Ray Zahab: My trek to the South Pole

In January 2009, Ray Zahab broke the record for fastest unsupported trek across Antarctica, to raise awareness and money for kids’ environmental education. In 2006, he ran across the Sahara to raise awareness of water shortages.

Listening

Watch the TED talk, listen carefully and answer the questions below:

 

Comprehension Questions

 

1. How many days did it take them to trek to the South pole?

 

2. How many days did they shave of the previous best time?

 

3. How many miles is it from Hercules Inlet to the South pole?

 

4. How many pounds of gear did they take?

 

5. Where did he sleep?

 

 

Gap – fill

 

Watch the video again from 03:07 to 03.:30 and fill in the blanks:

 

We were (6) ________ to this live website daily to these students that were tracking us as well, about 10-hour trekking days, 15-hour trekking days, sometimes 20 hours of trekking daily to (7) ______ our goal. We’d catch cat-naps at 40 (8) _______ on our sled, incidentally. In turn, students, people from around the world, (9) _________ ask us questions. Young people would ask the most (10) __________ questions.

 

 

 

True or False?

 

Listen to the material again and answer true or false to the following statements:

 

11. He trekked to the North Pole.

 

12. They broke the speed record for a trek to the South Pole.

 

13. He ran 111 days across the Australia.

 

14. His sled weighed 170 pounds.

 

15. His favourite dish on the expedition was bacon and eggs.

 

 

Answers:

1. 33 days
2. 5 days
3. 650 miles
4. 170 pounds
5. in a tent
6. blogging
7. meet
8. below
9. would
10. amazing
11. (F) it was the South Pole
12. (T)
13. (F) it was North Africa
14. (T)
15. (F) it was bacon and butter