KATMANDU, NEPAL As a boy in Wales, Tom Whittaker had his heart set on climbing mountains. He moved to the U.S. and became a skilled climber.
In 1979, a drunk driver hit his car. Whittaker, then age 30, lost his right foot. This was a bitter pill to swallow. However, he refused to give up climbing. Instead, he decided to break new ground as a disabled person. He set his sights on Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. It's also the most dangerous; one in six climbers dies there.
Year in and year out for more than 10 years, Whittaker trained hard for his dream. With the help of doctors and engineers, he designed a strong artificial foot to climb the terrible mountain. In 1989, Whittaker made a first attempt to climb, but bad weather forced him back. In 1995, he made a second attempt. This time, illness forced him back.
Finally, in 1998, Whittaker reached the roof of the world. "I arrived just as the sun came up," he said. He was on the top of the world! Whittaker made history as the first disabled person to climb Mount Everest.
New Idioms and Expressions:
- be on top of the world---be very happy
- have one's heart set on something---want something very much
- a bitter pill to swallow---a difficult thing to accept
- give up doing something---stop or quit doing something
- break new ground---do something that has been done before
- set one's sights on doing sth---choose to do sth as a goal
- year in and year out---continuously for many years
- make an attempt to do sth---try to do sth
- force someone back---make someone go back
- come up---rise( referring to the sun and moon)
- make history---do sth that will be remembered in history books
Answer the Questions
About the Story.................................................
- As a boy, what did Whittaker have his heart set on?
- How did he feel when he had the accident?
- After the accident, what did Whittaker set his sight on?
- What did he do year in and year out?
- What happened when he made first attempt at Everest? What happened the second time?
- When did Whittaker decide to climeb such difficult mountain?
- When did he arrived on the roof of the world? How did he feel?
- Why has he made history?
- What do you think of Whittaker?
About You.........................................................
- Who do you admire who has broken new ground or made history?
- What are you setting your sights on for the future?
- Would you like to make history?
