Ed Dohring had dreamed of reaching the top of Mount Everest. But when he reached the mountain top a few days ago, he was shocked by what he saw.
Climbers were fighting to take selfies along the way. The flat part of the mountain top, which was about the size of two Ping-Pong tables, was packed with 15 or 20 people. To get up there, he had to wait hours in a line, with temperature dropping to -30 Celsius.
“At least 10 people died. And some seemed to have been avoidable,” he said. “It was frightening when I had to step around the body of a woman who had just died.”
The problem hasn't been snowstorms or strong winds. Tourist guides and industry leaders blame having too many people on the mountain and too many untrained climbers.
The Nepalese government, hungry for every climbing dollar it can get, has no strict rules about who can climb Everest, and has allowed more climbers than Everest can safely deal with. It is just an invitation for disaster—at 29,000 feet. At that altitude, a delay of even an hour or two can mean life or death.
“To be sure, one of the biggest problems this year seems to be the number of people trying to reach the top of the mountain at the same time. And since there is no government traffic police high on the mountain, the task of deciding when and how many groups can start climbing is left up to tourism companies.” said Lukas Furtenbach, a guide who recently led his climbers to the Chinese side of Everest because of the overcrowding in Nepal and the rapid increase of untrained climbers. “But the government should not just take whatever they can get while ignoring the necessary traffic rules.”
1.Why did Ed Dohring feel frightened along the way to the Everest's top?
A.The mountain top was too small. B.A fight took place among the climbers.
C.The temperature suddenly fell to 30°C. D.He had to walk over a dead climber's body.
2.Who should be mainly responsible for the problem according to Lukas Furtenbach?
A.The traffic police. B.The tourists themselves.
C.The Nepalese government. D.The tourism companies.
3.Why did Lukas Furtenbach take the tourists to the part of Everest in China?
A.There were fewer climbers. B.It was a less dangerous road.
C.The weather was better there. D.It was a newly found attraction.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.An accident at the top of Mount Everest.
B.The poor management of the Nepalese government.
C.The causes of the accidents at the top of the Mount Everest.
D.The messy state of the tourist roads in the Mount Everest area.