Lost

BBC Learning EnglishWeekenderLostCallum: Hello, I'm Callum Robertson and this is Weekender.
　　Today I want to talk about one of those stories that youhear in the news fromtime to time. Not an important international story, not oneabout politics or celebrities 1, but one about an individualwho makes the news for a day or two then disappears backinto the obscurity in which most of us live. A story whichmakes you think "Uh? That's strange."This story happened in Australia earlier this year. I don'tknow if you've ever visited Australia but I've been luckyenough to travel there three times.
　　The first thing I remember thinking about Australia was howbig it is. Well, it's not just big, it's huge. Now I'm suresome people listening to this live in countries withequally vast distances, like, Russia or China, but you haveto remember that I come from the United Kingdom – a tinygroup of islands by comparison where if you fly more thanan hour you'll end up in anothercountry or over the sea.
　　Australia too, is an island, but it's also a continent witha relatively 2 small population which mainly lives in thecoastal areas. Vast areas of the interior 3 of Australia areuninhabited and inhospitable deserts or bush. Not 'a' bush,a single plant, but 'the' bush. The name given to areas ofland with some trees and bushes but no or very few people.
　　– The Bush. There's also another wordfor Australia's desert wilderness 4, the outback.
　　And this is where this story happened, in the bush aroundthe town of AliceSprings. An English man from Warwickshire called MartinLake had got lost while out for a walk. By using his mobilephone he called for help and after some time was rescued.
　　That seemed to be the end of the story, but it wasn't, afew days later another news report came out of AliceSprings. Here's the first part of the report from the BBC'sNick Bryant. What did Martin Lake do after his rescue?
　　NICK BRYANTWhen Martin Lake was rescued the first time he was founddehydrated and sunburnt, with neither a hat nor sunscreenand carrying just a small amount of water. But even aftertelling his rescuers that he felt a bit daft, he set offback into the bush, seemingly 5 to look for something he'dlost during his first wilderness adventure.
　　Callum: After being rescued he set off back into the bush!
　　It seems he went to look for something he had lost while hewas on his first adventure. He had told the people whorescued him that he felt a bit daft, a bit daft. If youfeel a bit daft it means you feel a bit stupid, a bitfoolish. So even though he felt a bit stupid and beensunburnt and dehydrated on his first trip, he went outagain to the same place. And what happened, yes, he gotlost again, and again he used his mobile phone to call forhelp. What happened then? How long was he lost again for?
　　Here’s the rest of Nick Bryant's report.
　　NICK BRYANTStranded a second time after spending four nights in thesame area just north of Alice Springs, the fifty year oldrang for help from his mobile phone. His call sparked amajor land and air search which involved three helicoptersand teams of volunteers. When the Warwickshireman was rescued he was suffering from dehydration 7 and isnow being treated at a hospital inAlice Springs. The police say he's extremely lucky to bealive.
　　Callum: He was stranded 6 for four days. Stranded – lost,not able to find his way back.
　　We heard that his phone call sparked a major search. Itsparked a search – this expression is often used instories about rescues – something happens which causes asearch to start. In this case it was his phone call, again,which 'sparked' the search.
　　The search was successful again, and he was found again,and he was taken to hospital suffering from dehydration,again.
　　As far as I know he didn't go out for a third time and wenever learned what it was that he had lost that first timethat encouraged him to go out a second time. Martin Lakehas now slipped out of the news and hopefully returnedsafely to Warwickshire.
　　That's all from this edition of Weekender. To end here isNick Bryant's report in full.
　　NICK BRYANTWhen Martin Lake was rescued the first time he was founddehydrated and sunburnt, with neither a hat nor sunscreenand carrying just a small amount of water. But even aftertelling his rescuers that he felt a bit daft, he set offback into the bush, seemingly to look for something he'dlost during his first wilderness adventure. Stranded asecond time after spending four nights in the same areajust north of Alice Springs, the fifty year old rang forhelp from his mobile phone. His call sparked a major landand air search which involved three helicopters and teamsof volunteers. When the Warwickshire man was rescued he wassuffering from dehydration and is now being treated at ahospital in Alice Springs. The police say he's extremelylucky to be alive.