Joe Simpson and Simon Yates were the first people to climb the West Face of the Siula Grande in the Andes mountains. They reached the top _36 _, but on their way back conditions were very _37__. Joe fell and broke his leg. They both knew that if Simon _38__ alone, he would probably get back _39__. But Simon decided to risk his __40__ and try to lower Joe down the mountain on a rope(绳).
As they __41__ down, the weather got worse. Then another __42___ occurred. They couldn’t see or hear each other and, __43__, Simon lowered his friend over the edge of a precipice(峭壁). It was ___44__ for Joe to climb back or for Simon to pull him up. Joe’s _45__ was pulling Simon slowly towards the precipice. __46__, after more than an hour in the dark and the icy cold, Simon had to __47___. In tears, he cut the rope. Joe __48___ into a large crevasse(裂缝)in the ice below. He had no food or water and he was in terrible pain. He couldn’t walk, but he __49__ to get out of the crevasse and started to __50__ towards their camp, nearly ten kilometers __51___.
Simon had _52__ the camp at the foot of the mountain. He thought that Joe must be __53__, but he didn’t want to leave __54__. Three days later, in the middle of the night, he heard Joe’s voice. He couldn’t __55__ it. Joe was there, a few meters from their tent, still alive.