A blind Chinese climber reached the summit (顶点) of Qomolangma, known in the West as Mount Everest, on Monday morning, becoming the first blind person from Asia ever to conquer the world’s highest summit.
Zhang Hong, 46, reached the top from the Nepali side, along with three high-altitude guides.
Zhang, who was born in Chongqing, lost his sight at the age of 21. He now works at Fukang Hospital Affiliated with Tibet University in Lhasa. As Zhang began his climb of Qomolangma, which is 8,848. 86 meters above sea level, his colleagues in Lhasa were excited to hear the news of his success.
“Many people may have doubted his attempt of climbing at first, but I was confident in him from the beginning,” said Kyila, the secretary of the Fukang Angel Foundation, who also is a blind person. “I knew before that he could make it, and he did make it. I am really happy for him. He is a model for blind people to encourage them to chase their dreams.”
Zhang’s passion for climbing was inspired by Lotse, a famous Tibetan climber who conquered all the world’s 14 summits above the altitude of 8,000 meters. Lotse had shared the story of the blind US mountaineer Erik Weihenmayer, who climbed Qomolangma in May 2001. Zhang was touched by the story, which ignited his dream of climbing.
As an amateur climber for years, Zhang had conquered three mountains above the altitude of 6,000 meters before climbing the world’s highest summit. He had begun preparing for the Qomolangma climb in 2019. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic (流行病), all mountaineering teams on Qomolangma were canceled in Nepal and China last year, and he had to wait until recently to finally make the attempt.
4. What can we infer from what Kyila said?
A.He had been inspired by Lotse. |
B.He had much belief in Zhang’s success. |
C.Zhang’s colleagues doubted his motivation. |
D.Zhang centered on climbing in his spare time. |
5. What does the underlined word “ignited” in paragraph 5 mean?
A.Lighted. | B.Accomplished. | C.Followed. | D.Recalled. |
6. Why did Zhang Hong fail to climb Qomolangma in 2020?
A.He was too weak. | B.He wasn’t well prepared. |
C.A pandemic broke out. | D.Extreme weather occurred. |
7. What’s the best title for the text?
A.Zhang Hong Sets an Example to Others |
B.A Blind Climber Reaches Qomolangma Summit |
C.Qomolangma Attracts More Chinese to Climb |
D.A Chinese Climber Got Through the Pandemic |