R EA DI N G. a Read the story quickly to find out how Ricky Mcgee survived for three months in the Australian Outback

a Read the story quickly to find out how Ricky Mcgee survived for three months in the Australian Outback.

When 35-year-old Australian Ricky Mcgee set off in his car to drive the 4,800 km from Brisbane to Port Hedland to start a new job, he knew the journey would not be short. However, he did not expect to spend three months of his life alone in one of the harshest areas of Western Australia before he encountered civilization once more.

According to Mr Mcgee, he stopped when he saw three men on the side of the road and gave one of the men a lift.

The last thing he remembers of the journey was driving up the road, feeling a little dizzy and confused. His next memory is waking up face-down in a hole covered with

rocks and earth. What woke him was the noise of four wild dogs _scrtching. at the rocks to try and get at him.

b Read the story again and choose a, b, or c.

IRicky Mcgee

a knew the journey would take some time. b planned to take a three-month break.

c took three months to drive to Port Hedland.

2 Mr Mcgee says he woke up

a because some animals were trying to rescue him. b because some animals were trying to attack him. c because he was covered with earth and rocks.

3 Mr Mcgee believes that the men he picked up a were well-known thieves.

b had always planned to murder him.

c gave him something to make him confused.

Mcgee believes that he was drugged and dumped by his passengers, and one fact that supports his £ is that his car has never been found. After losing his vehicle, Mr Mcgee says he walked for ten days, regularly fainting from heat exhaustion through a region virtually tin!nhabied where temperatures rose daily to over 40°C. Eventually he found a small stream and built ·a shelter of branches there. He says

he would go out just before dark and gather snakes, lizards, and frogs to eat.

When he finally did emerge from the bush after 90 days

surviving in these conditions, it is hardly surprising that his appearance s irre t!l_ life out of the first person who saw

him, cattle-station manager Mark Clifford. difford says Mr Mcgee looked like a 'walking skdet_on ' when he saw him, a description which is not far from the truth considering that the 1.9m man weighed in at 45kg, having lost 59kg during his absence.

At first police and hospital staff refused to believe Mr Mcgee's story, but Les Notarus, Medical director of the Royal Darwin hospital, says that his condition fitted perfectly that of a man who had spent weeks in the Outback. Dr Notarus said that Mr Mcgee was very deeply snptanp.ed and his body weight was extremely low for such a tall man. His story that he had been driving to Port Hedland to take up the new post has been verified, and when he recovers, Mr Mcgee may be interested to hear that the position remains vacant.

4 The person who first saw Mr Mcgee walking out of the bush

a was pleased to see him. b was absolutely terrified.

c did not believe his story.

5 Mr Mcgee's claim about the new job in Port Hedland is a a lie.

b probably true.

c definitely true.

c Look at the highlighted words and phrases. What do you think they mean? Check with your dictionary.

I

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