Page 80 - Prime Time 1-5 Leaflet

b) Have you ever had any accidents similar to these?
Tell the class what happened.
I once slammed a door on my finger at home. I had to go to hospital.
Vocabulary
Accidents & injuries
1 a) Listen and say.
b 1 Amazing escape
Reading
2 a) Look at the picture and read the title and the
introduction. What sacrifice do you think Aron had
to make? Read to find out.
slam a door on your
finger – be very painful
3
faint with exhaustion &
dehydration – see a doctor
2
twist/sprain your
ankle – go to hospital
1
When 27-year-old Aron Ralston set out to climb in the
remote Blue John Canyon in Utah one Sunday in May 2003, he had no idea
that he would have to make an incredible sacrifice to stay alive.
Aron had gone climbing alone many times before, only
this time, he hadn’t told anyone where he was going
and he didn’t even take his mobile phone. Apart from
his climbing gear, Aron carried only a backpack
containing a small first aid kit, a knife, a video camera,
one litre of water, and a few snacks.
Aron had been climbing all day and was about to stop,
but as he was crossing a 1-metre wide crack in the
canyon, disaster struck; a 365-kilo boulder moved and
trapped his arm against the canyon wall. There
was no way he could move.
At first Aron hoped that help would arrive, but nobody
came. He struggled to get free, and using his penknife,
tried to chip away at the boulder without success.
Aron used his video camera to keep a video
diary and then to record a goodbye message to his
parents. Fighting exhaustion and dehydration, Aron
became more and more delirious.
On the fifth day, Aron reached a decision to do the
one thing – the only thing – that could save his life:
to cut off his own arm. He used his
body weight to bend his arm until he felt it break. Then,
using his blunt penknife, he slowly cut through his arm.
The whole procedure took an hour. He administered
first aid to himself, then he fixed a rope to the rock and
climbed down nearly 21 metres to the canyon floor.
After hiking 8 km, he came across a Dutch family who
gave him water and helped him to walk on.
Meanwhile, Aron’s friends and family had realised he
was missing and notified authorities who found out
Aron had used his credit card to buy groceries in Moab,
Utah. When a rescue helicopter crew finally spotted
him, the rescuers were amazed to see Aron walking
back to his truck. He hardly needed them to rescue him!
With his prosthetic arm, he has become a better
climber than before his accident. He also works as a
motivational speaker, helping disabled athletes and
troubled teenagers. In 2010, a blockbuster film came
out about his experience called 127 hours, the exact
amount of time he spent trapped. Aron still
revisits Blue John Canyon to remember his
desperate struggle to survive and return to
his loved ones.
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remote, canyon, sacrifice, climbing
gear, first aid kit, crack, disaster
struck, boulder, trap, canyon wall,
struggle, get free, chip away at,
exhaustion, dehydration, delirious,
blunt penknife, administer first aid,
be missing, notify authorities, rescue
crew, live life to the fullest, prosthetic
arm, motivational speaker, disabled
athlete, troubled teenager, desperate
struggle, loved ones
Check these words
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