TOM’s trip story I like my house, especially my bed and my shower. Maybe it is strange but I do not like camping although a lot of people enjoy it. When I was eight, my father took me on our first and last camping trip together. It was the worst weekend in my life. It was raining. We went for a hike, and I got lost. My dad had tried to teach me how to use a compass. While we were walking, we were talking about the north, the south, the east and the west. I was cold and bored, so I didn’t listen very well. He left me with the compass and told me to find my way back. I wasn’t lost for very long but at that moment it felt like a whole day for me. My family have recently moved to Denver, Colorado. My new schoolmates are very friendly and they have invited me to go hiking or camping several times since I arrived. I keep making excuses, because I do not want to tell them the truth. My friend from Texas thinks I should go over it because I’m not eight anymore. I’m afraid that if I go, they will see that I am a complete failure as a camper. I finally decided I would give it a try. My schoolmates made plans to hike in the Rocky Mountain National Park this weekend. After school, I found the nearest wilderness shop. I bought one piece of almost everything, just in case. I chose a big tent and an expensive backpack. I even bought a lot of wilderness guides, which I hardly ever need. I went home and read all the manuals I had bought. I practiced setting up a tent in the backyard. On the way to Estes Park, I tried to relax. But then it started to rain. I panicked. All I could think about was being eight years old, alone in the woods, cold and hungry. The guys didn’t seem bothered by the rain. In fact, they seemed to enjoy it. We all put on our backpacks. Once again, I stood out. My backpack looked bright and spotless. I forgot to rub it in the dirt. The price tag was still hanging from the zipper. My backpack was the only with a lot of gadgets. My schoolmates stared at me. We spent the next hour joking and laughing and cooking tasty food over a campfire. I told them all about my first camping experience. I decided camping might not be so bad after all. A. Tom believes that it is strange that he … 1) expects to sleep in a comfortable bed when camping. 2) has never tried camping. 3) doesn’t like the thing other people expect him to enjoy. 4) didn’t like to spend weekends with his father in his childhood. B. Tom got lost on a hike because … 1) his father hadn’t explained to him how to use a compass. 2) his father hadn’t given him a compass. 3) he wanted to make his father feel sorry for him. 4) he had paid no attention to what his father was telling him. C. Tom isn’t quite happy in Denver because … 1) he doesn’t want his schoolmates to know the truth about his attitude to camping. 2) he dislikes the leisure time activities of his new schoolmates. 3) his new schoolmates have stopped inviting him to go hiking or camping. 4) there are no people he would like to become his close friends. D. At the shop Tom … 1) didn’t buy anything. 2) bought some unnecessary things. 3) bought only manuals. 4) didn’t find a wilderness guide. E. Everyone stared at Tom’s backpack because … 1) Tom had bought a cheaper one. 2) it looked new. 3) Tom didn’t have any gadgets. 4) it looked old and used.