VOA慢速英语2016--尼日利亚“难二代”实现飞行梦

AS IT IS 2016-09-19 Son of Nigerian Immigrants Satisfies Dream of Flying 尼日利亚“难二代”实现飞行梦

Anthony Oshinuga, the son of Nigerian immigrants, wakes up early and goes to work in Southern California. He owns the business, Air Oshinuga, and his job is to fly.

Oshinuga has a small Cessna vintage airplane that was built in the 1940s. He takes passengers on airplane tours over the San Diego area. Later, he will fly circles and spins in his Pitts Special, an aerobatic airplane built for such flying.

He is living his childhood dream of being a pilot.

“It's the fact of you're free in the three dimensions, up down, left, right, so you're pretty much free. You can do anything you want to do and you can't get that freedom walking on the planet.”

His parents left Lagos, Nigeria and moved to Austin, Texas in 1980. Oshinuga was born the following year. He is the first generation in his family to be born in the U.S.

He knew he wanted to be a pilot at the age of five while visiting an airport.

“I was taken by what was going on. I told my father, that's exactly what I want to do.”

With his small tour company, he flies over the wine country of Temecula in his airplane. It is polished and looks brand new. He has teamed up with some wineries in this valley, a large wine-producing area in Southern California.

“We provide clients with 30-minute scenic¹ aerial² flights over Temecula, and then we land and they go down there and do wine tasting.”

Oshinuga started training to become a pilot eight years ago. He received his commercial flying license³ in 2013. He first entered national flying competitions in 2014.

“That's when I went to the U.S. National Aerobatic Championships and placed fourth out of 25 competitors. So since then, things have been really blossoming⁴ in the arena⁵ of aerobatics and air shows and air racings.”

Aerobatics and air racing⁶ involve high levels of speed. High speeds can increase the levels of gravitational force or g-force that pilots experience. G-force can push blood away from the brain. The ability to withstand high g-forces or g-tolerance is required during difficult aerobatic flying.

Oshinuga goes to the gym five days a week to build strong muscles. Strong muscles help to keep blood in the head while performing aerobatics.

Oshinuga studied engineering at the University of California, Riverside. He worked as an engineer for seven years. He says that engineering helped to pay the bills, but his passion is aviation⁷.

His goal is to compete at the highest level of aerobatic competition.

Words in This Story

vintage – adj. used to describe something that is not new but that is valued because of its good condition, attractive design, etc.

spins – v. to turn or cause someone or something to turn around repeatedly

aerobatic – n. difficult and exciting movements of an airplane often performed for entertainment

tour – n. a journey through the different parts of a country, region, etc.

polished – adj. made smooth and shiny

commercial – adj. based on the amount of profit that something earns

competitions – n. the act or process of trying to get or win something (such as a prize or a higher level of success) that someone else is also trying to get or win?

gravitational – adj. movement to or toward someone or something

gym – n. a health club where people exercise

1 scenic   

adj.自然景色的，景色优美的

参考例句：

• The scenic beauty of the place entranced the visitors.这里的美丽风光把游客们迷住了。
• The scenic spot is on northwestern outskirts of Beijing.这个风景区位于北京的西北远郊。

2 aerial   

adj.飞机（航空）的，空中的；n.天线

参考例句：

• An aerial photograph of the field shows clearly where the buildings were.这一场地的空中照片清晰地显示出这些建筑物的位置。
• Aerial pollution is a problem that should be solved quickly.空气污染是一个亟待解决的问题。

3 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

4 blossoming   

v.（植物）开花( blossom的现在分词 )；发展；长成；变得更加健康（或自信、成功）

参考例句：

• Our firm is blossoming out. 我们的公司正在成长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The corn is blossoming [ripening]. 玉米正在开花[成熟]。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

6 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。

7 aviation   

n.航空，航空学，飞机制造业

参考例句：

• Ten years ago,they began to develop the aviation. 十年前，他们开始发展航空工业。
• Pilots of large aircraft are masters of aviation.大型飞行器的驾驶员是航空学方面的专家。