[00:01.040]--- Lesson 43 Over the South Pole
[00:07.600]--- First listen and then answer the question.
[00:13.240]--- How was the plane able to clear the mountains?
[00:19.480]In 1929, three years after his flight over the North Pole, the American explorer, R.E.Byrd,successfully flew over the South Pole for the first time.
[00:36.600]Though, at first, Byrd and his men were able to take a great many photographs of the mountains that lay below,
[00:45.760]they soon ran into serious trouble.
[00:49.560]At one point, it seemed certain that their plane would crash.
[00:54.960]It could only get over the mountains if it rose to 10,000 feet.
[01:01.760]Byrd at once ordered his men to throw out two heavy food sacks.
[01:08.320]The plane was then able to rise and it cleared the mountains by 400 feet.
[01:16.040]Byrd now knew that he would be able to reach the South Pole which was 300 miles away,
[01:23.080]for there were no more mountains in sight.
[01:26.440]The aircraft was able to fly over the endless white plains without difficulty.
[01:34.600]--- end