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GENERAL ENGLISH · C1 ADVANCED · ADVANCED (C1-C2)

TREASURE
CAVES
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1 Warm up

Mammoth Cave National Park is a tourist attraction in Kentucky in the US.

1. How do you think it got its name?

2. What do you think you can do there?
3. Do you think you would enjoy visiting this place? Why/not?

Read the letter on the next page and use the information to update your answers to these questions.

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Dear Gill,
1
We are having a splendid / great time on our tour of the States and are seeing some
2
really interesting / memorable things! Yesterday, we arrived at Mammoth Cave which is the
longest known cave system in the world, with over 640 km of passages.
We went down into the cave with a guide. Apparently nearly 400,000 people visit the
caves each year, so they organise a range of tours depending on what you want – there’s
even a wheelchair accessible route. We chose a medium level of difficulty and the gigantic
geological formations we saw were truly amazing / awesome 3 . I was staggered / surprised
4
to learn that the caves have been a tourist attraction for over 200 years! Before that, they
were mined for minerals, first by Native Americans and then, for a short time, by enslaved
workers. There is also an exhibition in the Visitor’s Centre which explains how the caves
were formed – much to my surprise, this actually turned out to be interesting / riveting 5 and
we were there for a couple of hours.
Mammoth Cave is part of a National Park, and the scenery is beautiful / sublime 6 , so
we’ve decided to camp here for a couple of days to do some activities. Someone we met at
the campsite has just been out horse-riding and said it was exciting / exhilarating7 . There’s
also hiking, cycling and fishing. This is such a fabulous / nice 8 place.
Hope you are well. Will write again soon. Love to all,
Beth

Writing a letter or e-mail is one possible task on the C1 Advanced Writing paper. Using a range of
interesting language in this part of the exam will result in a higher score. Choose the best words in
each pair of options to complete the letter.

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2 Language point

The exercise you have just completed demonstrates how the use of enriched vocabulary can improve
a written text and prove that you have an advanced level of English. Choosing the right word makes
your writing more precise, more varied and interesting for the reader and possibly more formal.

1. : this adjective combines feelings of intense happiness and excitement

2. : this adjective means extremely interesting – holding your attention

completely
3. : this adjective means very shocked or surprised

4. : these adjectives simply mean very good

5. : while this adjective has an informal meaning of very good or excellent, its
literal meaning relates to a strong feeling of wonder or even fear

Find adjectives from the letter which collocate with these nouns.

1. : a natural feature, like a landscape, or a piece of music, writing or art

2. : a place, or something you experience

3. : something special that you see or hear

4. : something you watch, read or listen to

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For groups 1 and 2, put the verb in brackets in the correct form for the sentence. Say what each verb
means.

Group 1

1. The number of tourists (accelerate) since the introduction of direct flights to the
area.

2. The condition of the campsite (deteriorate) if too many visitors use the facilities.

3. The new law (mandate) that all visitors to the cave wear safety helmets.

Group 2

1. Just a few years ago, the facilities at the campsite (comprise) areas for tents and
a toilet block, but showers and a small shop have since been added.

2. We need to (devise) a way to attach our tent rope to this tree, so it won’t fall down.

3. I’ (mature) so much already during this road trip.

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For groups 3 and 4, match each verb with the correct meaning.

Group 3

1. We just sat and marvelled at the beautiful scenery all around us.

2. It was so long since I had a hot shower that I stayed in for nearly thirty minutes and revelled in the
feeling of being clean.

3. If you tampered with anything in the cave, you could get into a lot of trouble as all the features
are legally protected.

a. touched and damaged something that you should not be involved with

b. admired, appreciated and enjoyed

c. got great pleasure from a situation

Group 4

1. That experience sparked a lifelong interest in horses for me.

2. On the third day of the holiday, we trekked over the mountain to a lake and went swimming.

3. I was totally wowed by the excellent film we saw in the visitor’s centre.

a. very impressed

b. became the beginning of something

c. hiked, walked through the countryside wearing / carrying the correct equipment

What’s the same about the three items in each group?

Which vocabulary from the lesson so far is new for you today?

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3 Reading part 8

Paper 1 contains both Use of English and Reading parts. The final reading task is part 8, a multiple
matching task with ten options and between four and six short texts or one continuous text divided
into four to six short sections. Each correct answer in this part is worth only 1 point.

4 Mini task

Before you try a full practice task for part 7, read this text about another famous cave and how it
manages visitors. The underlined information shows three points that the exam questions could focus
on. Match the correct information (A-C) to the example option and then supply the missing two
options.

Cheddar is one of the most famous cheeses in the world, but few people know that the best
examples are aged in a cave in Somerset, UK. Three underground storerooms provide space
for the cheeses to mature for between 6 and 24 months – A) a longer period underground
produces a sharper taste. The caves in this area have been used in this way since 1170
and B) their constant humidity levels and temperature guarantee the perfect environment
for producing award-winning cheeses. Visitors to the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company are
welcome to follow a self-guided tour where they can watch some of the action through
windows and find out more from information displayed on screens. However, they are
not allowed access to the cheese caves themselves C) to avoid anyone tampering with the
product. Instead, tourists are encouraged to visit nearby caves to learn more about the
geology and history of the area.

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1. Example option: this part of the text describes a possible danger that visitors might pose to a
commercial product.

2. Option: this part of the text

3. Option: this part of the text

How confident are you to try the full practice task?

5 Practice task
You are going to read a magazine article which describes the impact of tourism on caves. For questions
47-58, choose from sections A-E. Each option can be chosen more than once

Which section ...

1. describes a constantly evolving landscape

2. describes the unethical treatment of one group of people

3. explains how an invaluable ancient treasure was nearly lost forever

4. explains how one attraction nearly experienced financial ruin

5. indicates that some visitors may be disappointed by the facilities on offer

6. makes a case for limiting tourist numbers

7. refers to a major historical controversy

8. refers to an ongoing productive collaboration

9. states that the attraction is much beloved

10. suggests how the extensive alteration of a natural feature can be understood

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Treasure caves
The universal desire to explore caves is understandable given the wonders they contain. But tourism
raises a range of issues for this type of attraction.

A. Mammoth Cave is one of the most impressive underground systems in the US. Prehistoric Native Americans visited
here to extract minerals, leaving behind art, artefacts and deliberate burials. Later European explorers encountered
these human remains and, as Mammoth Cave became one of the earliest tourist destinations in North America,
these attracted a lot of attention. Skeletons and mummies were displayed within the cave or the museum or sold
to travelling exhibitions or museums for study. Towards the end of the 20th century, native peoples expressed
outrage about the disrespectful way these remains had been treated, especially when compared to the remains
of white people. A law was passed in 1990 which mandated that all prehistoric and historic human remains had
to be treated with dignity and respect. Human remains are no longer on display at Mammoth Cave and museum
staff are partnering with local tribes to devise other ways to educate and inform visitors.

B. The island of Lanzarote offers many natural wonders, one being Los Jameos del Agua, although, to be fair, this
venue is not 100% natural. A jameo is a type of cave formed when the roof of a volcanic lava tube collapses. In
1966, artist César Manrique began what might be called a visionary environmental intervention, and adapted a
large jameo into areas that accommodate a restaurant, a café, an auditorium with excellent acoustics and several
natural pools. The attraction opened in 1977, just as mass tourism was accelerating here. Visitors are invited
to enjoy the juxtaposition of nature and culture. Reviews have been mixed – the experience has wowed some
tourists while leaving others a bit bemused by the entrance fee. Los Jameos is also home to an endangered species
of tiny white lobster, blind after generations living in the dark. To protect it, no swimming is allowed, and it is also
forbidden to throw metal coins into the water.

C. The iconic cave paintings created 36,000 years ago by early humans at Altamira in northern Spain feature animal
figures and human hands. Their discovery in 1868 sparked a huge debate about the origins and antiquity of such
works. Unsurprisingly, sightseers flocked to visit, but in the 1970s, experts were dismayed to discover that the
paintings were deteriorating because of moisture from the breath of so many visitors. Altamira closed completely
in 1977 and when it reopened in 1982, offered such restricted access that there was a three-year waiting list to
visit. The caves had to close once again in 2002 due to the presence of green mould. An innovative solution was
completed in 2001 – this was a visitors’ centre offering a complete replica of the cave and its artworks, including
some which had not originally been accessible to visitors. Further replicas have opened elsewhere in Spain and in
Germany and Japan. The original cave remains closed, and the paintings are once again stable.

D. Caves don’t have to be made of rock – Iceland’s Glacial Caves, offer visitors a unique and spectacular frozen
adventure. Obviously, these attractions are only available to visit during the colder months, and as they are actually
part of a moving glacier, their sizes and forms are dynamic and change from year to year. Visitors should be
prepared to trek quite a long way to access a glacial cave, and must be warmly dressed, properly equipped and
led by a guide. Although access may be complicated, the colours, and even sounds, produced by the ice are
unforgettable. There’s a certain irony involved though. Tourist numbers in Iceland have soared since 2010, but
the island is really only accessible by plane. This means that travelling to revel in its attractions also contributes
to global warming, ultimately destroying these sublime features of the landscape, which have been thousands of
years in the making. Is this a case of enjoy it now, so nobody else can?

E. Many Kiwis have fond childhood memories of visiting the caves at Waitomo, in New Zealand and marvelling at
the resident glowworms, which live on the roof of one of the caves, their tiny lights reflected in the water of
the underground river that passes through the cavern. These little insects and their habitat feature in a Mãori
origin myth and comprise a precious taonga, or treasure, for the country. Visitors must observe a strict rule of
silence when viewing the glowworms, as they are highly sensitive to noise. They are also dependent on a complex
environmental chain for their food, feeding on insects which in turn feed on organic matter in the water. The

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custodians of Waitomo must therefore ensure the health of the above-ground portion of the stream that serves
the cavern by planting trees and fencing the area to keep livestock out. No one wants a repeat of the massive
die-off of the 1970s, which resulted in a huge loss of income for the caves.

sources: nps.gov, cactlanzarote.com, icelandtravelguide.is

6 Language in context
Read the sentences from the text and explain what the words or phrases in bold mean.

1. Towards the end of the 20th century, native peoples expressed outrage about the disrespectful
way these remains had been treated, especially when compared to the remains of white people.

2. Reviews have been mixed – the experience has wowed some tourists while leaving others a bit
bemused by the entrance fee.

3. Unsurprisingly, sightseers flocked to visit, ...

4. This means that travelling to revel in its attractions also contributes to global warming, ultimately
destroying these sublime features of the landscape, which have been thousands of years in the
making.

5. No one wants a repeat of the massive die-off of the 1970s, which resulted in a huge loss of income
for the caves.

Which of these items do you think will be most useful to you? Why?

7 Optional extension
When you learn new vocabulary, it’s a good idea to record the related forms of the word family. This
includes pronunciation.

Choose at least 5 items from the lesson today and record information about all the forms in a table
like the example below. Make sure you check pronunciation, especially syllable stress.

verb noun adjective notes

exhilarate exhilaration exhilarating, verb is not often used

exhilarated in the active voice

devise /z/ device /s/ - be careful with

pronunciation and
spelling!

Extension: formulating original sentences with these items will help you master them.

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