The US Win Their 11th Presidents Cup in a 17–13 Comeback

So the team needed a strong finish, and it certainly produced one.

It did. The Americans won nine of the twelve singles matches and finished with a 17-13 victory at Medinah.

That result gave the United States its eleventh straight Presidents Cup, avoiding only its second defeat since the competition began 32 years ago.

Medinah has special meaning in this sport. What happened there on the final day?

Jacob Bridgeman won the decisive point. He made a four-foot par putt on the 18th hole, beating Australia's Min Woo Lee by one hole.

There were also victories for Cameron Young, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, Chris Gotterup, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Jackson Koivun.

That is a long list of important wins. Did the location add pressure for the American team?

Yes. Medinah was where Team Europe made its famous Ryder Cup comeback in 2012. Brandt Snedeker was on the American team that lost there.

This time, Snedeker was the United States captain. He said he had warned the players that surprising things often happened at Medinah.

He also said that his players had fought for one another, their country and their team.

The International captain saw the match as very close, despite the final score.

Geoff Ogilvy said the United States started strongly, as his team expected. He described the day as uncertain and evenly balanced.

Ogilvy added that some matches could have changed direction. If several American leads had become International leads, the momentum might have changed too.

Donald Trump was also at Medinah. Why was he there?

He attended as the honorary chairman, a ceremonial leader without official power, greeted the players and gave a speech before the matches began.

Ella, thank you for explaining this exciting finish.

Thank you, Daniel.

An avalanche has struck a climbing group in the Nepalese Himalayas, and two bodies have been recovered.

Liam is LinguaWire's correspondent for news. Liam, what is known about the people still missing?

Thanks, Daniel. Around twelve people are still thought to be missing after snow fell on the base camp of Himlung Himal on Sunday morning.

The camp is in Nepal's Manang district. The group included Nepalese climbers and support staff who had gone ahead of foreign climbers.

What work were they preparing to do at the camp?

They were preparing the camp, managing the route and fixing ropes for the climbers. Rescuers have recovered two bodies from the avalanche site.

However, the exact number of people still unaccounted for, meaning not found or explained, is unclear. Bibhuti Chand Thakur said at least eight members of his expedition team were missing.

The mountain is high, and the weather has made the rescue especially difficult.

Yes. Himlung Himal rises to 7,126 metres and stands near Nepal's border with Tibet. Forecasts showed heavy snow around the peak in recent days.

Poor weather first stopped helicopters and rescue teams from reaching the site. A team of experienced mountaineers was then sent from Kathmandu by helicopter.

When can rescuers continue their work?

The effort is expected to continue on Monday, although thick snow and bad weather remain serious problems.

Nepal's mountain districts have experienced persistent rain and snow. These conditions have created dangerous conditions for the country's important climbing tourism industry.

Has the weather affected other climbing areas too?

Yes. Climbers left Mount Manaslu earlier this week because the danger of avalanches was increasing.

The latest deaths come less than two months after six people died on Broad Peak in Pakistan, including British-Nepalese mountaineer Nirmal Purja.

The news also follows continuing efforts to recover bodies after a flood and landslide near the Nepal-Tibet border in August.

More than 6,000 people remain missing there, while more than 1,400 deaths have been confirmed after a glacial collapse sent water and debris, broken pieces left behind, through the Trishuli River valley.

Extreme weather has also affected parts of Asia. Officials said more than 50 people died in India's Uttar Pradesh region during the past week.

Liam, thank you for bringing us the latest information.

Thank you, Daniel.

Part one: three useful words from today's news.

Persistent means continuing for a long time. In the story, “Nepal's mountain districts have experienced persistent rain and snow.” Persistent noise made it hard to sleep.

Unaccounted means not found or not included in a known number. In the story, “However, the exact number of people still unaccounted for, meaning not found or explained, is unclear.” Two bags were still unaccounted for.

Debris means broken pieces left behind after something is damaged or destroyed. In the story, “More than 6,000 people remain missing there, while more than 1,400 deaths have been confirmed after a glacial collapse sent water and debris, broken pieces left behind, through the Trishuli River valley.” Workers cleared debris from the road.

Part two: the grammar.

He also said that his players had fought for one another, their country and their team.

Reported speech with a past reporting verb and a past-perfect reported clause is used to report earlier words or actions.

The past perfect is formed with had plus the past participle. I had fought, you had fought, he or she had fought, we had fought, you had fought, they had fought. In the simple past, I fought.

“He also said that his players had fought for one another, their country and their team.”

The captain said that the players had trained every day.

Repeat after me: He also said that his players had fought for one another, their country and their team.