve (12) recently installed kiosks at each rest station with clear, easy to follow maps and other trail information (C).
There are several distinct sections of trail. The Red Rock Walk offers a superb opportunity to (13) study a huge variety of vegetation along the way (A: see many different plants). There’s lots to look at, though you can’t see great distances. Birds are actually hard to spot, but with a pair of binoculars and at certain times of day, you may see some rare varieties.
The River Walk comprises about 5 miles of trail, winding along the bank of the Moultrie River. Personally, I prefer this section of the trail in winter. The river does freeze over and the snow can accumulate, but that doesn’t always discourage visitors. Sometimes though, (14) if the weather conditions are really unsuitable, we might have to close this walk to the public (C: It may not be possible to use this section), but often it can get crowded with hikers who’ve discovered the attraction of the area.
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Susan Meyer: Now let me tell you about the Halfway Hostel, located approximately midway along the trail. It has a range of facilities available to help make your walking experience memorable. Let me give you some information about the various facilities available there.
Of course, there are beds in dormitories for use at a very reasonable $7 per person, weekdays or weekends. Unfortunately, we found that pre-booking beds just didn’t work, so (15) now we allocate them as people arrive (H: first-come-first-served basis), but we have extra cots and sleeping bags to help with any overflow.
There are two family rooms accommodating six people, each with private bathrooms. They are $35 per room and for them, (16) you will need to make arrangements ahead of time (F: advance booking required) as they’re very popular, especially at the weekends.
A popular facility that (17) we’ve recently added is coin-operated washing machines (G: new equipment) for your clothes. You can get awfully wet and dirty if you’re walking the trail in bad weather, and since we got these machines, you can put on clean gear when you set out in the morning.
The hostel serves two meals a day—breakfast at $4 and dinner at $8, the same for adults and kids. There’s always a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian option, depending on your preferences. (18) We do ask you to give a hand with serving and cleaning up after meals (D: help from guests requested).
We have plenty of showers and unlimited hot water available, so (19) you can have this luxury at no charge (E: provided free), and you can enjoy it as long as you like.
Now, some people like to spend time on the trail on mountain bikes, and maybe take a bit of a rest from all that walking, and that’s permitted as long as you observe basic safety rules. The hostel’s (20) in the process of creating a bike rental scheme, which should be up and running next year (C: not yet available). So if you think that…

Questions 11–14

Facilities at the hostel
 
dormitory beds {H available on first-come-first-served basis}
 
family rooms {F advance booking required}
 
clothes washing {G new equipment}
 
meals {D help from guests requested}
 
hot showers {E provided free}
 
bicycle rental {C not yet available}

[COM] The McFaddin hiking and nature trail

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