典范英语6(4)

After working in the sticky heat of the jungle, Robert’s next trip was to the bitter cold of the Arctic. He asked Matthew to come with him as a member of his team.

He and Matthew then spent the next 18 years exploring the Arctic together.

Chapter 3

Matthew in Greenland

They began by making several trips to Greenland, when the Inuit people helped them to learn the skills they needed to survive in the Arctic.

Matthew quickly learned to speak Inuit and became good friends with the people. They called him “ Matthew – the- kind - one”.

They learned how to fish for charr and hunt for seals.

They learned to build igloos and make clothes and boots from animal skins.

An Inuit man fishing for charr. (match for a picture)

They also learned to build sledges and drive teams of husky dogs. In fact, Matthew soon became an expert sledge driver.

Matthew and Robert travelled across the unexplored ice fields in the north of Greenland. They made maps and helped to show that Greenland is an island. They also found three enormous meteorites.

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A meteorite found by Matthew and Robert is now in the American Museum of Natural History. (Match a picture)

But even with the help from the Inuit, the Arctic was still a dangerous place for Matthew and Robert to be.

Once they were out hunting when a musk ox suddenly charged at Robert. Just in time, Matthew saved Robert’s life. He shot the ox with his last bullet.

Another time they were hundreds of miles from camp when they ran out food. They were cold and weak, and a man travelled with them was dangerously ill. In the end they had to eat their dogs or starve to death. Chapter 4

To the North Pole

Despite the dangers, Robert and Matthew bravely went back to the Arctic again. This time they wanted to do something no one had ever done before. They wanted to try to reach the North Pole. But on their first attempt Robert’s feet became badly frostbitten.

A frostbitten toe (match a picture)

Robert was in such pain that he couldn’t walk or even stand.

As soon as they could travel, Matthew strapped Robert to a sledge and rushed 250 miles to base camp, where there was a doctor. The doctor had to take off eight of Robert’s toes.

But still Robert and Matthew would not give up. Three more times they tried to reach the Pole.

Each time they got closer than before. But each time they were beaten

back by blizzards or melting ice.

Chapter 5

One Last Chance

In 1908 Robert and Matthew sailed from New York to make their fifth attempt to reach the Pole. But they agreed, because of their age, that they would make this their last trip to the Arctic. This would be their last chance to reach the North Pole.

On their way north, they stopped in Greenland to buy huskies, furs and equipment that they needed.

They also visited several villages to hire some Inuit men and women to come with them and help them on their last journey.

As their ship sailed further north, the sea began to freeze over.

At first the ship was able to cut through the ice, but as the ice got thicker they sometimes had to use dynamite to help them break through.

Robert and Matthew’s ship stuck in the ice. (match a picture)

In the end the sea ice was just too thick and they could go no further. So they set up their base camp on an island off the coast of Canada.

They spent the winter getting ready for their last attempt to reach the Pole.

In the spring they were ready to set out.

Robert put the men into teams and they began setting up a line of

camps across the sea ice. At each camp they left food, equipment and igloons for Robert and Matthew to use on their way back from the Pole.But this was not easy. Time and time again they were held up by the ice and the bad weather. At times the ice was so jagged it broke their sledges.

Other times it was so high that they had to drag their heavy sledges over it by hand.

The ice creaked and moaned and cracked open without warning.

Once Robert was going to sleep when he heard a noise. Looking outside, he saw a crack open up around one of the other igloons. He and Matthew shouted to the men who just had time to leap to safety.

When they were 130 miles from the Pole, they set up their last camp. Robert sent the last support team back to base camp, as they were no longer needed.

Then, with Matthew and four Inuit men, they set off their last leg of journey to the Pole itself!

For once the ice was smooth and the weather good, and for the next days the six men made good speed.

But, just a few miles from the Pole, Matthew suddenly fell through the ice. Luckily one of the men was close by and pulled him out before he drowned.

Later that day the six men reached the Pole.