It's Tough at the Top Mount Everest has long been a great attraction to millions of people throughout the 课文一 艰难登顶 world. Many people have risked and lost their 珠穆朗玛峰对于全世界数百万人来lives in the course of expedition. Modern 说， 长期以来有着巨大的吸引力。在征服explorers, however, are becoming more fascinated 珠穆朗玛峰的过程中，许多人冒了巨大的by the ultimate fate of earlier doomed explorers. 危险，而且失去了生命。然而，现代探险 \者对早年遭到厄运的攀登者的最终命运，reportedly replied when asked why he wanted to 表现出越来越浓厚的兴趣。 climb Mount Everest. The only man to take part in all three of the British pioneering expeditions 据说,当乔治·马罗礼被问及他为何in the 1920s, Mallory was driven by a fascination 要攀登珠峰时，他这样回答，“因为有珠to reach the summit of the mountain with which he 峰”。 他是唯一参加二十世纪二十年代英had formed a strong personal bond with. \国组织的 所有三次征服珠峰活动的探险hell-like mountain, cold and treacherous,\家。他对珠峰怀有强烈的情感，一直神往once wrote in a letter home from Everest Base 登上山顶。“它是一座魔鬼般的大山，冷Camp. \risks of getting caught are too great; 峻而且反复无常，”他在珠峰大本营给家the margin of strength when men are at great 人写信时有一次这样写道。“冒的险实在heights is too small. Perhaps it is mere folly to 太大；人们攀登峰顶时可使的力量又是这go up again. But how can I be out of the hunt?\ 么小。也许只是发疯了才再次攀登。可是 In 1920 when Francis Younghusband, the President of the Royal Geographical Society 我怎能摆脱这种诱惑呢?” (RGS), first put forward the idea of supporting an expedition to Everest, the mountain was still a mystery. At 8 848 meters Everest was almost 1 500 meters higher than anyone had previously 1920年皇家地理学会主席弗兰西climbed. There was even doubt as to whether it was 斯·扬哈斯本首次提出支持珠峰探险的想possible to breathe at such altitude. At the time 法时，人们对这座山 还一无所知。高达no one had been within 65 kilometers of the 8848米的珠峰比当时人类攀登过的最高mountain, which could only be approached through 峰还高出1500米。人们甚至怀疑，在这样the unknown kingdoms of Nepal or China's Tibet. 的高度有没有可能呼吸。那时，还没有人 With the North and South Poles already 到过珠峰 周围65公里的范围，只能从人discovered, Younghusband had his sights set on 们不太熟悉的尼泊尔王国或中国的西藏走the \pole\setting up the joint RGS/Alpine 近这座高山。 Club, Mount Everest Committee. \accomplishment of such a feat will elevate the human spirit and will give man, especially us geographers, a feeling that we are acquiring a true mastery of our surroundings. This is the incalculable good which the ascent of Mount Everest will confer,\ High Hopes 随着人们发现了北极与南极，扬哈斯本把他的目光投向“第三极”，设立联合皇家地理学会/登山俱乐部下属的珠穆朗玛峰委员会。“这次壮举的完成将振奋人类精神，也让人类，尤其是我们地理学家 George Mallory and Andrew Irvine had set out 感到，我们正在成为我们这个环境真正的from Camp VI on 8 June 1924, attempting to become 主人。登上珠穆朗玛峰所产生的 效益是难the first men to set foot on the summit. They never 以估量的，”扬哈斯本说道。 returned. Today, with more than 550 mountaineers 厚望 from 20 countries having reached the summit, the mystery has shifted away from Everest the
mountain, towards Mallory the man. In March 1999, 乔治·马罗礼与安德鲁·欧文于75 years after Mallory's death on the mountain, 1924年6月8日从六号营地出发，试图成the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition set 为首次登上珠峰的人。可他们再也没有回out for Everest, not because it was there, but 来。时至今日，已有20个国家五百五十多because he was. Leader of the 1999 expedition Eric 名登山运动员登顶成功。谜团也就从珠峰Simonson and his team were hoping to discover 这座山转向马罗礼这个人了。1999年3月，whether or not the two men achieved their goal 在马罗礼罹难后的第75年，马罗里—欧文before they died.
研究探险队向珠峰进发，不是因为珠峰在 They had only a few clues to go on. In 1933 那里，而是因为他在那里。1999年探险队an ice axe, thought to be Irvine's, had been found 长埃里克·西门松及其队员希望发现这两on the route, and in 1975, the body of a climber 人死之前是否成功登顶。 was discovered nearby by a Chinese climber who described it as being an \
account of the vintage clothes the body still 他们只有几条探寻的线索。1933年，wore. However, the identity of the dead climber 在登山线路上找到被认为是欧文使用的一has never been confirmed. Simonson's team
把冰斧。1975年，一名中国登山运动员在
expected to relocate the body during their high 附近发现一具登山者的尸体，将其描述为level search. They anticipated it to be Irvine, “一位年长的英国死者”，因为尸体穿的the inexperienced Oxford graduate who had 是老式衣服。然而，这位死去的登山者的possibly fallen, dropping his ice axe on the icy 身份从未得到确认。西门松的探险队期望slabs of Everest's North Face. Mallory's fate was 在高地再 次找到那具尸体。他们认为会是unknown.
Searching amongst the snow gullies and
欧文，这位经验不足的牛津毕业生可能是从悬崖上坠落的，将冰斧掉在珠峰北坡的
scouring ledges at 8 320 meters, Simonson's team 冰层上。马罗礼的下落则不清楚。 discovered a body, the skin bleached porcelain white by the sun. It was lying face down, head and arms frozen into the earth. Only the collars of the tattered clothes were intact and on one was
uncovered a manufacturer's label, still legible 在8320米的雪沟与冰棱间搜寻时，西despite years of vicious assaults by ice and wind. 门松小组人员发现了一具尸体，太阳把他Beneath this was another label, which they could 的皮肤 晒成瓷白色。尸体的脸部朝下，头all easily read. In simple carefully stitched 与双臂与地面冻成一块。破碎不堪的衣服letters was written: G Mallory. Mallory's name on 只有领子完好无损。其中一个领子上发现the clothes so surprised the search party their 制造厂商的标签。虽经数十年的风霜冰雪first thought was to wonder why Irvine had been 严酷吹打，标签上的字仍清晰可辨。在这wearing his climbing partner's shirt. The
块标签下还有另一块标签，队员们很容易
discovery of Mallory's body prompted admiration 辨出上面的字。简单而细心缝制的字母为：of expedition search member, Jake Norton. \G. Mallory。衣服上的马罗礼的名字令搜climber, to know what Mallory did was phenomenal. He was a powerful tough guy, who fought till the 寻小组感到十分惊讶，他们的第一个反应end,\
就是猜测欧文为何穿着他登山伙伴的衬
During the early decades of the twentieth 衫？发现了马罗礼尸体后，探险队员杰century, it was this strength, tenacity and love 克·诺顿对其产生了无比的敬意。“作为of adventure which had established Mallory as a 一名登山者，了解马罗礼所做的事情意义leading figure in the close-knit climbing world. 重大。他是一位意志极为坚强的人，战斗He was an obvious choice for the Mount Everest 到最后一息，”诺顿跟记者这样说道。 Committee as part of the first reconnaissance expedition in 1921. For Mallory this was the
opportunity of a lifetime. It was a challenge, but 二十世纪前几十年时间里，力量、坚that only increased its appeal, for as he once 韧不拔与富于冒险的精神使马罗礼在组织said: \To refuse the adventure is to run the risk 严密的登山界成为一名出类 拔萃的人。of drying up like a pea in its shell.\ By 1924, after two exhausting and unsuccessful attempts to the mountain on expeditions in 1921 and 1922, his early
1921年他被珠穆朗玛峰委员会一眼相中，成为第一个珠峰探险队的成员。对于马罗礼来说，这是一生一次的机会。这次攀登珠峰是一次挑战，但挑战更提高了它的吸
enthusiasm began to wane. He was now 38 years old. 引力，因为正如马罗礼曾经说过的那样，A family man with three children, he had just “拒绝这次冒险机会等于让自已庸庸碌碌begun a teaching job at Cambridge. Yet, he
地渡过一生。”
couldn't resist one final attempt to complete a task he had started. Meeting Irvine, recommended
by Noel Odell, the expedition's geologist, buoyed 到了1924年，经过1921年与1922him up for the challenge. Although Irvine was 年两次使人精疲力竭的失败尝试后，马罗young with no track record as a climber, he was 礼早期的热情开始减退。他已38岁。作为strong, resourceful and good-natured. The
有三个孩子的一家之主，他开始在剑桥大expedition \学执教。然而他无法抵挡作最后一试的诱had warmed to him immediately, describing him as 惑，以完成他已开始的事业。他会见了探\险队地质学家诺尔·奥德尔推荐的欧文，companion on the mountain.\
Before departing for the 1924 expedition
这重新唤起他应对挑战的干劲。虽然欧文
年轻，还没有登山记录，但他体魄强壮，
Mallory had confided in a friend that it would be, 主意又多，而且性格随和。在探险队里，\队员们称他为“超人”。马罗礼马上给他prepared for a siege on the summit. Two attempts 鼓劲，称他为“好汉”，会是“登山中一were to be made, one with oxygen and one without 个出色的伙伴。” but Everest repelled both attempts. Mallory's climbing teams were defeated through lack of
oxygen and exhaustion. He refused to give up and
was determined to risk one last try. Only Odell
and Irvine were in a fit state to partner him. For
Mallory it was a simple choice. He threw his lot 1924年的探险出发前，马罗礼私下跟
in with Irvine and the pair set off on their fatal 一位朋友说，这次探险“与其说是一场冒
summit bid.
险不如说是一场战争，”而他做好在山顶
The day after Mallory and Irvine departed for 遭受灾难来袭的准备。他们打算做两种尝
the summit, Odell saw them for the last time from 试：一种是带氧，另一种不带氧气。但是a crag at 7 925 meters. A sudden clearing above 珠峰对这两种尝试均未买账。由于缺氧和him unveiled the whole summit ridge. On a snow 体力衰竭，马罗礼的登山队失败，但他毫slope, clinging to the steep North Face, he
不气馁，决心冒险做最后一搏。只有奥德
noticed, first Mallory, then Irvine approach a 尔与欧文身体状况尚好，可以陪着他。对broad rock step. As he stood, his eyes tracking 于马罗礼来说，选择很简单。于是他决心them against the mosaic of rock and snow, the 与欧文共命运，俩人踏上登顶的不归路。 weather closed in again, clouding their fate for the next 75 years. Frozen to the Core
In finding Mallory's body, Simonson's team 马罗礼与欧文出发登顶的第二天，奥had helped to come to a theory of how he had died. 德尔最后一次看见他们是在海拔7925米Prior to the recent expedition it was thought that 的险崖处。他头顶上突然现出一片晴朗，Mallory and Irvine had been climbing at 8 535 整座山脊一览无余。紧靠着陡峭的北坡的meters, and could have either fallen or simply 雪坡上，他先看到马罗礼，然后看见欧文laid down exhausted in the snow to die. But after 到了一块宽阔的岩石阶上。他站在那里，seeing the body, Norton is sure they were climbing 双眼紧紧盯住岩石与雪地交织地带的俩tied together when Mallory fell. \was a rope 人，云气再次降临下来，将他们的命运一wrapped round his waist. You could see black and 盖就是75年。 blues on him, he probably had internal bleeding. He slid down the North Face digging into the snow or gravel, crossed his legs in pain and died a few moments later.\
Other more significant questions remain.
寒冻到了极致
Despite the initial find of the body, Everest was 西门松探险小组发现了马罗礼的尸体reluctant to give away too many more clues. The 之后， 帮助得出了关于他死因的解释。在team failed to find the camera, lent to Mallory 这次探险之前，人们认为马罗礼与欧文攀by his climbing partner Howard Somervell, the 到8535米的地方时，他们要么翻下了山existence of which may prove whether or not the 崖，要么是体力不支，躺倒在雪地上死去。pair made it to the top. However, searching for 但检验了尸体后，诺顿确信马罗礼坠落时，needles in a hostile, windscorched haystack of 他们俩正在一块攀登。“一条绳子绕在他rock and ice is a perilous business. Between 8 230 的腰间，身上青一块、紫一块的，他大概meters and the summit, Simonson's team counted 17 内出血。他在用冰镐往雪地或砾石上钉眼other bodies, besides Mallory's. In the face of 时从北坡滑落，双腿痛苦得蜷在一起，不such danger the expedition's fascination with the 久便死去。” man, must be almost as great as the man's own fascination with the mountain. Macabre though Simonson's quest is, it is not unique. In the autumn of 1984 the face of John
Torrington appeared in national newspapers. What 还有更重要的问题依旧末解。除了最was unusual about this was that Torrington had 初发现的尸体，珠峰不愿提供更多的线索。been dead for 138 years, buried under 1.8 meters 探险小组没有找到马罗礼的另一位登山伙of Arctic permafrost. Torrington had been chief 伴霍华德·萨默维尔借给他的相机。若是
Stoker aboard the Erebus which along with the 找到了相机，就有可能证明这两人是否成Terror sailed with Sir John Franklin during his 功地登上了峰顶。然而，搜寻这部相机无expedition to chart the Northwest Passage. The 异于在崖石与冰雪构成的狂风怒吼的海洋expedition had set sail from the Thames River on 里寻找一根针，危险太大了。在8230米与19 May 1845, carrying with it the hope of the 峰顶之间，西门松小组共找到除马罗礼以nation for the discovery of a navigable route 外的另外17具尸体。在这么危险的情况through the Arctic into the Pacific Ocean.
下，探险队员们在寻找这个人时表现出来
Neither ship was ever seen again and 129 men 的执着，一定与这个人对珠峰的执着一样
强烈。 lost their lives in a polar enigma which
mesmerized Victorian Britain. The conclusion of the 25 major search expeditions, which set out to
solve the puzzle was that Franklin's men had succumbed to scurry, starvation, stress and hypothermia. In 1981 American anthropologist
虽然西门松一行人的探寻活动看起来
相当恐怖，但并非是独一无二的。1984年
Owen Beattie, set out to apply modern scientific 的秋天，约翰·托林通的头像出现在全国and forensic technique to any remaining evidence 的报纸上。非同寻常的是，托林通早在一of Franklin's expedition. Over the following five 百三十八年前就死了，葬于1.8米深的北years Beattie scoured Franklin's expedition
极永久冰土下面。托林通是“埃里伯斯”
sites for clues. His most grisly task was the 号船上的仓库管理主管，在他赴西北航道exhumation and autopsies of three expedition 探险时，同船前往的有约翰.富兰克林爵members, one of whom was John Torrington.
士，另有“恐怖”号船同行。探险队于
For men buried in the year that the Corn Laws 1845年5月19日从泰晤士河起航，带着were repealed, they were in a remarkable state of 举国上下的希望，去发现一条从北极到太preservation. Being kept in the frozen earth since 1846 had prevented major outward
平洋的航道。
appearances of decay. Torrington looked very much 此后这两艘船再也没有踪影。船上as he has done in life; skin was still on his face, 129名船员全部丧生神秘莫测的极地，这he had kept his teeth, eyes and most of his hair. 使维多利亚时代的英国人百思不得其解。Samples of his body tissue looked almost recent 为了解开这一迷团，人们先后组织了25in origin and certain bacterial stains collected 次大规模的搜寻行动。最后得 出的结论had even survived the big freeze.
是：富兰克林一行人死于阵雪、饥饿、心
The autopsy showed Torrington was an ill man 理压力与体温过低等方面的原因。1981年when he died. His lungs were blackened with
英国人类学家奥温·比泰开始用现代科学atmospheric pollutants and he showed evidence of 与法医技术检验富兰克林探险队存留下来tuberculosis. There were also signs that the ultimate cause of death had been pneumonia.
的遗迹。此后五年的时间里，比泰走遍了
富兰克林探险队所经过的地方寻找线索。
However, what struck Beattie most were abnormally 他那最令人毛骨悚然的工作，是把三名探high levels of lead found in samples of hair, 险队员的尸体挖出来并进行尸体解剖 ，其indicating acute lead poisoning. Lead poisoning 中一名是约翰·托林通。
can lead to weakness, fatigue, stupor, neurosis
and erratic behavior, far from ideal conditions 作为刚好是废除谷物法的那年被埋的for surviving long exposure to the harsh Arctic 尸体，它们保存得非常完好。1846年起尸environment. Beattie confirmed the elevated lead 体一直埋于冻土之中，外表主要部分没有