Page 71 - Real English 2024 Book 8
P. 71

DIGITAL RESOURCES

                    On Top of the World                                                                        7










                    Mt Everest is the highest mountain in the world. Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to reach

                    the summit of Mt Everest in 1953. Many mountaineers had made unsuccessful attempts to scale this mountain

                    before. Erik Weihenmayer successfully overcame his handicap of being blind to scale the mountain peak. In 2001,
                    a 16-year-old student from Nepal, Temba Tsheri, stepped on the highest mountain peak in the world to become
                    the youngest mountaineer until then to do so. His record was broken by an American teenager Jordan Romero in
                    2010. Jamling Norgay climbed Mt Everest in 2003 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the ascent by his father
                    Tenzing and Sir Edmund Hillary.



                    What is common among river rafting,
                    mountaineering, trekking and paragliding? All
                                                    1
                    of them are physically daunting  activities that
                    offer unusual and exciting experiences. They
                    are all adventure sports.
                        Mountaineering is one of the most
                    difficult adventure sports. It is the sport of
                    climbing mountains. Only bravehearts will
                    think of going to unknown territories and

                                                                   2
                    conquering mountains.  Yet there is no dearth
                    of mountaineers in the world. They climb
                    small and big mountains as a sporting activity.
                    However, climbing Mt Everest, the highest
                    mountain in the world, is the ultimate dream

                    of any mountaineer.
                        Many mountaineers had tried their luck at the conquest of
                               3
                    this mighty  mountain before. In 1924, mountaineers Sandy Irvine
                    and George Mallory made an unsuccessful attempt at the cost of             1.
                    their lives. The glory of having successfully completed the Everest          difficult, frightening and
                                                                                                 likely to make a person feel
                    expedition first goes to Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and               less confident

                    Sherpa Tenzing Norgay of Nepal. They conquered Mt Everest in                 scarcity; lack
                                                                                               2.
                    1953 – the first genuine ascent.  Ever since the first conquest, many        large and impressive; great
                                                     4
                                                                                               3.
                    mountaineers have successfully met the challenge of this peak.               the act of climbing
                                                                                               4.


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