An ominous warning from above

An ominous warning from above.

Go through the article and number the paragraphs. It will save time later!
Look at the source of this article. What does this suggest about the target readership?

Which words in the headline suggest threat?

What is the implication of the words “from above”?
The picture of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, the first men to scale Everest, and the reference to their sons, gives a sense of continuity against which the changes to the mountain can be contrasted. Which words in paragraph 1 work together to achieve the same contrast?
When linked to the words “timely” and “rapidly”, these act as a subtle reminder of the pace of change.
The words “threatening the survival of billions” can be described as------- language.

Make 2 columns, 1 for facts and 1 for emotive language. Use the material from paragraphs 3 & 4 to fill these columns.

There is an ironic contrast between the name of the mountain, meaning Mother of the World, and its potential state by 2050. Which word in paragraph 3 enforces that irony?
Peter Hillary is cited as an authoritative source. What 2 things form the basis of his authority as regards Everest?

Which words in paragraph 5 highlight the powerlessness of the sherpas?

Paragraph 6 tells us that “terrorism, crime, graffiti and even dog mess are more pressing issues for the UK.” What is the impact of “even dog mess”?
In paragraph 7, 51% is represented as “just over half”. Why do you think Milmo and Relph presented it in this way?

In the same paragraph, what is the effect of the word “admitted”?
The article ends, in paragraph 9, with a striking and alarming contrast between the current size of glaciers “between half a mile and more than three miles in length”, which will be “reduced to small patches of ice”. There is, however, the slight suggestion that this is not inevitable in the words “if trends continue.” Since the whole article is couched as a warning, using conditionals such as “could”, this is appropriate, though the hope is muted by references to the damage which has already been done.