B2CEFRReading18 min

Luyện đọc: Everest - Leo núi và áp suất khí quyển

Adventure, risk and extreme sports

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Field Guide

How to Use This Lesson

⏱️ Teacher Directive

Give learners 18 minutes to read the text and answer the 10 questions alone. Then go through the answers together; the explanations appear after each answer.

🧭 Student Procedure

First read paragraphs A to D once. Then do questions 1 to 10 and read each explanation.

IELTS Academic Reading • CEFR B2 Expedition Archive • Survey & Climate

Mount Everest: The First Climb, The Height, and The Thin Air

From the first climb in 1953 to GPS surveys and studies of air pressure at the top, Mount Everest is still a mountain of records.

Expansive panoramic view of Mount Everest snow-covered pyramid summit ridge under an intense crisp azure Himalayan sky,

Reading Passage

Paragraph A Historical Ascent

On 29 May 1953, the New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay achieved the first confirmed ascent of Mount Everest's summit as part of the ninth British expedition, organized and directed by John Hunt. Having endured extreme sub-zero weather and camped overnight in an assault tent pitched at an altitude of approximately 8,500 metres, the pair pressed forward along the ridgeline to reach the highest point at 11:30 a.m. They remained on the summit for merely fifteen minutes, spending that brief interval taking documentary photographs, verifying the terrain of the southern descent, and burying small ceremonial offerings before turning back.

A 1950s canvas tent on a snowy mountain ridge

Paragraph B Measuring the Height

Determining the mountain's exact physical elevation has proven to be a complex scientific endeavor. In December 2020, authorities from Nepal and China jointly proclaimed the newly standardized summit height to be 8,848.86 metres. This definitive figure reconciled findings from independent field missions: a Nepalese team had surveyed the peak in May 2019 using advanced GPS equipment, followed by a Chinese surveying team that completed measurements in the spring of 2020. Historic estimates had frequently diverged; most notably, an earlier 2005 calculation published by China stood significantly lower because it deliberately excluded the thickness of the summit's snow cap, assessing only the rock base.

A high-altitude surveyor in yellow and red alpine gear operating modern GPS surveying equipment mounted on a tripod atop

Modern satellite surveying on high-altitude Himalayan terrain.

Paragraph C Atmospheric Pressure & Physiology

The upper slopes of Everest place drastic physiological stress on the human heart and lungs. Atmospheric air pressure on the summit corresponds to roughly one-third of standard pressure measured at sea level, which drastically reduces the mass of oxygen entering the lungs with each breath. Furthermore, rigorous analysis combining automated weather-station readings with computer reanalysis spanning 1979 to 2019 demonstrates that summit air pressure is not the same all the time. Changes in the weather make the pressure go up and down continually between 309 and 343 hectopascals (hPa).

Paragraph D Writer's Perspective

In my view, confronting an ascent of this magnitude requires far more than physical power or athletic strength; thorough and meticulous logistical preparation must take precedence above all else. Scientific datasets and historical records can comprehensively describe atmospheric perils and mortality statistics, yet facts alone cannot settle whether such profound risks are ultimately worth undertaking for each climber.

Comprehension Exercises (Questions 1–10)

Total Marks: 10

Answer all items based strictly on the text provided. All explanations will appear when you finish.

Part 1

Questions 1–3: Yes / No / Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the claims and facts presented by the writer in the passage?
Choose YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer;
Choose NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer;
Choose NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.

1. The atmospheric air pressure at the peak of Mount Everest can shift depending on changes in the weather.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

2. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay stayed on the summit for over an hour during their 1953 expedition.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

3. Edmund Hillary relied on supplemental bottled oxygen throughout the entire night spent at 8,500 metres.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

Part 2

Questions 4–5: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

4. What was the principal reason why China's 2005 elevation measurement was lower than the official height announced in 2020?

____ A. The calculation relied solely on unverified satellite radar feeds. ____ B. The surveying team purposely omitted the layer of snow covering the summit rock. ____ C. Severe atmospheric fluctuations interfered with the team's barometric sensors. ____ D. Nepalese surveyors refused to collaborate on border mapping.

5. According to the author in Paragraph D, what is most important when undertaking an expedition on Mount Everest?

____ A. Superior physical stamina that exceeds that of regular mountaineers. ____ B. A statistical guarantee that personal safety will not be compromised. ____ C. Thorough and careful logistical preparation. ____ D. Direct supervision from government survey offices.

Part 3

Questions 6–7: Matching Information

Which paragraph contains the following information? Select the correct paragraph letter (A, B, C, or D).

6. A mention of the exact length of time the first climbers spent at the mountain's highest point.

____ Paragraph A ____ Paragraph B ____ Paragraph C ____ Paragraph D

7. A personal perspective on whether the substantial hazards of scaling the mountain can be justified.

____ Paragraph A ____ Paragraph B ____ Paragraph C ____ Paragraph D

Part 4

Questions 8–10: Summary Completion

Complete the summary below using words from the reference box. Write the correct word or phrase into each blank space.

Word Bank:

snow cap oxygen weather sea level GPS equipment

Recent scientific missions have illuminated both the geographical dimensions and severe physiology of Mount Everest.

Question 8 During the May 2019 survey, Nepalese specialists relied on ____ to obtain precise coordinates for the joint 2020 height announcement.

Question 9 Near the summit, barometric pressure plummets to one-third of that at sea level, dramatically reducing the intake of ____ per breath.

Question 10 Moreover, forty years of observational records indicate that summit air pressure is unstable and regularly varies in accordance with local ____ conditions.

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