The Reading / Listening - Himalayas Rescue - Level 5

A dramatic rescue took place on one of the world's most dangerous mountains. An elite team of climbers from Poland made a dangerous night ascent of the 8,126-meter-high Nanga Parbat in the Pakistani Himalayas. The peak is known as "Killer Mountain" because of the number of climbers who have died there. The team rescued French climber Elisabeth Revol. She was 7,400 meters up on the icy slopes. Unfortunately, a climber Ms Revol was climbing with is still missing. The conditions were too dangerous for the rescuers to spend any more time on the rescue mission.

The elite climbers were attempting the first ever winter ascent of the nearby K2 mountain, the second highest in the world. The drama began on Saturday when army helicopters spotted Revol in trouble. The helicopters flew the Polish climbers from K2 to Nanga Parbat, 4,900 meters up. The team then made its daring rescue in total darkness. Unfortunately, conditions were too dangerous for Ms Revol's co-climber Tomasz Mackiewicz to be rescued. A rescuer said: "The rescue for Tomasz is unfortunately not possible….It would put the life of rescuers in extreme danger."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Himalayas Rescue - Level 4 or  Himalayas Rescue - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.voanews.com/a/polish-team-rescues-french-climber-pakistan-nanga-parbat/4228241.html
  • http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/2130890/daring-rescue-team-climbs-pitch-darkness-reach-stranded-french
  • http://www.atimes.com/article/polish-climbers-pull-off-daring-winter-rescue-nanga-parbat/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A dramatic rescue took
  2. An elite team
  3. made a dangerous night
  4. The peak is known
  5. the number of climbers who
  6. She was 7,400 meters up
  7. The conditions were too dangerous
  8. the rescue
  1. for the rescuers
  2. ascent
  3. on the icy slopes
  4. mission
  5. of climbers
  6. place
  7. have died there
  8. as "Killer Mountain"

Paragraph 2

  1. elite
  2. the first ever winter ascent of
  3. the second highest
  4. army helicopters spotted Revol
  5. The team then made its daring
  6. conditions were too
  7. the life
  8. in extreme
  1. dangerous
  2. in trouble
  3. of rescuers
  4. danger
  5. in the world
  6. climbers
  7. rescue
  8. the nearby K2

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A dramatic rescue (1) ___________________ one of the world's most dangerous mountains. An (2) ___________________ climbers from Poland made a dangerous night ascent of the 8,126-meter-high Nanga Parbat in the Pakistani Himalayas. The (3) ___________________ as "Killer Mountain" because of the (4) ___________________ who have died there. The team rescued French climber Elisabeth Revol. She was 7,400 meters up on the icy slopes. Unfortunately, a climber Ms Revol (5) ___________________ is still missing. The conditions were too dangerous for the rescuers to spend any more time on (6) ___________________.

The elite climbers were attempting (7) ___________________ winter ascent of the nearby K2 mountain, the second highest in the world. The (8) ___________________ Saturday when army helicopters spotted Revol in trouble. The helicopters flew the Polish climbers from K2 to Nanga Parbat, (9) ___________________. The team then made its daring rescue in total darkness. Unfortunately, conditions (10) ___________________ for Ms Revol's co-climber Tomasz Mackiewicz (11) ___________________. A rescuer said: "The rescue for Tomasz is unfortunately not possible….It would put the life of rescuers (12) ___________________."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Adramaticrescuetookplaceononeoftheworld'smostdangerousmount
ains.AneliteteamofclimbersfromPolandmadeadangerousnightascen
tofthe8,126-meter-highNangaParbatinthePakistaniHimalayas.Th
epeakisknownas"KillerMountain"becauseofthenumberofclimbersw
hohavediedthere.TheteamrescuedFrenchclimberElisabethRevol.Sh
ewas7,400metersupontheicyslopes.Unfortunately,aclimberMsRevo
lwasclimbingwithisstillmissing.Theconditionsweretoodangerousfort
herescuerstospendanymoretimeontherescuemission.Theeliteclimb
erswereattemptingthefirsteverwinterascentofthenearbyK2mountai
n,thesecondhighestintheworld.ThedramabeganonSaturdaywhenar
myhelicoptersspottedRevolintrouble.ThehelicoptersflewthePolishcli
mbersfromK2toNangaParbat,4,900metersup.Theteamthenmadeits
daringrescueintotaldarkness.Unfortunately,conditionsweretoodang
erousforMsRevol'sco-climberTomaszMackiewicztoberescued.Aresc
uersaid:"TherescueforTomaszisunfortunatelynotpossible….Itwould
putthelifeofrescuersinextremedanger."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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