Who Was Neil Armstrong - 尼尔·阿姆斯特朗 THE FIRST AIRPLANE

THE WRIGHT BROTHERS, ORVILLE AND WILBUR, GREW UP IN DAYTON, OHIO, NEAR WHERE NEIL ARMSTRONG WAS BORN. LIKE NEIL, THEY WERE INTERESTED IN ANYTHING THAT FLEW FROM THE TIME THEY WERE KIDS. THEY MADE PAPER TOYS THAT THEY CALLED BATS¹, WHICH COULD GLIDE² ON AIR CURRENTS³.
BUT IN 1903, WHEN WILBUR WAS THIRTY-SIX AND ORVILLE WAS THIRTY-TWO, THEY DID SOMETHING AMAZING, SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE HAD DREAMED OF DOING FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. THEY BUILT THE FIRST REAL AIRPLANE—ONE WITH AN ENGINE—THAT ACTUALLY FLEW INSTEAD OF GLIDING⁴ ON THE WIND.
THEIR ONE-SEATER PLANE WAS MADE OF WOOD AND CLOTH⁵. IT WAS EIGHT FEET HIGH AND HAD WINGS THAT WENT FORTY FEET ACROSS. ORVILLE MADE THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT ON DECEMBER 17, 1903, IN KITTY HAWK⁶, NORTH CAROLINA. (THE WEATHER WAS MUCH BETTER THERE THAN IN OHIO!)
HOW LONG WAS THE FLIGHT? ONLY TWELVE SECONDS.
AND HOW FAR DID THE PLANE TRAVEL? ONLY 120 FEET. AND IT WAS ONLY TWENTY FEET OFF THE GROUND. BUT IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF A WHOLE NEW AGE!
 

1 bats   

神经不正常的，怪异的

参考例句：

• Bats are crepuscular creatures. 蝙蝠是在黎明或黄昏时分活动的动物。
• Dogs, cats and bats can all carry rabies. 狗、猫和蝙蝠都可能携带狂犬病病毒。

2 glide   

n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝

参考例句：

• We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我们噤若寒蝉地站着，眼看那条蛇逍遥自在地游来游去。
• So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演员翩跹起舞，宛如滑翔。

3 currents   

电流( current的名词复数 )； 水流； 流速

参考例句：

• The motorboat cut across swift currents and skirted dangerous reefs. 汽艇穿过激流，绕过险滩。
• She was swept away by the treacherous currents. 她给凶险的激流卷走了。

4 gliding   

v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的

参考例句：

• Swans went gliding past. 天鹅滑行而过。
• The weather forecast has put a question mark against the chance of doing any gliding tomorrow. 天气预报对明天是否能举行滑翔表示怀疑。

5 cloth   

n.布；植物；衣料

参考例句：

• This kind of cloth washes very well.这种布料很好洗涤。
• We make cotton into cloth.我们把棉花织成布。

6 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。