1. The Race to the South Pole
Since the dawn of time, humans have wanted to see what’s over the next
rise, and what lay beyond the sea. Courageous explorers would travel to
new areas and return with wondrous tales of the things they saw.
wondrous = amazing, wonderful
In the early twentieth century, two intrepid explorers were vying to be the
first person to set foot on the South Pole. They were Robert Falcon Scott
from England and Roald Amundsen from Norway. Each man had different
routes planned for reaching the South Pole, and different reasons for
wanting to be the first.
intrepid = very courageous, without fear
vying = trying hard to win or be superior
Scott and his team set out for Antarctica on June fifteenth, 1910. Their goal
was to continue the scientific research they had done on a previous
expedition. Scott’s team set up a base camp and made several short
journeys aiming to chart the geography of the continent. They also
collected eggs from emperor penguins.
As for Amundsen, he once aspired to be the first person to reach the North
Pole – but that honor went to other explorers. When Amundsen departed
2. for the South Pole in September 1910, he sent a telegram letting Scott
know that he was going to try to reach the location first. At that point,
Scott’s scientific expedition became a race to make history. He and four
other members of his team decided to push forward towards the pole.
aspired = hoped and dreamed to do something in the future
Scott and his team reached the South Pole on January 17, 1912 – but they
were greeted by a tent with some supplies left by Amundsen. The
Norwegian group had beaten them to the pole by about five weeks and
had placed flags there to mark their presence.
Defeated and depressed, Scott’s team had to turn around and start
marching back to their base. Sadly, none of them survived. There were
terrible snowstorms and temperatures far below zero, and the entire team
perished on the return trip. Their frozen bodies were found by a search
party ten months later.
perished = died
Amundsen received congratulations from the President of the United
States and the King of England for his historic feat, but the achievement
was tarnished because of Scott’s tragic end. People thought that
Amundsen had forced the race to happen and stolen the glory from Scott,
3. who would have been the first to reach the South Pole if not for
Amundsen’s ambitions.
tarnished = become less enjoyable or less admirable
Later analysis showed that Amundsen’s team was better prepared and
better equipped than Scott’s. However, the bravery of both men is
undeniable. The current scientific base located at the South Pole is named
the Amundsen-Scott South Pole station, to honor the memories of these
two Antarctic pioneers.
undeniable = impossible to deny; definitely true
