Alpinists（1）登山家

Modern alpinists try to climb mountains by a route which will give them good sport, and the more difficult it is, the more highly it is regarded. In the pioneering days, however, this was not the case at all. The early climbers were looking for the easiest way to the top, because the summit was the prize they sought, especially if it had never been attained before. It is true that during their explorations they often faced difficulties and dangers of the most perilous nature, equipped in a manner with would make a modern climber shudder at the thought, but they did not go out of their way to court such excitement. They had a single aim, a solitary goal -- the top!
It is hard for us to realize nowadays how difficult it was for the pioneers.
现代登山运动员总想找一条能够给他们带来运动乐趣的路线来攀登山峰。他们认为， 道路愈艰险愈带劲儿。然而，在登山运动的初期，全然不是这种情况。早期登山者所寻找的是通往山顶的最方便的途径，因为顶峰特别是前人未曾到过的顶峰 -- 才是他们寻求的目标。确实，在探险中他们经常遇到惊心动魄的困难和危险，而他们装备之简陋足以使现代登山者一想起来就胆战心惊。但是，他们并非故意寻求这种刺激，他们只有一个目标，唯一的目标 -- 顶峰！
我们今天很难想像昔日的登山先驱们是多么艰苦。

New words and expressions 生词和短语

Matterhorn
n. 马特霍恩峰（阿尔卑斯山之一，在意大利和瑞士边境）
alpinist
n. 登山运动员
pioneer
v. 开辟，倡导；
n. 先锋，开辟者
summit
n. 顶峰
attain
v. 到达
perilous
adj. 危险的
shudder
v. 不寒而栗
court
v. 追求