Part 5

You are going to read an article about a tour guide. For questions 31-36, choose the answer (А, В, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

The Best Kind of Know-it-all

There is an art to being a good tour guide and Martin Priestly knows what it is.

It’s obvious that the best way to explore a city is with a friend who is courteous, humorous, intelligent and – this is essential – extremely well-informed. Failing that, and if it is London you are visiting, then the next best thing may well be Martin Priestly, former university lecturer, now a guide, who seems to bring together most of the necessary virtues and who will probably become a friend as well.

Last spring, I took a trip around London with him, along with a party of Indian journalists. Accustomed to guides who are occasionally excellent but who often turn out to be arrogant, repetitive and sometimes bossy, I was so struck by Priestly’s performance that I sought him out again to see, if I could, just how the trick was done.

This time the tour was for a party of foreign students, aged anything between 20 and 60, who were here to improve their English, which was already more than passable. As the tourists gathered, Martin welcomed them with a kind of dazzled pleasure, as if he had been waiting for them with excitement and a touch of anxiety, now thankfully relieved. I have to say, all this seemed absolutely genuine.

Then we got on the coach and we were off. Martin sat in front, not in the low-level guide’s seat, but up with the group, constantly turning round to make eye contact, to see if they understood him. Soon we’re in a place called Bloomsbury, famous among writers in the early 20th century. ‘Bloomsbury is famous for brains,’ says Martin, getting into his stride. ‘It’s a very clever place. It’s not very fashionable but it’s very clever.’ Soon after, we pass the British Museum and Bedford Square, ‘a great architectural showpiece,’ advises Martin. The comment prompted questions which led to a conversation about building, the part played by wealthy people and how big chunks of London still belonged to them – an issue which was to re-emerge later. This was how he liked to work: themes, introduced as if spontaneously, were laid down for subsequent discussion.

Suddenly the coach stopped and it was over, two and a half hours of non-stop performance, with information, observation and humour. Martin says encouragingly, ‘I do hope you enjoy London.’

We go to a nearby café to talk. Why, I asked, had he become a guide? Well, I used to organise a lot of courses at the university I worked for. It was quite stressful. But I had shown students around London and I enjoyed that. It seemed an obvious move to make. I did the London Tourist Board’s Blue Badge course – two evenings a week for two years.

That was tough, especially the exam in what is known as “coaching”. You’re taught to smile but everybody had difficulty with that in the exam, when you have other things to worry about. You have to do it backwards in the coach, desperately casting your eyes about to see what is coming next, and you’re facing the tutors and the other trainees.

‘And you have to know so much to guide well, different places, all kinds of architecture, agriculture. What if somebody asks a question about a crop beside the road? But some of it sticks, you know… eventually.’ He also tells me he keeps himself up to date with radio, TV and newspapers.

There are several hundred other guides out there, all looking for a share of the work. I think, as we talk, that I am starting to understand why good guides are so rare. It’s a great deal harder than it looks, and it demands, for every stretch of road, an even longer stretch of study and forethought.

31 In the first paragraph, what do we learn about Martin?
A He has two educational roles.
В He is a colleague of the writer.
C His job is an extension of his hobby.
D His job suits his personality.

32 The writer decided to meet Martin again to find out how he managed to
A win custom from other tour guides.
В entertain large and varied tour groups.
C avoid the failings of many other tour guides.
D encourage people to go back to him for another tour.

33 The writer notes that on meeting the tour group, Martin
A greeted everyone warmly.
В seemed as nervous as everyone else.
C praised everyone for their prompt arrival.
D checked that everyone could understand him.

34 Martin’s approach to guiding is to
A begin with the oldest buildings.
B encourage tourist participation.
C move around the coach as he talks.
D find out how much visitors know first.

35 What does ‘it’ in paragraph 6 refer to?
A showing students around London
B performing in front of a group
C becoming a guide
D arranging courses

36 In the last paragraph, the writer says he is impressed by
A the distances Martin covers on his tours.
B the quantity of work available for tour guides.
C the amount of preparation involved in Martin’s job.
D the variety of approaches taken to guiding.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary