Ed Viesturs grew up in Rockford, Illinois, where the tallest thing on the ground was the water tower. But on Thursday, Viesturs became the only American to climb to the top of the world’s 14 highest mountains.
His last hike was up Mount Annapurna, in Asia’s snowcapped Himalayas. At 26,545 feet, its top is the 10th highest in the world. It is the mountain that inspired him to start climbing.
“It seems to be the most difficult, the most erous,” said Viesturs. “There’s no way to climb it. There are threatening avalanches (雪崩) and ice falls that protect the mountain.”
In high school, Viesturs read French climber Maurice Herzog’s story of climbing the icy Annapurna. Herzog’s story was of frostbite (冻伤) and difficulty and near-death experiences. Viesturs was hooked right away.
Viesturs got his start on Washington’s Mount Rainier in 1977, guiding hikes in the summer. Fif years ago, he set out to walk up to the world’s highest tops. Finally, he’s done.
The pioneering climber talks about mountains as if they were living creatures that should be treated with respect. “You have to use all of your senses, all of your abilities to see if the mountain will let you climb it,” said Viesturs. “If we have the patience and the respect, and if we’re here at the right time, under the right conditions, they allow us to go up, and allow us to come down.”
What’s next for a man who can’t stop climbing? “I’m going to hold my wife and kids and enjoy the summer,” says Viesturs. But for a man who has climbed the world’s 14 tallest mountains, he will probably soon start another adventure.
小题1:The author used Viestures’ words in Paragraph 6 to support an opinion that.A．mountain climbing is a erous sportB．mountains should be regarded as living creaturesC．mountain climbing needs more skills than physical energyD．those who like mountain climbing won’t stop climbing小题2:The underlined word “hooked” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by ________.A．frightened B．discouraged C．interested D．upset小题3: What’s the next probable plan of Viestures?A．Stopping climbing and staying with his family.B．Climbing to the top of the world’s 14 tallest mountains again.C．Writing down the experiences about his adventure.D．Climbing another one of the highest mountains.