Sir Edmund Hillary 傲立世界巔峰的勇者‏

He was the first to accomplish something that others before him had failed to do. He reached the top of the world—Mount1 Everest. Sir Edmund Hillary was born on July 20, 1919 in Auckland, New Zealand. Before he became a mountain climber, he was working as a beekeeper2. In 1953, Hillary joined the British climbing team. Before that, he had already climbed 11 different peaks3 in the Himalayas.

他是首位達成這件前人都未竟全功的事的人。他登上了世界的巔峰－－聖母峰。艾德蒙‧希拉里爵士於1919年七月二十日出生在紐西蘭的奧克蘭。在他成為一位登山家之前，他的職業是養蜂人。希拉里於1953年加入了英國的登山隊。在那之前，他早已攀爬過喜瑪拉雅山脈中十一座不同的山峰。

　　On May 29, 1953, Hillary reached the top of Mount Everest at 8,848 meters above sea level4. However, he didn't do it alone. He had the help of his climbing partner, a Nepalese Sherpa5 whose name was Tenzing Norgay. After his successful climb, Sir Edmund Hillary went on to explore Antarctica and the South Pole. Over the years, Hillary became more concerned about the Sherpas and the ecology6 of the Himalayas. Hillary started the Himalayan Trust7 in the early 1960s. He also spent much of his lifetime improving the living conditions in Nepal. Sadly, Sir Edmund Hillary died on January 11, 2008, but his name will forever be celebrated with one of the holiest mountains on Earth—Mount Everest.
在1953年五月二十九日，希拉里登上了海拔高達八千八百四十八公尺的聖母峰峰頂。然而他並非獨力完成此一壯舉。他有一位登山夥伴從旁協助，這位夥伴是一位名叫丹增‧諾蓋的尼泊爾籍雪巴人（編按：雪巴人是一支散居在喜瑪拉雅山脈兩側的民族，由於常年生活在高山地帶，故為天生的登山嚮導）。在他成功登頂之後，艾德蒙‧希拉里爵士接著到了南極洲及南極進行探險活動。多年下來，希拉里對於雪巴人以及喜瑪拉雅山脈的生態環境愈發關心。在1960年代初期，希拉里成立了喜瑪拉雅信託機構。他也花了大半輩子的時間致力於改善尼泊爾當地的生活條件。令人遺憾的是，艾德蒙‧希拉里爵士於2008年一月十一日過世，但他的名字和聖母峰這個世上最神聖的山峰之一，將永遠為後人歌頌。

Building Your Vocabulary

1. accomplish　vt. 完成，實現
Marty accomplished the task all on his own.
馬帝一個人獨力完成了這項任務。
2. explore　vt. 探索，勘查
A research team was sent to explore the cave.
一個研究小組被派去勘查那個洞穴。
3. concerned　a. 關心的；擔憂的
Vicky is concerned that her son may get hurt.
薇琪擔心她兒子可能會受傷。
4. improve　vt. 改善，改進
You need to improve your language skills.
你必須改進你的語言技巧。
5. conditions　n.（生活或工作等的）條件，狀況（恆用複數）
Weather conditions are getting worse.
天氣狀況正在惡化中。
6. celebrate　vt. 頌揚，讚美
The painter celebrated life through his works.
那位畫家透過他的作品來盛讚生命。
7. holy　a. 神聖的
Zoe has always wanted to visit the holy city of Jerusalem.
柔依一直以來都很想去參訪耶路撒冷這個神聖的城市。

Phrases for Learning

◆ go on to + 原形動詞　　進而∕繼續（做）……
Kevin went on to say how sorry he was after admitting that he was wrong.
在認錯之後，凱文繼續表明他有多麼抱歉。

Extra Words   1. mount　n. ……峰∕山（僅用於山名中） 2. beekeeper　n. 養蜂人 3. peak　n. 山峰，山頂 4. sea level　n. 海平面 5. Sherpa　n. 雪巴人 6. ecology　n. 生態；生態學 7. trust　n. 信託機構 Tips In Use   ...he had already climbed 11 different peaks in the Himalayas.（……他早已攀爬過喜瑪拉雅山脈中十一座不同的山峰。） 　　在英文的非正式用法中，若某山名是以複數型"-s"結尾，則代表其為群山或山脈，常見的還有：the Alps（阿爾卑斯山脈）、the Andes（安地斯山脈）、the Rockies（洛磯山脈）、the Appalachians（阿帕拉契山脈）等。 Hillary started the Himalayan Trust in the early 1960s. （在1960年代初期，希拉里成立了喜瑪拉雅信託機構。） 　　"the early 1960s"表的是『1960年代初期』，若要表『中期』及『晚期』則分別為"the mid-1960s"與"the late 1960s"。類似的用法亦可用來表年齡： 1. in + 所有格 + early 30s 在某人三十歲出頭 2. in + 所有格 + mid-30s 在某人三十五、六歲時 3. in + 所有格 + late 30s 在某人三十八、九歲時