Reading Comprehension: Who reached the south pole first?

WHO REACHED THE SOUTH POLE FIRST?

                In 1900 there were two places in the world that were not explored. These were lands of snow and ice- The North Pole and the South Pole.

                As a young man in Norway, Roald Amundsen read about explorers who tried to reach the North Pole, and he wanted to reach it, too. It became his dream. The first step was to learn how to sail, so Amundsen went to sea as a worker on a ship when he was 22. Later, he worked on a ship that went to Antarctica. Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth. The South Pole is in the center of Antarctica. It was an exciting trip, but they did not reach the South Pole.

                He sailed on many ships and worked his way up to the top jobs. In 1903, he was the captain of a ship on its way to the Arctic. This ship was the first to sail the Northwest Passage. The Northwest Passage was important because it helped people to travel from Europe to Asia.

                Amundsen was now a famous explorer, and he started to plan his voyage to the North Pole. Then he learned that an American named Robert Peary was already there. Amundsen wanted to be first, so he changed his plans and went to the South Pole instead. He heard that an English explorer named Robert Scott was on his way to the South Pole, so Amundsen sent him a message. He said that this was now a race.

                When Amundsen reached Antarctica, he and four of his men started toward the South Pole. There was only ice and snow, and the wind was freezing. He had teams of dogs to pull sleds full with food and tents. They climbed mountains of snow and fell through holes in the ice. Finally, they were near the South Pole. They didn’t know whether Scott was already there. They reached the South Pole on December 14^th, 1911, and there was no sign of Scott.  Amundsen won the race. 

                Scott and his group were on their way, but they were not prepared for the extreme weather. They did not have the right clothes, and Scott had horses instead of dogs. The horses were not used to the freezing weather of Antarctica, and the men had to shot them. The men then had to carry everything. Scott and his men finally arrived at the South Pole, but 33 days after Amundsen’s group. Scott saw the Norwegian flag and was sad. He and his men returned to their camp. On the way, one man died. At the camp the four men didn’t have fuel for heat.

1. Decide whether the following sentences are True or False and copy the evidence from the text. 2 points

1. Amundsen never wanted to reach the North Pole.

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2. Scott used horses to pull his sleds.

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2.  Answer the following questions according to the information in the text using your own words. 2 points

1. Where did Amundsen’s  ship go in 1903?

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2. What happened with the horses?

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3. Find synonyms in the text. 2 points

1. Get to_____________________p.2         5. Competition__________________ p.4

2. Journey ____________________p.2        6. Sledge ______________________p.5

3. Prepare ____________________p. 4        7. If _________________________ p.5

4. Alternatively_________________p.4      8. Combustible _________________ p. 6