4. Match the phrases (A-H) with gaps 1-8 in the text. Use your answers to exercise 3 to help you.

A. flew higher and higher

B. to keep away from some dark clouds

C. which was spinning above her head

D. seemed certain

E. where she took off

F. were getting ready to take off

G. she survived

H. lost consciousness

A bumpy ride

In February 2007, Ewa Wisnierska, a German paraglider, was in Australia with other paragliders preparing for the World Championships. One morning, as they (1) _____, they noticed a thunderstorm approaching. However, they decided to carry on. As the best paragliders, they were skillful enough (2) _____. Unfortunately, as the competitors took off, the weather quickly got worse. Despite Ewa's attempt to escape, two enormous clouds came together and trapped her. They pulled her up inside the storm like a leaf in the wind. She (3) _____. "It was dark and I could hear lightning all around me." She reached nearly 10,000 m, higher than the top of Mount Everest, and then (4) _____.

At that height, the temperature was about -40°C and there was very little oxygen. Death (5) _____. For forty minutes, Ewa was unconscious. Waking up, she was still inside the storm. It was dark, and hailstones as big as tennis balls were flying past. But fortunately, her glider, (6) _____, was still in one piece. Eventually, Ewa came out of the storm cloud and landed safely near a small farm. When her team reached her, she was 60 km away from the place (7) _____. She was weak and covered in ice - but alive! Ewa was the luckiest woman in the world. There's no logical reason why (8) _____. Ewa had frostbite on her ears and legs, but a few days later, she competed in the World Championships.