In 1953, the New Zealander Edmund Hillary, then 33, joined a British Qomolangma expedition led by Colonel John Hunt. Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans were the first team to attempt the summit (顶峰). Despite a violent storm, they reached the South Summit — at 28,700 feet (8,748 meters) — by 1 p.m. on May 26. But both men knew they would run out of oxygen if they went on. They agreed to turn back.
Two days later, Hillary and Norgay, set out from Camp IX at 25,900 feet to make the next attempt. At 27,900 feet they made a temporary camp on a six foot wide rock to spend the night. At 6:30 the next morning, cheered by clearing skies, the team moved out. Roped together, cutting steps with their ice axes, they inched up a steep, knife-edged ridge (山脊) southeast of the summit. They reached the South Summit by 9:00 a.m.
Farther up, they met a 40-foot icy rock face, which was later named the Hillary Step. “…looking up at the rock step at 29,000 feet, it really did look extremely difficult to overe,” said Hillary. But they found a narrow crack on the surface of the rock, just large enough to move inside on hands and knees, and managed to climb it by supporting feet against one side and backs against the other. Hillary said, “That was really the first moment during the whole of the expedition that I was confident that we were going to get to the top.”
The last few yards to the summit were relatively easy. “Then I realized that the ridge, instead of rising ahead, now dropped sharply away,” Hillary said. “I looked upward to see a narrow ridge running up to a sharp point. …and we stood on the summit.” It was 11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953.
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about? A．The climbing history of Qomolangma.B．The life and achievements of Edmund Hillary.C．How Hillary and Norgay conquered Qomolangma. D．How the Hillary Step got its name.【小题2】At what height did Hillary and Norgay set out on May 29? A．25,900 feet. B．27,900 feet. C．28,700 feet. D．29,000 feet.【小题3】According to Paragraph 2, one of the main advantages to Hillary and Norgay was .A．fine weather conditionsB．good rest the night before C．enough food suppliesD．good climbing skills【小题4】When looking back, Hillary described the Hillary Step as . A．much easier to climb than she expectedB．impossible for her to overe againC．easy to climb up but hard to climb downD．one of the biggest barriers before the summitC
网友回答
(答案→)C
解析：文章讲述的是一个攀登珠穆朗玛峰的 登山小队登上山顶的相关信息。
【小题1】主旨大意题。文章主要讲的是这个登山小队Hillary and Norgay 登山的事情。
【小题2】事实细节题。根据第二段Two days later, Hillary and Norgay, set out from Camp IX at 25,900 feet to make the next attempt.可知
【小题3】推理判断题。根据第二段At 6:30 the next morning, cheered by clearing skies, the team moved out.可知，当时的天气很好，万里无云的感觉。
【小题4】根据第三段Farther up, they met a 40-foot icy rock face, which was later named the Hillary Step. “…looking up at the rock step at 29,000 feet, it really did look extremely difficult to overe,” 可知。