Surfing: Multiple Choice Vocabulary Test

It is generally believed that the ancient Polynesians were the first to surf and to (1) _________ surfing to the Hawaiian islands. In fact, early (2)_________ show that surfing was at its height in the late eighteenth century. Surfing gradually became an (3) _________ water sport. Hawaii has the best surf in the world but the beaches are among the most dangerous. During October each year there are huge swells in which the waves can be almost twenty metres high. If a surfer gets (4)_________into the centre of one of these waves and then flung onto the shore as the wave breaks, the force can be life- (5)_________. The wave can drag them under water long enough for them to (6)_________ . It is said to be the oceanic equivalent of a lion’s (7)_________: get closer and you will be killed. Californian surfer called Jack O’Neill was determined to create a suit that would keep people warm in the waters of northern California. He experimented with various materials without much success until, during a plane journey in 1952, he (8) _________across a substance called neoprene. Using this material he created a wetsuit made of rubber which kept surfers warm and made surfing a year-round activity in climates which would (9)_________be too cold for part of the year. In 1988 O’Neill's original wetsuits were used for the first ever snowboarding world cup event, (10)_________O’Neill's belief that snow is only frozen water and snowboarding takes place over frozen waves.