阅读理解
Erik Weihenmayer
was born with an eye disorder. As a child his eyesight became worse and then, at
the age of 13, he lost his sight completely. However, he did not lose his determination
to lead a full and active life.
Erik became
an adventurer. He took up parachuting, wrestling and scuba diving. He competed in
long-distance biking, marathons and skiing. His favorite sport, though, is mountaineering.
As a young
man, Erik started to climb mountains. He reached the top of Mount McKinley in 1995
and then climbed the dangerous 1000-metre rock wall of EI Capitan. Two years later,
while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya with his girlfriend, they stopped for
a time at 13,000 feet above sea level－in order to
get married. And on May 25, 2001, at the age of 33, Erik successfully completed
the greatest mountaineering challenge of all. He climbed Mount Everest, the highest
mountain in the world two years after he climbed Aconcagua, the tallest mountain
in South America in 1999．
Erik invented
his own method for climbing mountains. He carries two long poles: one to lean on
and the other to test the way ahead of him. The climber in front of him wears a
bell to guide him. Erik is a good team member. He does his share of the job, such
as setting up tents and building snow walls.
Although
he could not enjoy the view, Erik felt the excitement of being on the top of Everest.
He hopes that his success will change how people think about the blind．"When people think about a blind person or blindness, now they will
think about a person standing on top of the world."
