World News for Students of English

27-07-2016 07:00

A world record attempt! 64-year-old Fedor Konyukhov set off to try and fly around the world solo in this hot-air balloon.

The Russian Orthodox priest left from Australia where his family were there to wish him well.

“It was his dream from his youth. And he always told me that one of his biggest dreams was to go up in a balloon, so it’s a main dream of him.”

It’s not the first risky adventure he’s attempted. He previously climbed Mount Everest and rowed 16,000 kilometres across the Pacific Ocean.

But to beat this record, he’d have to do it in less than 13 and a half days, something American Steve Fossett did in 2002.

Attempting to fly the world solo has been a childhood dream of Fedor’s. He’ll have to wait and see whether it lives up to his expectations.

Difficult words: solo (alone), youth (when someone was young), attempt (try), live up to your expectations (to be as great as you think it will be).

Source: www.ondemandnews.com