Kon-Tiki expedition
The date was the 28th of April. It was the early morning. Callao harbour was very busy. The Minister of Marine

had ordered a tug to row us out of the harbour. A crowd of people was waiting to watch.

When I arrived, only Herman was there. He was guarding the raft. I got out of the car and jumped on board. Fruit

baskets and boxes lay in a heap on the deck. They had been thrown on board at the last moment. In the middle of

the heap sat Herman. He was holding a cage; and in the cage there was a green parrot. The bird was a present

from a friend in Peru.

“Take care of the parrot for a minute”, said Herman. “I want to go ashore and have a drink. The tug won’t be here

for a long time”.

Herman went for his drink, and a few minutes later the tug arrived. A large motor-boat came to tow the raft away

from the other boats. The motor-boat was full of officers and sailors. The officers called out some orders; and the

sailors then fixed a strong rope to the raft.

“One moment!” I shouted. “It’s too early! We must wait for the other men”. I pointed towards the city.

But nobody understood. The officers only smiled politely. I untied the rope and threw it into the water. I waved

my arms and made signs to the officers. This excited the parrot. The bird opened its cage and escaped. It walked

about on the bamboo deck. I tried to catch the parrot. But it called out rude words in Spanish and flew into the

cabin. At last, I caught the bird and put it back into its cage
Task 2. Choose the correct variant.

11. The story takes place at:

A sunset; B noon; C dawn; D midnight.

12. The tug was ordered by the:

A marines; B Minister of Marine; C Maritime Commission; D Minister of the Navy.

13. The narrator arrived at the harbor:

A on horseback; B by foot; C by car; D by ship.​