VOA慢速英语 2007 0312b

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember. 

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Shirley Griffith. Our subject this week is sailing.

(MUSIC: "Sail On, Sailor"/Beach Boys)

VOICE ONE:

The United States has two ocean coasts and countless¹ lakes, rivers and other waterways -- enough to satisfy not just the average sailor. But last October, a forty-seven-year-old man named Ken² Barnes left California in a thirteen-meter sailboat. He wanted to become the first person to sail alone, nonstop, around the world from west to east.

He was at the bottom of South America when things went wrong. A storm destroyed both masts³ holding up the sails. Waves flooded the boat. Most of his supplies were destroyed. But thanks to modern technology, not all hope was lost.

Ken Barnes called his girlfriend in California by satellite phone and told her what happened. The next day, he called her again and told her he had very little to eat.

VOICE TWO:

Later, another friend spoke⁴ with him and learned that Ken Barnes had a severe cut on his leg. It was bleeding, and he was a long way from medical help.

 
Ken Barnes, in yellow, is rescued by members of the crew of the Chilean trawler Polar Pesca 1
Lucky for him, a search plane from the Chilean Navy located his boat, the Privateer. It was floating aimlessly at sea, eight hundred kilometers from shore. Word reached a fishing boat, which then traveled four hundred seventy-five kilometers to his rescue.

Ken Barnes was safe. His boat was a different story. It sank.

(MUSIC: "Southern Cross"/Crosby Stills & Nash)

VOICE ONE:

Most people who enjoy sailing or power boating are not looking to break any records. They just look forward to a nice day out on the water.

Crew, the sport of team rowing, is popular in American high schools and colleges. There are also crew teams for adults.

Like people, boats come in many sizes, from one-person kayaks that fit easily on top of a car to big yachts⁶ for sailors with lots of money.

In racing⁷, a huge version of the catamaran has become popular in recent years. A catamaran is a traditional design with two hulls⁸ that are side by side.

The mega catamaran or maxi cat gained wide attention in a round-the-world event called simply The Race. It began in Barcelona, Spain, on New Year's Eve of two thousand. Catamarans and other boats took part.

American Steve Fossett was in a maxi cat named PlayStation, later renamed Cheyenne. His boat had to withdraw because of equipment problems. But Steve Fossett went on to break speed records for sailing, though some of his records have since been broken by others.

His boat was christened in nineteen ninety-eight at a ceremony in New Zealand. Steve Fossett was busy, however. He was trying to circle the world in a balloon at the time.

(MUSIC: "Sailing On"/Toots & the Maytals)

VOICE TWO:

The most important sailing race in the world is the America's Cup. Yet the last time an American team reached the finals was in nineteen ninety-five, when the United States lost to New Zealand.

You might think the America's Cup is named for a country or continent. Instead, the event is named for a famous boat, a schooner⁹ called America. With it, the New York Yacht⁵ Club defeated Britain's Royal Yacht Squadron in a race around the Isle¹⁰ of Wight in eighteen fifty-one.

The New York Yacht Club won the Hundred Guinea Cup, which was renamed the America's Cup. The club had possession of it for one hundred thirty-two years, until an Australian team won it in nineteen eighty-three.

 
America's Cup, 2006
The America's Cup is a regatta, or series of races. The two thousand seven America's Cup final will be held in Valencia, Spain, between June twenty-third and July seventh. The Alinghi team of Switzerland will defend the cup against Team New Zealand.

(MUSIC: "Come Sail Away"/Styx)

VOICE ONE:

Some people are not satisfied with sailing away just for an afternoon of fishing or sunbathing¹¹ on their nearest lake. For boaters in San Diego, California, for example, sailing down the Pacific coast to Mexico can make for an easy weekend getaway.

When members of boating clubs get together at parties, you might hear people talk about going out to sea. That might mean spending months traveling the world. And these are not all millionaires with big yachts and no jobs to worry about. These might be couples who have spent years working hard, saving their money and learning the skills of sailing. 

The American Sailing Association says that over the years, it has taught more than six hundred sixty thousand people to sail. The association provides lessons in many places in the United States.

A group called the American Sail Training Association helps young people learn to sail tall ships like those of long ago.

Another organization, US Sailing, trains sailing teachers and, among other things, helps prepare sailors for Olympic competition.

(MUSIC: "Sail Away"/Randy Newman)

VOICE TWO:

Sailing appeals to all ages. Five girls who live near the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland belong to a Mariner¹² Troop of the Girl Scouts¹³ of America. The members are ages eleven to seventeen. They meet once a month.

The girls build their own boats. Their training includes all kinds of water-related skills. In addition to sailing, they swim and row and go rafting through fast currents. The Mariner Scouts study ocean science, sea biology, archeology and more.

They learn all about a world that has captured the imagination for as long as people have set sail.

(MUSIC: "A Sailboat in the Moonlight"/Billie Holiday with Lester Young)

VOICE ONE:      

Any sailor will tell you there is something romantic about a sailboat -- even one that displaces¹⁴ more than a hundred tons of water. The Manitou is a tall sailing ship on Lake Michigan. Its homeport is Traverse¹⁵ City, Michigan.

The main captain of the Manitou is Dave McGinnis. He owns the Traverse Tall Ship Company. He says Americans have shown new interest in historic¹⁶ ships in recent years.

The Manitou is similar in design to schooners¹⁷ that carried goods on the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean in the eighteen hundreds. But the Manitou was built in nineteen eighty-three for passenger service.

VOICE TWO:

Early in the sailing season, the Manitou carries schoolchildren on trips so they can learn about the lake environment. The children help place nets and pull them up to catch fish for study. The fish are returned to the water.

Late in the season, adult passengers can enjoy an escape on the Manitou. Passengers can help raise the sails, wash dishes, or just read a book. The ship carries no television sets or telephones or computers to check e-mail. 

The captain has no fixed¹⁸ plan for exactly what passengers will see on their trip. Sometimes the weekend sailors visit one of the state's oldest general stores, established in eighteen thirty-nine. The storekeeper serves up ice cream and local history. Or the passengers might visit a lighthouse. Captain McGinnis says wind and weather help decide where to stop.

(MUSIC: "Sailing"/Christopher Cross)

VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver¹⁹. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Shirley Griffith. Our programs are all available with transcripts²⁰ and audio files at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

2 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

3 masts   

船桅( mast的名词复数 )； 桅杆； 旗杆； 天线塔

参考例句：

• Her masts leveled with the spires of churches. 船的桅杆和教堂的塔尖一样高。
• First the sails and then the masts went. 先是帆坏了，随后桅杆也断了。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 yacht   

n.游艇，快艇

参考例句：

• He was responsible for the location of the missing yacht.他负责查明失踪游艇的下落。
• He planned to cross the Pacific by yacht.他曾打算乘快艇横渡太平洋。

6 yachts   

n.快艇，帆船，游艇( yacht的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They have yachts available for charter. 他们有供包租的游艇。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We still sighted nine yachts. 我们还是看见了9艘游艇。 来自辞典例句

7 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

8 hulls   

船体( hull的名词复数 )； 船身； 外壳； 豆荚

参考例句：

• Hulls may be removed by aspiration on screens. 脱下的种皮，可由筛子上的气吸装置吸除。
• When their object is attained they fall off like empty hulls from the kernel. 当他们的目的达到以后，他们便凋谢零落，就象脱却果实的空壳一样。

9 schooner   

n.纵帆船

参考例句：

• The schooner was driven ashore.那条帆船被冲上了岸。
• The current was bearing coracle and schooner southward at an equal rate.急流正以同样的速度将小筏子和帆船一起冲向南方。

10 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

11 sunbathing   

n.日光浴

参考例句：

• tourists sunbathing on the beach 在海滩上沐浴着阳光的游客
• We've been sunbathing on the beach. 我们一直在海滩上晒日光浴。

12 mariner   

n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者

参考例句：

• A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner.平静的大海决不能造就熟练的水手。
• A mariner must have his eye upon rocks and sands as well as upon the North Star.海员不仅要盯着北极星，还要注意暗礁和险滩。

13 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

14 displaces   

移动( displace的第三人称单数 )； 替换； 移走； 撤职

参考例句：

• Zinc displaces the hydrogen of dilute acids. 锌置换了稀酸中的氢。
• The ship displaces 20, 000tons. 这艘船的排水量为两万吨。

15 traverse   

n.横贯，横木；v.横过，铭刻

参考例句：

• We traverse the desert by truck.我们乘卡车横穿沙漠。
• I have no intention to traverse that ground in my present lecture.在这次演讲中我不打算详细讨论这一点。

16 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

17 schooners   

n.（有两个以上桅杆的）纵帆船( schooner的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You've already drunk three schooners of sherry. 你已经喝了三大杯雪利酒了。 来自辞典例句
• Might l beg the honour of pouring the privileged schooners myself? 请问我能不能自己倒尊贵的大杯酒？ 来自电影对白

18 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

19 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

20 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句