Lesson 4

1.Modern alphinists try to climb mountains with good sport,and the more difficult it is,more highly it is regarded.

2.In the poineering days however,it is not the case at all.

3.The early climbers were looking for the easiest way to the top,because the summit was the prize,especially it had never been attained before.

4.It is true that during the explorations they would face difficult and dangers of the most perlious nature,equipped with a manner which would make modern climber shoudder at the sought.But they did not go out of the way to court such excitment.

5.They had a single aim,a soliatry goal--the top.

6.It is hard for us to realize how difficult it was for the pioneers.

7.Ecept the one or two places such as Zermatt and Chamonix had rapidly become popular.

8.Alpine vallages tended to be impoverished cut off from civilization by high mountains.

9.Such inns as there were were generally dirty and flea-ridden;food simply local cheese accompanied with bread twelve months old,all washed down with coarse wine.

10.Often a valley boasted no inn at all,and climbers found shelter wherever they could;sometimes with the local priest(who was usually as poor as his parishioners);sometimes with the shepherds and cheese-makers.

11.Invariably the backgound was the same:dirt,and poverty,and very uncomfortable;

12.For men accustomed to eating sever-course and sleeping fine linen sheets at home,the change to Alps must have been very hard indeed.