Mount Everest - the world's highest mountain (Use of English part 2 - open cloze)

though

...it was obvious that others would follow them, _______ no one expected there would be so many.

as

...its conquest was seen _______ the greatest challenge on Earth.

least

At _______ 175 people have died on the mountain since the first attempt on Everest in 1921.

had

But after Everest _______ been identified as the world's highest mountain...

does

Everest has now been climbed by a fifteen-year-old girl - Sherpa Ming Kips - and by a seventy-year-old Japanese man - Yuichiro Miura. So _______ it still remain the greatest challenge on Earth?

every

Hundreds of climbers visit the mountain _______ year, hoping to stand on the roof of the world.

the

In the past, the Sherpas who lived at _______ foot of Mount Everest never thought of climbing it. Their lives were hard enough.

long

Not _______ ago, eight climbers were killed in one night when a storm blew up suddenly.

their

Sherpas take great pride in _______ work, but it is dangerous.

since

The Sherpas, adapted to living at high altitudes, have acted as guides and porters to climbers ever _______.

must

There are now ropes and ladders to help people up the difficult sections. But the danger of the mountain _______ still not be underestimated.

When

_______ Hillary and Tenzing reached the summit in 1953, it was obvious that others would follow them.

Despite

_______ this tragedy, hundreds of climbers still visit the mountain.