癌癥幸存者挑戰登頂珠穆朗瑪峰

山東 孫啟祿

五年前，俄克拉荷馬州的杰西·韋德爾在被診斷出癌癥時，處于人生最低點。 但今天，她竟然挑戰登頂世界之巔——珠穆朗瑪峰！

題材 體裁人與自然 記敘文 359 ★★★文章詞數 難度建議用時7分鐘

In 2016, Jess Wedel of Oklahoma was diagnosed with cancer.She fought hard, undergoing several surgeries and months of treatment. Luckily, she didn't have to fight alone. Her mom, Valari Wedel, was by her side every step of the way.

The mom and daughter are incredibly close. They share a love of the outdoors and mountain climbing, routinely traveling to distant peaks to plant their flag at the summit. So when Jess was declared cancer-free, she was eager to get back out in the wilderness.

What better way is there to celebrate a second chance than climbing the world's highest peak?Jess and Valari started a hard journey up Mount Everest of the Himalayas as soon as the passage was opened in the spring of 2021.

The two of them agree that they made the journey for more than just another feather in their cap.They are hiking as if each day is their last, because for a while, it seemed that death was a very real possibility. While they hoped to be successful and become the first American mother-daughter team to reach Everest's peak, it was always more about the journey than the destination.

Mount Everest is one of the most challenging climbs in the world. Their expedition soon met with terrifying 60 mph winds and whiteout (白化) conditions for nearly two days straight, but they kept moving. Unfortunately, on May 11, it all became too much for Valari, who is 61 and has asthma (哮喘). Jess was heartbroken when her mother had to turn back, but she continued to scale the peak not just for herself, but for her mom, too.

But once again, fate had other plans. Her guides fell ill. “Our summit attempt was canceled because our crew was sick,” Jess wrote on Instagram. “And unlike most mountains, it is impossible to climb this one without their help.” Even though Jess and Valari didn't reach Mount Everest's legendary summit, they were able to share the experience of trying. Not only that, but Jess is alive to try again, and that's the most beautiful gift of all!

Reading Check

1. What do the daughter and the mom have in common?

A. They both enjoy making flags.

B. They both love outdoor activities.

C. They both have the disease of asthma.

D. They were once diagnosed with cancer.

2. What can we infer from paragraph 4?

A. They thought the climb was exciting.

B. No woman has reached the peak before.

C. They risked their lives climbing Mount Everest.

D. They didn't meet with many difficulties during the climbing.

3. Which of the following words can best describe Jess Wedel?

A. Considerate. B. Warm-hearted.

C. Generous. D. Determined.

4. Why did Jess fail to reach the summit at last?

A. Because her mother didn't accompany her.

B. Because the weather conditions were bad.

C. Because climbing to the summit was too difficult for her.

D. Because her guides were ill and she couldn't climb without them.

Language Study

Ⅰ. Difficult sentence in the text

They are hiking as if each day is their last, because for a while, it seemed that death was a very real possibility. 她們徒步旅行，好像每一天都是她們的最后一天，因為有一段時間，死亡發生的可能性似乎非常大。

【點石成金】本句是一個復合句。 They are hiking是主句，as if引導方式狀語從句，because引導原因狀語從句，that引導表語從句。

Ⅱ. Text-centered chunks

be diagnosed with 被診斷出

as soon as 一……就……

a feather in one's cap 一件值得驕傲的事情

turn back 返回