第一位登上珠穆朗玛峰的盲人

40 第一位登上珠穆朗玛峰的盲人

DATE=6-27-01
TITLE=EXPLORATIONS #1958 - Climbing Mount¹ Everest
BYLINE=Linda Burchill and Jill Moss²

VOICE ONE:
This is Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program EXPLORATIONS.  Today, we tell about efforts to climb the highest mountain in the world, (1) Mount Everest. And we tell about the first blind person to do so. 
((THEME))
VOICE ONE:
More than eight-hundred people have successfully climbed the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest.  It is at the border of Nepal and Tibet.  One in about every five of those who have stood on the mountain top did not (2) survive the trip down.  Many others died before reaching the eight-thousand-eight-hundred-fifty meter (3) summit³.They all battled (4) freezing temperatures.  Winds up to one-hundred-sixty-kilometers per hour. Dangerous mountain paths.  And they all risked developing a serious illness caused by lack of (5) oxygen.  All for the chance to reach the top of the world. 
VOICE TWO:
The first and most famous of the climbers to disappear on Mount Everest was George Mallory.  The British school teacher was a member of the first three trips by foreigners to the mountain.  In Nineteen-Twenty-One, Mallory was part of the team sent by the British (6) Royal Geographical⁴ Society and the British (7) Alpine⁵ Club.  The team was to create the first map of the area and find a possible path to the top of the great mountain.  They found a possible path from the northeast side of the mountain. 
Mallory also was a member of the first Everest climbing attempt in Nineteen-Twenty-Two.  But the attempt was (8) canceled after a storm caused a (9) giant mass of snow to slide down the mountain, killing⁶ seven native (10) ethnic⁷ (11) Sherpa guides.
VOICE ONE:
Mallory was invited back to Everest as lead climber of another (12) expedition in Nineteen-Twenty-Four. On June fourth, Mallory and team member Andrew Irvine left their base camp for the team's final attempt to reach the mountain top. The climbing team had great hopes of success for the two men.  A few days earlier, expedition leader Edward Norton had reached a record height of eight-thousand-five-hundred-seventy-three meters before he turned back.  He knew it was too late in the day for him to climb to the summit and return to base (13) camp before dark.
VOICE TWO:
Mallory and Irvine were using (14) bottled oxygen.  Mallory believed that was the only way they would have the energy and speed to climb the last three-hundred meters to the top and return safely. 
Team member Noel Odell saw Mallory and Irvine climbing high on the mountain the following day. He said they had just climbed one of the most difficult rocks on the northeast path.  He said they were moving toward⁸ the top when clouds hid them. He never saw them again. The (15) disappearance⁹ of Mallory and Irvine on Mount Everest remains¹⁰ among the greatest (16) exploration (17) mysteries of the century. 
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE ONE:
During the next twenty-nine years, teams from Britain made seven more attempts to climb Everest.  Until the early Nineteen-Fifties, teams from Britain were the only foreign climbers given (18) permission to climb Mount Everest.
On May twenty-ninth, Nineteen-Fifty-Three, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to reach the summit of Everest.  The two were part of a British team lead by Jon Hunt.  They had made a difficult climb from the southeast, through recently-opened (19) Nepalese (20) territory.
Edmund Hillary was a (21) bee-keeper from (22) New Zealand.  It was his second trip to Everest.  He had been on the first exploratory trip to the mountain that had mapped the way up from the southern side. Tenzing Norgay was a native Nepalese Sherpa.  He was the first Sherpa to become interested in mountain climbing.  His climb with Hillary was his seventh attempt to reach the top. 
VOICE TWO:
Hillary said that his first reaction on reaching the top of Mount Everest was a happy feeling that he had "no more steps to cut."  The two men planted a stick holding the flags of Britain, (23) Nepal, India and the United Nations.  Hillary took a picture of Norgay. 
They looked out over the north side into (24) Tibet for any signs that Mallory or Irvine had been there before them. Then they began the long and difficult trip back down.  The success of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay led to many new attempts on the mountain.  Today, Everest has been climbed from all of its sides and from most of its possible paths. 
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE ONE:
Reinhold Messner of Italy and Peter Habeler of Austria made another (25) historic¹¹ Everest climb in Nineteen-Seventy-Eight.  The two men were the first to reach the summit without using bottled oxygen. 
Messner said when he reached the top he felt like a single giant (26) lung.   At the time, scientists believed that a person at the top of the mountain would only have enough oxygen to sleep. 
Scientists believed that Messner and Habeler would die without oxygen.  Scientists now know that two conditions make climbing at heights over eight-thousand meters extremely difficult.  The first is the lack of oxygen in the extremely thin air.  The second is the low (27) barometric¹² air pressure.
VOICE TWO:
Today, scientists say a person lowered onto the top of the mountain would live no more than ten minutes.  Climbers survive in this so-called¹³ "death zone" above eight-thousand meters because they spend several months climbing to higher points on the mountain to get used to the conditions.
Several things have made climbing Everest today easier than for the first climbers.  These include modern equipment and clothing.  They also include information gained from earlier climbs and scientific studies. 
VOICE ONE:
In Nineteen-Ninety-Three, a record one-hundred-twenty-nine people climbed Mount Everest.  Many were inexperienced climbers.  In recent years, some expert climbers have begun leading guided trips up the mountain.  Some people have paid as much as sixty-five-thousand dollars for the chance to climb Everest. 
In Nineteen-Ninety-Six, Everest had its greatest (28) tragedy.  A record ten people died on the mountain in one day.  Two of the world's best climbers were among those killed. Three guided groups were trying to reach the summit of the mountain that day.  Several books by climbers have described the incident and the dangerous mountain conditions. The best known is "Into Thin Air"by Jon Krakauer.  The book became an international best seller¹⁴ and increased the interest in climbing Mount Everest.
VOICE TWO:
In Nineteen-Ninety-Nine, an American group of climbers went to Everest.  They tried to find out if George Mallory and Andrew Irvine should be included among those who have succeeded in climbing Mount Everest.  The Mallory and Irvine Research team had information they thought would lead them to Irvine's body.  Instead, they found the body of Mallory. The climbers said the (29) evidence they discovered did not solve the mystery of whether Mallory and Irvine reached the summit.  The climbers said the evidence shows only that Mallory died in a fall while climbing down the mountain.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE ONE:
Climbing to the top of Mount Everest is a major (30) victory for any person, but imagine if the climber could not see.  Last month, the first blind man successfully reached the top of Everest.  Erik Weihenmayer (WINE-may-er) is a thirty-two-year-old American.  He climbed to the summit with the help of his team.  Each member of the team wore bells on his clothes for Weihenmayer to hear.  They also called out warnings to help him cross dangerous areas.  It took the group more than two months to reach the summit.  The National Federation¹⁵ of the Blind helped pay for the climb.
VOICE TWO:
Weihenmayer already had climbed several of the world's tallest mountains.  He says he often told himself that he could not fail to reach the top of Everest. Failing would (31) confirm that mountain climbing is a sport only for people who can see. 
Historians¹⁶ may consider this the most successful climb of Mount Everest in history, and not just because of Weihenmayer. A record nineteen climbers from his team reached the summit.  So did the oldest man ever to climb Mount Everest.  He is sixty-four-year-old Sherman Bull¹⁷.
((THEME)))
VOICE ONE:
This program was written by Linda Burchill and Jill Moss.  It was produced by Cynthia Kirk.  This is Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember.  Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS, a program in Special English from the Voice of America.

(1)  Mount Everest n.珠穆朗玛峰
(2)  survive [ sE5vaiv ] v.幸免于, 幸存, 生还
(3) summit [ 5sQmit ] n.顶点, 最高阶层 adj.政府首脑的 vi.参加最高级会议的
(4) freezing [ 5fri:ziN ] adj.冰冻的, 严寒的, 冷冻用的
(5) oxygen [ 5CksidVEn ] n.[化]氧
(6)  royal [ 5rCiEl ] adj.王室的, 皇家的, 第一流的, 高贵的
(7)  alpine [ 5Alpain ] adj.高山的, 阿尔卑斯山的
(8) cancel [ 5kAnsEl ] vt.取消, 删去
(9) giant [ 5dVaiEnt ] n.巨人, 大力士, 巨大的动物或植物, 伟人, 天才 adj.庞大的, 巨大的
(10) ethnic [ 5eWnik ] adj.人种的, 种族的, 异教徒的
(11) Sherpa [ 5FE:pE ] n.夏尔巴人(西藏的一个种族)
(12) expedition [ 7ekspi5diFEn ] n.远征, 探险队, 迅速, 派遣
(13) camp [ kAmp ] n.露营地, 阵营 vi.露营, 扎营
(14) bottled [`bCtld] adj.瓶装的
(15) disappearance [ 7disE5piErEns ] n.不见, 消失
(16) exploration [ 7eksplC:5reiFEn ] n.探险, 踏勘, 探测
(17) mystery [ 5mistEri ] n.神秘, 神秘的事物
(18) permission [ pE(:)5miFEn ] n.许可, 允许
(19) Nepalese [ nepC:5li:z ] adj.尼泊尔的 n.尼泊尔人
(20) territory [ 5teritEri ] n.领土, 版图, 地域
(21) bee-keeper n.养蜂人
(22) New Zealand [ nju: 5zi:lEnd ] n.新西兰
(23) Nepal [ ni5pC:l ] n.尼泊尔
(24) Tibet [ ti5bet ] n.西藏
(25) historic [ his5tCrik ] adj.历史上著名的, 有历史性的
(26) lung [ lQN ] n.肺, 呼吸器, 肺脏
(27) barometric [ 7bArEu5metrik ] adj.大气压力
(28) tragedy [ 5trAdVidi ] n.悲剧, 惨案, 悲惨, 灾难
(29) evidence [ 5evidEns ] n.明显, 显著, 明白, 迹象, 根据, [物]证据, 证物
(30) victory [ 5viktEri ] n.胜利, 战胜, 克服
(31) confirm [ kEn5fE:m ] vt.确定, 批准, 使巩固, 使有效 v.确认

 

1 mount   

n.山峰，乘用马，框，衬纸；vi.增长，骑上（马）；vt.提升，爬上，装备

参考例句：

• Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
• She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。

2 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

3 summit   

n.最高点，峰顶；最高级会议；极点

参考例句：

• They climbed up the mountain and reached the summit.他们爬山，最终达到了山顶。
• The summit of the mountain is lost in the cloud and mist.山顶隐没在云雾之中。

4 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

5 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。

6 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

7 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

8 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

9 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

12 barometric   

大气压力

参考例句：

• Electricity compensates for barometric pressure as well as system pressure variations. 用电补偿大气压和系统压力的变化。
• A barometric altimeter indicates height above sea level or some other selected elevation. 气压高度表用以指示海平面或另外某个被选定高度以上的高度。

13 so-called   

adj.所谓的，号称的

参考例句：

• These were the so-called mainframe machines.它们被称为主机。
• Let's see what this so-called button does.让我们来看看为什么这个按钮叫这个名字。

14 seller   

n.售货者，畅销品

参考例句：

• I hope for this book to become a best seller.我希望这本书会成为一本畅销书。
• She drove a hard bargain with the seller.她狠杀卖主的价。

15 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

16 historians   

n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。

17 bull   

n.公牛，买进证券投机图利者，看涨的人

参考例句：

• It's only a hair off a bull's back to them.这对他们来说，不过九牛一毛。
• Many dogs closed around the bull.很多狗渐渐地把那只牛围了起来。