Tenzing Norgay: He Tried Again and Again, Then Stood on Top of the World
He carried heavy bags for climbers and tried to climb Everest again and again. On his seventh try, he stood on the highest place on Earth. Learn five A2 words with the true story of Tenzing Norgay.
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
It is the highest mountain in the world.
Many people tried to it.
Many failed. One man from the mountains tried seven times.
And who stepped on the first?
This is the story of Tenzing Norgay.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. When you , you go up something, often with your hands and feet.
The past is .
He tried to Everest again and again.
. The is the highest part of something.
The opposite is the bottom.
They stood on the of the world.
. A is a long, thick, strong line.
use to stay safe.
Tenzing quickly held the .
. is a gas in the air.
We need it to breathe.
They on their backs.
. When you something, you hold it and take it with you.
The past is .
He heavy bags for .
Now, one pattern: the superlative.
We use it to say that something is number one.
High, the highest.
Dangerous, the most dangerous.
Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
Ready? Let's begin.
Tenzing Norgay was born in 1914.
He grew up in a small village in Nepal.
His family had yaks.
Not far away was Everest, the highest mountain in the world.
As a young man, he moved to Darjeeling in India to find work.
He heavy bags for .
He could not read or write.
But he spoke seven languages.
In 1935, he went to Everest for the first time.
After that, he tried to Everest again and again.
In 1952, he higher than anyone before.
But not to the .
In 1953, he tried for the seventh time, with Edmund Hillary from New Zealand.
One day, Hillary fell into a deep hole in the ice.
Tenzing quickly held the .
He saved him.
High up, there is very little .
So they on their backs.
On the 29th of May, 1953, they left early.
The last part was the hardest.
Would they reach the ?
Step by step, they .
At half past eleven, there was no more mountain above them.
They stood on the of the world, the highest place on Earth.
Tenzing left some sweets in the snow, a small gift for the mountain.
So who stepped on the first?
At first, they only said: we did it together.
Later, Tenzing wrote the answer.
Hillary was first, and Tenzing was right after him.
And the 29th of May became his new birthday.
Let's review. He tried to Everest again and again.
They stood on the of the world.
Tenzing quickly held the .
They on their backs.
He heavy bags for .
And remember: Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
Tenzing Norgay's story teaches us: try again and again, and together.
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Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
climb verb
to go up something, often with your hands and feet (past: climbed)
“He tried to climb Everest again and again.”
top noun
the highest part of something (opposite: bottom)
“They stood on the top of the world.”
rope noun
a long, thick, strong line
“Tenzing quickly held the rope.”
oxygen noun
a gas in the air that we need to breathe
“They carried oxygen on their backs.”
carry verb
to hold something and take it with you (past: carried)
“He carried heavy bags for climbers.”
porter noun
a person whose job is to carry bags for other people
“As a young man, Tenzing worked as a porter for climbers.”
camp noun
a place where people stay in tents for a short time
“They left their camp early in the morning.”
peak noun
the pointed top of a mountain
“Everest has the highest peak in the world.”
Grammar in the story
the + -est / the most + adjective
We use it for: to say that something is number one in a group
- short words: high → the highest, hard → the hardest
- long words: dangerous → the most dangerous
From the story
- Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
- The last part was the hardest.
Find it in the story 9 times
Your turn
Everest is mountain in the world.
The last part was .
It is one of mountains to climb.
Step 4
Story Challenge
9 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
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Take it further
Before you watch: What is the highest mountain in your country? Would you like to climb it?
After you watch: Write three sentences about Tenzing’s story with a superlative. For example: The last part was the hardest.
Think about it: Tenzing tried seven times. Is there something you want to try again? What will help you?
