World News for Students of English

12-10-2020 15:00

Alain Robert is a 58-year-old French urban climber. He has climbed many of the world’s tallest buildings. People call him ’Spiderman’ because he does not use ropes.

In 2018, Robert climbed the Heron Tower, which is a 755-foot tall skyscraper in London. Police arrested him shortly after the stunt, and later, a court banned Robert from climbing any building in the UK.

Last week, Robert climbed one of the tallest buildings in Frankfurt, Germany. The building was 545 feet tall, and Robert did not use ropes. He wore a silver suit and cowboy boots, and it took him only 30 minutes to get to the top. German rail company had offices in the building, and the company complained to the police because they did not give Robert permission to climb the building.

Difficult words: urban climber (a person who climbs buildings, usually without any equipment), stunt (a dangerous action that many people watch), permission (when someone officially allows somebody else to do something).

You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.