非凡的攀登

山东 孙启禄

残疾女孩埃莱夫塞里娅一直梦想着登顶奥林匹斯山。 长跑运动员马里奥斯与其团队准备了特制背包，背着女孩爬到了山顶，让埃莱夫塞里娅成为第一个从奥林匹斯山山顶俯瞰希腊的残疾人。

Marios Giannakou had already climbed to the top of Mt. Olympus 50 times, but he says his 51st trip is his most memorable and meaningful.That's because he spent more than 10 hours climbing the mountain with a woman, Eleftheria Tosiou, on his back.

Eleftheria is 22 years old and had been always dreaming of seeing the peak of Mt. Olympus but she had been unable to make the hike by herself due to a disability that affects her mobility. So, when she shared this dream with Marios, he stepped up to help her make her dream come true.

Marios didn't need to train for the hike,because he has an incredible athletic record.From running a 93-mile race in Antarctica(which he won) to hiking more than 160 miles in the Al Marmoum Desert, he was already in shape and ready for the new challenge. About a month after the two met and began planning their adventure, they were off!

Eleftheria rode on Marios' back in a special carrier that is designed specifically for long hikes. The pair were joined by eight guides and they all stopped to make camp and rest about halfway through before finishing up the more than 10-hour hike to the highest peak, which is more than 9,000 feet up.

Eleftheria was obviously thrilled to be able to live out her dream, but Marios seemed to have been equally affected by the adventure. He said, “For me, all international races, the medals and the distinctions so far, mean little compared to that goal.”

The pair and their guides, successfully made their descent back down Mt. Olympus, and have an incredible story to tell. After it was all over, Marios said of the accomplishment, “There is nothing more real than the dream.” Hopefully,this means that this hike was just the first of many adventures they will go on together.

Reading Check

1. Why does Marios say his 51st was the most memorable and meaningful?

A. The trip took the longest time.

B. He had climbed the mountain 50 times.

C. The trip took him more time than expected.

D. He helped a disabled girl realize her dream.

2. What can we infer about Marios from the third paragraph?

A. He was an experienced hiker.

B. He and Eleftheria were old friends.

C. He never stopped to rest halfway.

D. He was unwilling to carry Eleftheria at first.

3. How was Eleftheria feel about the climb?

A. Exhausted. B. Frightened.

C. Excited. D. Bored.

4. What does the underlined sentence imply?

A. Marios thought that he did the right thing.

B. Marios learned more from this adventure than before.

C. Marios couldn't look back on the journey he had taken.

D. Marios came across the difficulty he had never experienced.

Cultural Background

奥林匹斯山

奥林匹斯山，又译作奥林波斯山，是希腊最高的山，位于爱琴海塞尔迈湾北岸，距希腊第二大城塞萨洛尼基约100千米。 奥林波斯山由52座山峰组成，其中最高峰“Mytikas”意为前端突出部，海拔为2,917米。

1913年8月2日，瑞士作家Daniel Baud-Bovy和瑞士摄影师Frédéric Boissonnas在希腊登山向导Christos Kakkalos的带领下，三人第一次登上顶峰，这是人类首次登顶。 2018年8月2日，Google在部分国家的首页以首页涂鸦纪念首次登顶105年。

在希腊神话中，奥林波斯是神的山，“奥林波斯”的原意是“光之处”。 在希腊神话中它的地位相当于天堂，众神、半神和他们的仆人都居住在这里。