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Voice 1
Hello, I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby1 Jones. Welcome to Spotlight2. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
“I looked out of the tent about four thirty in the morning... there were clouds around. But the sky was much clearer... I was completely3 sure that the other climber Tenzing and I could do this... We knew that the conditions were good enough. So we just made our preparations and pushed on.
I would not say the final effort to reach the top was fun. It was very hard work... But, you know, as I have said many times, this was Mount4 Everest. So we felt we had to push ourselves a bit harder.
We reached the top of the mountain. But I did not really have a huge feeling of great happiness or joy. I did not jump around or throw my hands in the air or something. Tenzing and I were tired - we expected that. And I could not forget we had to climb safely down the mountain again. I think my major feeling was one of being satisfied5. I really did have a feeling of "Well, we have finally made it.”
Voice 1
These are the words of Sir Edmund Hillary. He is describing an amazing time - the moment when he and another climber, Tenzing Norgay, were on top of the world! They had climbed the highest mountain in the world - Mount Everest.
Voice 2
This event took place on the 29th of May 1953. Ten teams of climbers had tried to reach the top, or summit6, of Everest before. But all of them had failed. And sixteen climbers had even died in the attempt. This fact made Hillary and Tenzing’s success even greater.
Voice 1
But Edmund Hillary did not think of himself as a great hero. His early life was simple. He came from New Zealand, an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean. He described his first visit to the mountains of New Zealand:
Voice 3
“I was very much a country boy…My friendship with the mountains actually started when I was sixteen. Every year my school took a group down to Tangariro National Park for a skiing7 holiday. I was able to persuade my father to let me go on this particular trip…there was snow everywhere. That was really the start of my love for snow and ice and mountains in general.”
Voice 1
Hillary described his growing interest in the mountains:
Voice 3
“I did a lot of walking in the hills outside Auckland8 - the nearest town to my home. Then I started to climb some smaller mountains. Then I was able to do harder climbs. Finally I became a reasonably skilled9 mountain climber in the New Zealand Alps10. And I did many long mountain climbs. I think that happens to a lot of people. Very few suddenly decide that they are going to be a world champion at something.”
Voice 2
In 1951, a British team of climbers was planning a trip to Tibet11. They were going to climb in the Himalayas - the highest mountains in the world. They wanted to try and find a different path up to the top of Mount Everest. They believed that climbing the south west mountain face was the key to reaching the top.
Voice 1
The team invited Edmund Hillary to be part of this trip. And, it was a great success. The team found a different path. But they did not reach the summit on that trip. In 1953, the same team asked Hillary to join them again. They wanted to try once more. They wanted to reach the summit of Everest.
Voice 2
Hillary proved to be a strong and skilful12 member of the team. So, the team leader chose him to make the final attempt to reach the summit. A local Sherpa climber, Tenzing Norgay, went with Hillary. At eleven thirty on the morning of the 29th of May, the two men reached the summit. And their names went straight into the history books!
Voice 1
Edmund Hillary did many other exciting and dangerous activities during his life. He continued to climb in the Himalaya Mountains. He travelled over ice and snow to the South Pole. But he made this trip in a farm vehicle13 - a tractor14! He explored the rivers of Eastern Nepal in a speed boat. He experienced15 all the wonder and beauty of the natural world. And it caused him to think about deeper matters. He said:
Voice 3
“I have a feeling... the world is so complex16 and so amazing in many ways. So there must be some sort of intelligence17 behind it all. But I am not sure at all if that intelligence is interested in a little person away down on Earth.”
Voice 2
Hillary was not the only person to wonder such a thing. Another person to think like that was a king of ancient Israel, David. He wrote these words in a poem to God:
Voice 4
“I think about the heavens. I think about what your fingers have created. What is a human being that you think about him?”
Voice 2
But King David believed that God cared about all of his creation18. He wrote in another poem:
Voice 4
“If I rise with the sun in the east, then cross over to the west where the sun sinks into the ocean - your hand would be there to guide me. Your right hand would still be holding me close.”
Voice 1
Edmund Hillary may not have understood how much God cared for him. But he did understand one thing. As a famous person, he had many chances to help others. And he did much to care for the people who lived near Mount Everest - the Sherpas. He started an aid group to serve them - the Himalayan Trust. And through this group, he continued to provide schools and hospitals for the Sherpa people. He even organized the building of an air field and a bridge for them. Hillary said:
Voice 3
“Here was the perfect way to re-pay the Sherpas for the help and joy they had given me.”
Voice 2
Edmund Hillary died on the 11th of January, 2008. His life was an example of courage and strength of character to many people. And they will miss him - the man who, for fifteen minutes, was on the top of the world.
Voice 1
The writer and producer of today’s programme was Ruby Jones. The voices you heard were from the United19 Kingdom and the United States. All quotations20 were adapted for this programme. This programme is called, “A Long Life of Adventure.”
Voice 2
You are welcome to comment or ask questions about today’s programme. You can e-mail us at radio @ english . net. Thank you for joining us today. Until next time, goodbye.
收听单词发音 |
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ruby
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| n.红宝石，红宝石色 | |
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spotlight
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| n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目 | |
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completely
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| adv.完全地，十分地，全然 | |
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mount
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| n.山峰，乘用马，框，衬纸；vi.增长，骑上（马）；vt.提升，爬上，装备 | |
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satisfied
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| adj.满意的，满足的；清偿过的；确信的，毫无疑问的v.使满意( satisfy的过去式和过去分词) | |
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summit
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| n.最高点，峰顶；最高级会议；极点 | |
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skiing
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| n.滑雪运动 | |
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Auckland
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| n.奥克兰(新西兰港市) | |
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skilled
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| adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的 | |
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Alps
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| n.[the-]阿尔卑斯山脉(欧洲) | |
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Tibet
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| n.西藏 | |
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skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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vehicle
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| n.车辆，交通工具，运载工具；媒介，表现手段 | |
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tractor
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| n.拖拉机，牵引车 | |
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experienced
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| adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的 | |
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complex
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| adj.复杂的，合成的，综合的；n.联合体 | |
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intelligence
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| n.智力，聪明，智能；情报 | |
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creation
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| n.创造，创造的作品，产物，宇宙，天地万物 | |
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united
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| adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的 | |
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quotations
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| n.引用( quotation的名词复数 )；[商业]行情（报告）；（货物或股票的）市价；时价 | |
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