The Reading / Listening - Mount Everest - Level 1

Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain. An increase in the number of climbers has led to poo being left on the slopes. A local official said: "Our mountains have begun to stink." He added: "Human poo is visible on rocks, and some climbers are falling sick. This is not acceptable. It damages our image." Climbers must now buy a bio-degradable "poop bag" for their poo. They then throw the bag away when they come down from the mountain.

The problem of waste and litter on Everest is growing. Climbers leave camping equipment and cans of oxygen on the slopes. There may be over three tons of human poo between Base Camp and the top of Everest. Much of this freezes. It does not degrade. The India Today website said the poop bags will help to "restore the dignity of this iconic peak". It added that the bags would be good for the health of climbers and the local environment".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Mount Everest - Level 0 Mount Everest - Level 2   or  Mount Everest - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68237123
  • https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3251452/mount-everest-climbers-must-now-buy-poop-bags-and-bring-their-waste-down-our-mountains-have-begun
  • https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/mount-everests-poop-problem-heres-what-climbers-will-have-to-do-2499388-2024-02-08


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Everest is the world's
  2. An increase in the number
  3. poo being left on
  4. a local
  5. Our mountains have
  6. climbers are falling
  7. buy a bio-degradable
  8. throw the bag away when
  1. they come down
  2. the slopes
  3. official
  4. sick
  5. of climbers
  6. "poop bag"
  7. begun to stink
  8. highest mountain

Paragraph 2

  1. The problem of waste
  2. camping
  3. cans of
  4. over three tons
  5. Much of this
  6. the dignity of this iconic
  7. good for the health
  8. the local
  1. of climbers
  2. freezes
  3. environment
  4. oxygen
  5. and litter
  6. equipment
  7. peak
  8. of human poo

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Mount Everest (1) ___________________ highest mountain. An increase in the number of climbers has led to poo being left (2) ___________________. A local official said: "Our mountains have (3) ___________________." He added: "Human poo is (4) ___________________, and some climbers are falling sick. This is not acceptable. It (5) ___________________." Climbers must now buy a bio-degradable "poop bag" for their poo. They then throw the bag away when they (6) ___________________ the mountain.

The problem of (7) ___________________ on Everest is growing. Climbers leave camping equipment and (8) ___________________ on the slopes. There (9) ___________________ three tons of human poo between Base Camp and the top of Everest. Much (10) ___________________. It does not degrade. The India Today website said the poop bags will help to "restore the dignity of this iconic peak". (11) ___________________ the bags would be good for (12) ___________________ climbers and the local environment".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

MountEverestistheworld'shighestmountain.Anincreaseinthenumbe
rofclimbershasledtopoobeingleftontheslopes.Alocalofficialsaid:"Our
mountainshavebeguntostink."Headded:"Humanpooisvisibleonrock
s,andsomeclimbersarefallingsick.Thisisnotacceptable.Itdamagesou
rimage."Climbersmustnowbuyabio-degradable"poopbag"fortheirp
oo.Theythenthrowthebagawaywhentheycomedownfromthemounta
in.TheproblemofwasteandlitteronEverestisgrowing.Climbersleavec
ampingequipmentandcansofoxygenontheslopes.Theremaybeovert
hreetonsofhumanpoobetweenBaseCampandthetopofEverest.Much
ofthisfreezes.Itdoesnotdegrade.TheIndiaTodaywebsitesaidthepoop
bagswillhelpto"restorethedignityofthisiconicpeak".Itaddedthattheb
agswouldbegoodforthehealthofclimbersandthelocalenvironment".

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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