Unit 5-Climbing Qomolangma: Worth the Risks? 攀登珠穆朗玛峰：值得冒险吗?

Climbing Qomolangma: Worth the Risks?

攀登珠穆朗玛峰：值得冒险吗?

Last year, hundreds of people spent good money on an experience that they knew would include crowds, discomfort and danger. Many would become sick, due to the extreme cold and low air pressure, and a few would even lose their lives. Yet, despite all this, by the end of the trip many were already planning to return. For these people, climbing Qomolangma is an experience like no other, making some feel weak and others, powerful.

    明知道会是一次拥挤、不舒适而又危险的体验，去年仍有数百人愿意为此花费大价钱。由于极端严寒与低气压，很多人会生病，甚至有少数人会丢掉性命。尽管如此，在旅程的结尾，已经有很多人在计划着重返这里。对于这些人来说，攀登珠穆朗玛峰是一项独一无二的体验，它让一些人感受到脆弱的同时也让另一些人感受到强大。

British mountain climber George Mallory wrote of climbing Qomolangma, “What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy...we do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to enjoy life. That is what life means and what life is for.” Sadly, Mallory would die on the mountain in 1942, although his body would not be found until many years later. It is still not known if he succeeded in reaching the top of Qomolangma before it took his life.

 英国登山家乔治·马洛里曾这样记述攀登珠峰的体验：“我们从这项冒险活动中获得的是纯粹的快乐……我们活着不是为了吃饭和挣钱。我们吃饭和挣钱是为了能够享受生活。这才是生活的意义和目标。”可惜的是，1924年马洛里在登山过程中身亡，而他的遗体多年后才被找到。至今人们也不知道他生前是否成功登顶了珠峰。

In 2011, words similar to those of Mallory were spoken by American mountain climber Alan Arnette, who climbed Qomolangma in that year and was going to climb other high mountains around the world. “It brings into focus what's important to you.” He added. “There area thousand reasons to return around and only one to keep going. You really have to focus on the one reason that's most important and unique to you. It forces you to look deep inside yourself and figure out if you really have the physical, as well as mental, toughness to push when you want to stop.”

 2011年，美国登山家艾伦·阿内特也说过与马洛里类似的话。那一年他登上了珠峰，之后又准备去攀登世界各地其他的高山。“登山让你聚焦于对你而言重要的事，”他补充道，“纵使有一千个理由让你回头，但总有一个让你继续前行。你必须专注于那一个对你来说最重要也最独特的理由。它会强迫你去深入地审视自己，去思考自己的身体和心灵是否足够坚强，能在你想放弃的时候推动你继续向前。”

With the majority of attempts to climb to Qomolangma resulting either in total success of failure, is there also a scientific reason behind this risk-taking? Recent studies indicate that risk-taking may be part of human nature, with some of us more likely to take risks than others.Psychologist Frank Farley has spent years studying people who jump out of planes and drive fast cars, as well as those who climb Qomolangma. He refers to the personalities of these people as “Type T”, with the T standing for “thrill”.

攀登珠峰的大多数尝试要么大获全胜，要么彻底失败，这一冒险行为的背后是否也有科学解释呢?近日有研究指出，冒险可能是人类天性中的一部分，而有些人比其他人更愿意去冒险。心理学家弗兰克·法利曾花费数年时间研究那些高空跳伞、飚车以及攀登珠峰的人。他把那些人的人格特征称作“T型人格”，“T”代表“刺激”。

Speaking to the LA Times about the “Type T” personalities,Farley said, “they'll say, ‘I'm not taking risks, I am an expert...’ They don't want to die and they don't expect to die.”

在对《洛杉矶时报》描述“T型人格”时，法利说道：“他们会说‘我并不是在冒险，我是这方面的专家……'。他们并不想死，也不认为自己会死。”

Research also suggests that our desire to seek risks can be connected to how much we expect to benefit from the result.

还有的研究表明，我们对于冒险的渴望与我们期待从中获得多少收益有关。

With this in mind, are the benefits of climbingQomolangmaworth the risks? It's totally up to you.

了解这些之后，你认为攀登珠峰带来的好处值得人们去冒险吗?答案完全取决于你自己。