Cold in the Andes – L2T – Second Language Tech

First Sentences

216 Words

It is 1972.

A plane flies over mountains.

The plane has many people.

The people are young.

They are happy.

The plane hits the mountains.

The plane crashes.

There is snow.

It is very cold.

Some people die.

Some people live.

Nando lives.

Roberto lives.

The people wait for help.

Help does not come.

They have little food.

The food is gone.

They eat snow.

They are cold.

They are hungry.

They are sad.

They do not give up.

Nando has an idea.

Roberto has an idea.

They want to walk.

They want to find help.

They wear many clothes.

They walk in the snow.

The snow is deep.

They are very tired.

They walk day after day.

They see only mountains.

There are no people.

One day, they see green land.

There is grass.

There is water.

There are birds.

They feel hope.

They walk more.

They see a man.

The man is near a river.

They ask for help.

The man gives them food.

The man gets help.

People come on horses.

Nando and Roberto are safe.

The army goes to the mountains.

The people are found.

The people are safe.

Nando and Roberto help their friends.

They are brave.

They are heroes.

They say, “Never give up.”

They say, “There is hope.”

Level 1 Reader

506 Words

The True Story of Nando and Roberto

The Plane Crash

It is 1972. A plane flies from Uruguay to Chile. The plane has 45 people. Many people are young. They play rugby. They are happy. But then, something is wrong. The plane hits the mountains. It crashes in the snow. It is very cold. The place is high in the Andes Mountains. Some people die. Some people live. Two of them are Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa.

Cold and Hungry

The people wait for help. They wait one day. Two days. One week. No help comes. They eat little food. Soon, the food is gone. There is only snow and the plane. They are cold. They are hungry. They are sad. But they do not give up. Nando and Roberto want to help. “We must walk,” says Nando and Roberto. “We must find people. We must get help.”

The Big Idea

Nando and Roberto make a plan. They will walk across the mountains. They do not know the way. But they will try. They wear many clothes. They put cloth on their feet. They take some food and water. One cold morning, they say goodbye. “Be strong,” say the others. “Find help.”

The Walk Begins

The snow is deep. The sun is hot on their faces. The night is cold and dark. They walk up and up. They are tired. Their feet hurt. They stop and sleep in the snow. Then they walk again. One day. Two days. Three days. But still—only mountains. No trees. No people.

Hope and Fear

Roberto and Nando are tired. They want to stop. “Maybe there is no help,” they think. But Nando and Roberto say, “We cannot stop. We must go on.” On the fourth day, they see green! There is no more snow. They see birds. They see water. They see grass. “There is life,” says Nando and Roberto. “People live near here.”

A Man by the River

They walk more. They follow a river. One day, they see a man! The man is on the other side of the river. He is with cows. “Help us!” they shout. “We come from the mountains!” The man is surprised. He does not cross the river. But he throws bread. He throws paper and a pen. Roberto and Nando write: “We are from the plane. Many are alive. Please help us.”

Rescue at Last

The next day, men come on horses. They take Nando and Roberto to a house. They eat. They sleep in a bed. They are warm. Nando and Roberto say, “Please help our friends. They are still in the mountains.” The army goes to the crash site. They find the people. After 72 days in the snow, they are safe.

The Heroes

Nando and Roberto are heroes. They were brave. They were strong. They walked for 10 days. They saved 14 lives. They did an impossible thing. Now, they speak to people. They tell their story. “Never give up,” says Nando and Roberto. “There is always hope.”

Level 2 Reader

564 Words

A Plane Crash in the Mountains

In October 1972, a plane flew over the Andes Mountains in South America. On the plane were a rugby team from Uruguay, their friends, and family. They were flying to Chile for a match. But something went wrong. The plane crashed high in the snowy mountains.

Many people died in the crash. Others were badly hurt. The survivors were cold, hungry, and scared. They waited for help, but no one came. Days passed. Then weeks passed. The food ran out. The radio said the rescue search had stopped.

The people on the mountain were alone.

Two Friends Make a Plan

Two young men, Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa, decided to do something brave. They would hike out of the mountains to find help. It was dangerous, but they had no choice. If they stayed, everyone would die.

Nando and Roberto were not mountain climbers. They had no special gear. They wore clothes from the plane and wrapped plastic and cloth around their feet to make boots. They packed a little food, but it was not enough.

They said goodbye to their friends. Then, they walked into the white mountains.

A Long, Hard Journey

The mountains were cold and full of snow. The air was thin, and it was hard to breathe. Every step was slow and difficult. Sometimes they fell. Sometimes they wanted to stop. But they remembered their friends waiting for help. They could not give up.

At night, they slept close together to stay warm. They built small shelters in the snow. They ate a little and tried to stay strong.

After three days, they climbed the highest mountain they could find. From the top, they hoped to see green valleys or cities. But all they saw were more snowy mountains.

They were feeling bad. But they kept going.

They kept going.

Into the Valley

After many more days, the snow began to disappear. The mountains turned to hills. Then, one day, they saw a river. It was a good sign. Rivers often lead to people.

They followed the river down. They were very tired. Their clothes were dirty and broken. Their faces were thin and sunburned.

On the ninth day, they saw something amazing — a man with a horse on the other side of the river! Nando and Roberto shouted and waved. The man saw them, but the river was too loud. He came back the next day with food and paper. He threw it across the river.

Roberto wrote:
“We come from a plane crash. There are still 14 people alive on the mountain. Please help us!”

Rescue at Last

The man took the message to the nearest town. Soon, helicopters came to the mountains. The rest of the survivors were saved. After 72 days in the cold, the nightmare was over.

Nando and Roberto became heroes. They were only young men, but they had saved their friends through courage and strength.

A Story of Hope

The story of the Andes crash is a story of survival, teamwork, and hope. Nando and Roberto’s journey shows us what people can do when they don’t give up. Even in the hardest times, there is always a way forward.

Today, many people still remember this amazing story. It teaches us to be brave, to care for each other, and to never lose hope.

Never lose hope.

Level 3 Reader

684 Words

A Desperate Situation
In October 1972, a plane crashed in the Andes Mountains. It was carrying 45 people, including a rugby team from Uruguay, their friends, and family. The plane hit a mountain and broke apart. Many died in the crash, and others died from injuries or the cold in the days that followed.

For more than two months, the survivors were trapped in the snow-covered mountains. They had no way to contact the outside world. They had no food except for what they could find in the wreckage. Eventually, they were forced to make terribly difficult choices.

But time was running out. They had no idea where they were. No one was coming to help. The survivors understood they had to do something themselves—or die.

Nando and Roberto Step Forward
Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa were two of the strongest survivors. They decided to hike out of the mountains to find help. It was the only chance left for the others to survive.

This was not an easy decision. The mountains were covered in deep snow. The temperature dropped far below zero at night. They had no maps, no climbing gear, and very little food. But they were determined.

Before leaving, they made sleeping bags out of airplane insulation. They wrapped their feet in plastic and cloth. They took food scraps, a homemade water bottle, and pieces of the plane’s metal to use as tools.

On December 12, 1972, after more than 60 days trapped in the Andes, Nando and Roberto began their journey.

A Climb Through Death
The first part of their hike was the hardest. They had to climb to the top of a mountain peak that looked like it might show them the way out. It took them three days to reach the top.

When they finally looked down from the summit, their hearts sank. All they could see were more snowy mountains stretching into the distance. No towns. No green valleys. No roads.

But they didn’t give up. They kept going. Every night they slept in the snow, freezing and exhausted. Every day they climbed down steep hills and crossed dangerous rivers. They had to make quick decisions and help each other constantly.

They had no idea if they were going in the right direction. But they believed that if they kept walking, they would eventually find help.

A Ray of Hope
On the ninth day of their journey, the snow finally began to disappear. They saw green grass, trees, and running water. They were getting lower. They were finally leaving the high mountains behind.

On the tenth day, they saw something that gave them hope: a small river and, on the other side, a man with animals. The man couldn’t hear them, so Nando and Roberto shouted and waved. The man waved back and disappeared.

The next day, the man returned. He threw a rock across the river with a note tied to it. Nando wrote a message explaining who they were and what had happened. The man read the note and left again.

Nando and Roberto waited. They were almost too weak to stand. But now they knew help was on the way.

Rescue at Last
Soon after, helicopters flew into the mountains and rescued the remaining 14 survivors. Thanks to Nando and Roberto’s courage, their friends were saved.

The journey had taken 10 days and covered over 60 kilometers. They had climbed through some of the most dangerous mountains in the world with almost nothing.

Their story became world-famous. People were shocked and inspired. The two young men had risked everything to save others.

Legacy of the Hike
Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa both went on to live successful lives. Nando became a businessman and motivational speaker. Roberto became a doctor. Both men often speak about their experiences and the importance of courage, teamwork, and never giving up—even when the situation seems impossible.

Their hike through the Andes remains one of the greatest survival stories of all time. It is a powerful reminder of what human beings can do when faced with incredible challenges.

Extensive Listening

Level 1 Audio