VOA新闻杂志2022--波黑88岁老人爱跳伞

Parachuting Keeps 88-Year-Old Bosnian Man Fit

An 88-year-old man from Bosnia is living proof that extreme sports are not just for young people.

Ibrahim Kalesic stays in shape by jumping out of airplanes. And he has done so over almost 1,500 times. The sport is called parachuting. It involves using a special cloth called a parachute to jump out of an airplane high above the ground. The parachute reduces the speed at which a person falls.

Kalesic was introduced to the sport more than 70 years ago. Over the weekend, he completed his 1,487th jump during a parachuting competition held in the western Bosnian town of Bihac.

He told Reuters, "I feel super, rested psychologically and enjoying great company."

He also said, "I am the oldest active parachuter in Europe."

As a young man, Kalesic underwent training at a flying center in Serbia. He later became a parachuting instructor¹. In 1963, he set a record in the former Yugoslavia by jumping out of a plane that was 5,500 meters above sea level.

Kalesic does more than jumping out of airplanes to stay healthy and fit. He told Reuters he exercises each day for 15 minutes. His wife, he said, makes sure he eats healthy foods.

He follows some other simple steps to keep fit at his age.

Kalesic said, "Parachuting is an extreme sport and requires concentration. To be well concentrated, one has to sleep well, and to sleep well one has to have a clear consciousness² that one has not offended or harmed anyone..."

Words in This Story

psychological – adj. of or relating to the mind

fit - adj. in good physical condition

pension – n. an amount of money that a company or the government pays to a person who is old or sick and no longer works

concentration – n. the ability to give your attention or thought to a single object or activity

consciousness – n. a person's mind and thoughts

1 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

2 consciousness   

n.意识，觉悟，知觉

参考例句：

• The experience helped to change her social consciousness.这种经验有助于改变她的社会意识。
• He lost consciousness at the first whiff of ether.他一嗅到乙醚便失去了知觉。