Download this free C1–C2 English worksheet PDF for English learners and teachers. This advanced lesson examines British adventurer Karl Bushby’s 28-year attempt to travel from Chile to Hull without using transport to make forward progress.
Bushby set out from Punta Arenas in 1998 with an audacious goal: to reach Hull while following two strict self-imposed conditions. He would not use transport to advance along his route, and he would not return home until he could arrive on foot. Temporary departures were allowed only if he resumed the expedition from exactly the same point.
The article follows some of the most formidable obstacles he encountered. Bushby crossed the ice-choked Bering Strait in 2006, experienced visa restrictions and periods of bureaucratic limbo, and had to take paid work when sponsorship deals fell through. In 2024, he swam across the Caspian Sea alongside other adventurers.
After swimming the English Channel, Bushby reached the British coast near Dover on 5 October 2026. However, arriving in Britain did not mean that the expedition was complete because the final stretch to Hull still remained.
The lesson also explores the psychological consequences of devoting most of an adult life to one ambition. Bushby has spent long periods away from his son, experienced strained relationships and lived without a conventional settled home.
As the end of the expedition approaches, he must also come to terms with the possibility of losing a purpose that has defined much of his adulthood. This creates a strong discussion angle around the distinction between tenacity and obsession and whether extraordinary achievement can justify decades of personal sacrifice.
Level: C1–C2
Date: 15 October 2026
Focus: Advanced reading comprehension, idiomatic phrases, vocabulary and discussion about resilience, sacrifice, identity and obsession
This free worksheet includes:
- An advanced three-paragraph article about Karl Bushby’s almost three-decade expedition
- Eight True/False questions testing detailed reading comprehension
- A Phrase Match activity with 10 advanced expressions
- A Synonym Match exercise focusing on precise C1–C2 vocabulary
- A Use the New Language task in which students create their own example sentences
- 16 advanced discussion questions divided between Student A and Student B
- Discussion topics including ambition, sacrifice, risk, identity, immigration restrictions and purpose
- A complete answer key
- Example sentences demonstrating the target phrases in natural contexts
Useful phrases from the worksheet include set out, map out, hold fast to, come up against, fall through, press on, draw on, weigh up, pull through and come to terms with. Advanced vocabulary includes audacious, viable, treacherous, formidable, prolonged, unconventional, resilience, strained and tenacity.
The discussion section is designed for substantial C1–C2 speaking practice. Students consider whether persistence should always be admired, how much personal sacrifice is reasonable and whether finishing an extraordinary goal can create a new psychological challenge of its own.
Worksheet preview
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