Progress Test 4
Progress Test 4
Progress Test 4
3 What does he say about the health and safety of his sport?
A There is a lot of protective equipment available.
B Most participants dont pay attention to it.
C He's had quite a few serious accidents.
When 13-year-old Jordan Romero became the youngest climber to conquer Everest, he became an inspiration
to his peers and sparked the debate on whether teenagers should be allowed to take grown-up risks.
Jordan Romeros mother drops him off at his fathers house in Big Bear, California, and everyone assembles
for their morning meeting. Team Jordan, which is how they refer to themselves, comprises father Paul,
stepmother Karen and the climbing wonderchild, who is on track to become the youngest person to climb all
the highest mountains on the worlds seven continents. Jordan leads a bit of a double life. At his mothers
house, hes a normal sporty teen, with homework and strict bedtimes. When hes staying at what Paul calls
base camp, things are considerably more intense. When training for a climb, Jordan often sleeps in a special
tent to get his body used to lower oxygen levels. He has spent hundreds of hours wearing a weighted
backpack, dragging a tyre up and down the driveway.
The place is littered with adventure gear. This is not just for Jordan; Paul, 42, and Karen, 46, have been
professional adventure racers for a decade. As soon as the sun rises, we have a coffee and just go hard until
dark, Paul says with obvious pride. He makes it seem like a kind of paradise. Paul is clearly trying to
emphasise what a positive environment he creates for his son. The international media reception of their
successful Everest attempt has been divided. As Team Jordan was still doing interviews, 16 year old Abby
Sunderland, who was attempting to become the youngest solo sailor to sail around the globe, had to be
rescued from the middle of the Indian Ocean. The publics opinion of young record-breakers quickly soured.
Abby and Jordans adventures sparked off a debate about pushing kids too hard too soon.
To understand why Paul encouraged his son to climb one of the worlds deadliest mountains, you have to
understand his background. At the age of 3, he was beating fellow pre-schoolers in neighbourhood tricycle
events. At 6 he graduated to BMX racing. He was one of the best riders in the nation until one day, at about
Jordans age, he was diagnosed with a rare knee disorder and the doctors warned that even walking might be
painful. Luckily, Pauls knees recovered. However, the months of immobility seem to have encouraged him to
make adventure sports into a lifestyle.
When he was little, Jordan didnt appear to have Pauls hyper-competitive gene. In fact, although he was close
to his father, he saw very little of him. Thats because Paul was pretty busy training for races or working
overtime to pay the bills. What does a nine year old do to bond with a father who loves adventure? In Jordans
case, he pointed at a picture of the highest summits on each continent and said Hey Dad, I want to climb
these mountains. Pretty much any other dad would have mouthed some vague agreement. Paul said Well,
wed better start training.
Of course, it is not unusual for fathers to pass on their passions to their sons like this. However, whereas
theres usually lots of opportunity to play golf or go fishing, for extreme sports theres not a big window of
time when father and son will be in top physical shape. Whats more, for Paul, theres the memory of all the
things the doctor told him when he was Jordans age the maybes and possiblys about whether the bone
disease would re-occur. Which is why, for Paul Romero, all the questions about risk and responsible parenting
completely miss the more personal justification for climbing Everest with Jordan even before he could legally
drive. Its because, in his driven philosophy of life, it is always better to seize the day. And so, once Paul
realised his son was willing to put in the hard work, they began to climb.
Driving home, after dropping his son off, Paul is bursting with pride. Were just surfing the big wave of life. I
just want him to grab life and ride it.
We are interested in the Inca Trail trek, which we saw advertised in the student magazine. Firstly we 1_____ if
you 2_____ if the flight from Lima to Cusco is included in the quoted price. In addition, 3_____ us know
4_____ to bring our own camping equipment or not. We 5_____ to know if all the meals are included and, if
not, how much we can expect to pay extra for these. Finally, would it be 6_____ to give us the name of the
hotel we will be staying at in Cusco and 7_____ to get there.
/8
- say why you think some people love going on adventure holidays
- say what adventurous thing you'd like to try if you had the chance
- discuss what kind of risks can be associated with using the internet
Your teacher will mark your presentation using the scorecard below. The teacher circles 1 mark if you include
the area and circles 2 marks for communicating it accurately and effectively. There is a maximum of eight
marks.
The student
/8
TOTAL /50