The height of endeavor

江西 黃舒偉

題材：戶外運動 體裁：新聞報道 文章詞數：349 建議用時：6分鐘

Courage can take many forms and can be difficult to define.But it would be impossible to describe Xia Boyu without using that word.He is the first Chinese double amputee(被截肢者)climber to reach the summit of Mount Qomolangma at the age of 69.

“When I finally made it to the peak, I was not as excited as I imagined.I was extremely tired, both cold and lacking oxygen, sitting in the snow.I was too tired to speak or move,” Xia says.

On May 14, 2018, he reached the world's highest summit from the south side in Nepal, at an age when most people are taking life easy.He blinked (眨眼睛) on the summit, wondering whether it really happened or if it was just a dream.He then realized that his years of effort had paid off.

These precious moments are recorded in a documentary, To the Summit.“I hope viewers will learn more about Mount Qomolangma and the spirit of climbing—banish their fear of difficulties and march forward bravely,” he says.

Two professional cameramen were in charge of recording his climb from Base Camp to the summit of Mount Qomolangma.Xia had faith in his professional teammates.“They know very well that it's dangerous to interfere with the pace of a climber while he's on a high mountain.Due to their rich experience in high-elevation regions, they're also familiar with where and how to capture footage for the best visual effect,” Xia says.Breathing was difficult at such high altitudes, so they rarely talked with one another.Their only communication was at night when Xia rested at camp, and they would ask him to share his feelings in front of the camera.

After the successful climb, his journey continues.His next goal is to conquer the highest summits on the remaining six continents, as well as both the South Pole and the North Pole.

His daily routine includes exercising for about five to six hours.He gets up at 5 am to lift weights, and then cycles to Xiangshan Mountain in Beijing to practice climbing techniques.

Reading Check

1.How did Xia feel when he reached the summit of Mount Qomolangma?

A.Excited.B.Exhausted.C.Curious.D.Disappointed.

2.What does the underlined word “banish” mean in paragraph 4?

A.Erase.B.Search.C.Consider.D.Remind.

3.What can be inferred about the two cameramen?

A.They are amateur photographers.

B.They talked a lot during the climbing.

C.They have rich experience of photography.

D.They were responsible for taking photos of nature.

4.What's the last paragraph mainly about?

A.Climbing skills.B.Xia's daily exercise.

C.Xia's ways to control weight.D.The beauty of Xiangshan Mountain.

Language Study

Sentence for writing

He is the first Chinese double amputee climber to reach the summit of Mount Qomolangma at the age of 69.他是第一個在69歲登頂珠穆朗瑪峰的中國雙腿截肢者。

【信息提取】the first+名詞+to do sth意為“第一個做某事的……”。

【句式仿寫】他總是第一個到達教室。

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