[A] READING CHECK Are these sentences correct (C) or incorrect (I)? 1. In 1852, British mapmakers identified the mountain as the tallest mountain

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1 In News Focus #37, we head to Kathmandu, Nepal, where the government has just celebrated the 60 th anniversary of the first successful climb of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. The expedition needed hundreds of staff to carry eight tones of equipment from Kathmandu to the base camp of Everest. In those days there were no roads nor motor vehicles. In fact, there were neither radios nor cell phones and a journalist had to run for four days to send the news back to the rest of the world. Click here to find out more. May 29, 2013 Kathmandu, Nepal Everest Anniversary Sixty years ago, two men became the first people to climb Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. They arrived on the roof of the world in a remarkable feat of endurance and strength of the human spirit. Everest was formally identified in 1852 as the tallest mountain in the world at 8,848 meters above sea level. But it was not until one hundred and one years later, in 1953, that Hillary from New Zealand, and Norgay, a Nepalese Sherpa, reached the summit for the first time. At the top, Hillary reached out to shake Norgay s hand, and Norgay responded by hugging him. The British expedition lasted over two months and featured hundreds of staff carrying nearly eight tonnes of equipment. Kancha Sherpa, now 81, worked as a porter on that expedition and recalls that everyone walked in those days because there were no roads, no motor vehicles, no planes. It took us 16 days to travel from Kathmandu to Namche, which is the start of the Everest route today. That historic success brought Nepal to the spotlight of mountaineering tourism. While the tourism generated by Everest is important for Nepal, Norgay s grandson Tashi Tenzing, 49, said understanding the value of the Himalayas and protecting them for future generations was also crucial. I think the achievement by my grandfather and Edmund Hillary was great and historic, says Tashi, himself an Everest mountaineer, based in Kathmandu. But I also think that the 60th anniversary is a time to reflect on the mountain and what we have done to it. We must learn the lessons from our experience on the mountains. Tenzing called on the Nepalese government to protect the peak. Our leaders should understand the value of the mountains," he said. "We should not promote Nepal as a cheap destination. While Everest is a major revenue-earner for impoverished Nepal, many in the climbing community are concerned about the dangers of over-commercialization. Recent photographs show lines of climbers waiting their turn to reach the summit, as well as growing mounds of trash. We must all learn to respect the mountains, veteran climber Temba Tsheri Sherpa lamented. More than 3,500 people have so far reached the peak, according to government figures. This season 540 have made it, including the first female amputee, the first women from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and the first armless man. Japan s Yuichiro Miura, 80, who reached the top in May this year, has set the record for the world s oldest person to reach the summit.

2 Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit on May 29, but it was four days before the news reached the outside world. In the days before mobile communication, a newspaper reporter had to run down from the mountain to send the news back to his editor. The news arrived in London on the morning of June 2, 1953, the same morning that Queen Elizabeth II was due to be formally crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ceylon, and Pakistan. What a wonderful coronation present for the young queen! Mount Everest Mount Everest is the Earth s highest mountain with a peak at 8,848 meters above sea level. It is the 5 th tallest mountain measured from the center of the Earth. The international border between China and Nepal runs across the precise summit point. Tibetans call the mountain Chomolungma but the British were unaware of this when they named the mountain because Nepal and Tibet were closed to foreigners. Mount Everest attracts capable climbers as well as experienced mountaineers. While not technically difficult to climb on the standard route, the mountain does present dangers such as altitude sickness, weather and wind. [A] READING CHECK Are these sentences correct (C) or incorrect (I)? 1. In 1852, British mapmakers identified the mountain as the tallest mountain in the world. (C) (I) 2. The mountain was conquered 80 years after it was identified. (C) (I) 3. On that climb only two climbers reached the summit. (C) (I) 4. It used to take days for the mountaineers to travel with their equipment from Kathmandu to the beginning of the climb. (C) (I) 5. Tashi Tenzing, a Nepalese climber, has said the government must ban all foreigners climbing the mountain. (C) (I) 6. Each year the amount of trash on the mountain increases. (C) (I) 7. The oldest person to climb Everest is a woman from Saudi Arabia. (C) (I) 8. It took some days for the world to learn that the mountain had been conquered because the reporter s cell phone broke. (C) (I) [B] SUMMARY

3 Complete the summary using the words in the box below. conquered coronation crowned editor equipment expedition reporter porters summit world In May 1953, Everest was [ ] [1] for the first time. The [ ] [2] lasted over two months and used hundreds of [ ] [3] to carry nearly eight tonnes of [ ] [4]. They took 16 days to travel from Kathmandu to the foothills of Everest as there were no roads nor motor vehicles in those days. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the [ ] [5] on May 29 at around 11:00 am, but it was four days before the news reached the outside [ ] [6]. A newspaper [ ] [7] had to run down from the mountain to send the news back to his [ ] [8] by radio transmitter. The news arrived in London on the morning of June 2, 1953, the same day that Princess Elizabeth was due to be formally [ ] [9] Queen of the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. What a wonderful [ ] [10] present for the young queen!

4 [C] CROSSWORD Complete the crossword below.

5 Answers:Everest Anniversary [A] READING CHECK Are these sentences correct (C) or incorrect (I)? 1. In 1852, British mapmakers identified the mountain as the tallest mountain in the world. (I) 2. The mountain was conquered 80 years after it was identified. (I) [It was conquered 101 years after it was identified as the tallest mountain.] 3. On that climb only two climbers reached the summit. (C) 4. It used to take days for the mountaineers to travel with their equipment from Kathmandu to the beginning of the climb. (C) 5. Tashi Tenzing, a Nepalese climber, has said the government must ban all foreigners climbing the mountain. (I) [He said that we must all learn to respect the mountains that the government must not promote Nepal as a cheap destination (although he does not say this, there are too many commercial mountaineers who pay to be guided to the top of the mountain).] 6. Each year the amount of trash on the mountain increases. (C) 7. The oldest person to climb Everest is a woman from Saudi Arabia. (I) [The oldest person is a man from Japan.] 8. It took some days for the world to learn that the mountain had been conquered because the reporter s cell phone broke. (I) [It took some days for the world to learn the news because the reporter had no cell phone. The news was sent by radio transmitter in code!] [B] SUMMARY Complete the summary using the words in the box below. In May 1953, Everest was [conquered] for the first time. The [expedition] lasted over two months and used hundreds of [porters] to carry nearly eight tonnes of [equipment]. They took 16 days to travel from Kathmandu to the foothills of Everest as there were no roads nor motor vehicles in those days. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the [summit] on May 29 at around 11:00 am, but it was four days before the news reached the outside [world]. A newspaper [reporter] had to run down from the mountain to send the news back to his [editor] by radio transmitter. The news arrived in London on the morning of June 2, 1953, the same day that Princess Elizabeth was due to be formally [crowned] Queen of the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. What a wonderful [coronation] present for the young queen!

6 [C] CROSSWORD

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