Theme 2 Mountain Environment
Non-Fiction (Biography)
The Conquest
of
Everest
Edmund Hillary was born in Auckland, New Zealand on 20th July 1919. When
he was a boy, he was very shy and much smaller than his friends. At the age of
sixteen he developed an interest in mountain climbing and he also began to
grow very tall and very strong. After studying Maths and Science at University,
he worked as a beekeeper.
When World War II broke out, he joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force as a
navigator but his career ended when he was badly burned in a boating accident
in the Solomon Islands.
In 1953 he joined the expedition to climb Mount Everest, the world’s highest
mountain, which is on the borders of Tibet and Nepal. There had been several
attempts to climb it but no one had reached the summit. On May 29th 1953,
after many weeks of preparation and hard climbing, Edmund and his Nepalese
sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, stood on the summit, 8,848 metres above sea level,
the highest point of the earth.
Edmund took a photograph of Tenzing posing with his ice-axe but Tenzing didn’t
know how to use a camera so there are no photos of Edmund on top of the
world. Sherpa Tenzing waved flags representing Britain, Nepal, the United
Nations and India and buried some sweets and biscuits in the snow as a
Buddhist offering to the gods.
News of the success of the expedition reached London on the day of Queen
Elizabeth’s Coronation, adding to the celebrations. In later years Edmund led
expeditions to the South Pole and other remote corners of the world but he
often returned to Nepal to help poor people there. In 1985 he flew to the North
Pole with Neil Armstrong, the first man to stand on the moon, and became the
first man to stand at both poles and on Mount Everest.
He died in New Zealand on January 11th 2008 and a bronze statue has been
erected in his honour.
The Nepalese flag is the only
flag in the world which is not
rectangular in shape. The
two triangular
portions of the
Nepalese flag
represent the
Himalayan
Mountains and
the two main
religions of the nation - which are
Buddhism and Hinduism.
Capital City: Kathmandu
Language: Nepali, plus about 20
other languages divided into
various dialects
Time Zone: 5 hours 45 minutes
ahead of GMT
Currency: Nepalese Rupee
Geography: Landlocked
mountainous country between
India and Tibet
Climate: Subtropical summers,
mild winters with severe winter
conditions in the mountains
“As far as I knew, he had never taken a photograph before, and the
summit of Everest was hardly the place to show him how.” said Edmund
Hillary, explaining why there is no photograph of him on top of the world.
Theme 2 Mountain Environment
Non-Fiction (Biography)
Section B
The Conquest
of
Everest
Section A
Edmund Hillary was born in
New Zealand
Complete the table below:
Capital city of Nepal:
Language spoken:
Choose the best word or group of words to fit the passage and put a ring
around your choice.
1
1
Australia
Hong Kong
Money used:
Climate:
2
How did the outbreak of war change Edmund Hillary’s life?
3
Why did Tenzing bury sweets in the snow on the top of Mount Everest?
4
How do you think news of the expedition ‘added to the celebrations’ for
Queen Elizabeth’s coronation?
5
Why do you think Edmund Hillary decided to return to Nepal?
6
Why do you think Hillary didn’t show Tenzing how to use a camera when
they were on the top of Mount Everest?
7
What makes the flag of Nepal unique?
8
Define the term ‘Nepalese Sherpa’.
London
in 1919. When World War II broke out he joined the Air Force as a
2
pilot.
mechanic.
gunner.
navigator.
He joined the expedition to climb Mount Everest in
3
1919.
1952.
2008.
1953.
He stood on the summit with sherpa Tenzing on
4
May 1st.
May 20th.
May 15th.
May 29th.
Edmund took a photograph of
5
Hillary
Tenzing
Elizabeth
Armstrong
standing on the highest part of the earth. News of the expedition reached
London on the day of Queen Elizabeth’s
6
birthday.
wedding.
party.
coronation.
In later years Edmund Hillary led expeditions to the South Pole and other
remote places.
Section C
Imagine you are part of a team climbing Mount Everest for the first time.
Describe the conditions you face as you try to sleep in your tent the night
before the last section of the climb is to be made.