备考公共管理硕士英语精读文章（二）

公共管理硕士英语精读文章02

UNIT2TEXT

Atsixty-fiveFrancisChichestersetouttosailsingle-handedroundtheworld.Thisisthestoryofthatadventure.

SailingRoundtheWorld

Beforehesailedroundtheworldsingle-handed,FrancisChichesterhadalreadysurprisedhisfriendsseveraltimes.Hehadtriedtoflyroundtheworldbutfailed.Thatwasin1931.

Theyearspassed.Hegaveupflyingandbegansailing.Heenjoyeditgreatly.Chichesterwasalready58yearsoldwhenhewonthefirstsolotransatlanticsailingrace.Hisolddreamofgoingroundtheworldcameback,butthistimehewouldsail.Hisfriendsanddoctorsdidnotthinkhecoulddoit,ashehadlungcancer.ButChichesterwasdeterminedtocarryouthisplan.InAugust,1963,attheageofnearlysixty-five,anagewhenmanymenretire,hebeganthegreatestvoyageofhislife.Soon,hewasawayinthisnew16-metreboat,GipsyMoth.

Chichesterfollowedtherouteofthegreatnineteenthcenturyclipperships.Buttheclippershadhadplentyofcrew.Chicheaterdiditallbyhimself,evenafterthemainsteeringdevicehadbeendamagedbygales.Chichestercovered14,100milesbeforestoppinginSydney,Australia.Thiswasmorethantwicethedistanceanyonehadpreviouslysailedalone.

HearrivedinAustraliaon12December,just107daysoutfromEngland.HereceivedawarmwelcomefromtheAustraliansandfromhisfamilywhohadflowntheretomeethim.Onshore,Chichestercouldnotwalkwithouthelp.Everybodysaidthesamething:hehaddoneenough;hemustnotgoanyfurther.Buthedidnotlisten.

AfterrestinginSydneyforafewweeks,Chichestersetoffoncemoreinspiteofhisfriends'attemptstodissuadehim.Thesecondhalfofhisvoyagewasbyfarthemoredangerouspart,duringwhichhesailedroundthetreacherousCapeHorn.

On29JanuaryheleftAustralia.Themextnight,theblackesthehadeverknown,theseabecamesoroughthattheboatalmostturned

over.Food,clothes,andbrokenglasswereallmixedtogether.Fortunately,bedandwenttosleep.Whenhewokeup,theseahadbecomecalmthenearestpersonhecouldcontactbyradio,unlesstherewasashipnearby,Wildbeonanisland885milesaway.

AftersucceedinginsailingroundCapeHorn,ChichestersentthefollowiingradiomessagetoLondon:"IfeelasifIhadwakenedfromanightmare.WildhorsescouldnotdragmedowntoCapeHornandthatsinisterSouthernOceanagain."

Juatbefore9o'clockonSundayevening28May,1967,heaeeivedbackinEngland,whereaquarterofamillionpeoplewerewaitingtowelcomehim.QueehElizabethIIknigthedhimwiththeveryswordthatQueenElizabethIhadsailedroundtheworldforthefirsttime.ThewholevoyagefromEnglandandbackhadcovered28,500miles.Ithadtakenhimninemonths,ofwhichthesailingtimewas226days.Hehaddonewhathewantedtoaccomplish.

Likemanyotheradventurers,Chichesterhadexperiencedfearandconqueredit.Indoingso,hehadundoubtedlylearntsomethingabouthimself.Moreover,inthemodernagewhenhumanbeingsdependsomuchonmachines,hehadgivenmenthroughouttheworldnewpride.

NEWWORDS

single-handed

a&ad.(done)byonepersonalone单独的(地)adventure

n.冒险(活动)solo

a.single-handed单独的transatlantic

a.crossingtheAtlanticOcean横度大西洋lung

n.partofthebodywithwhichonebreathes肺cancer

n.癌determined

a.withone'smindfirmlymadeup下定了决心的determine

v.determinationn.

retire

vi.stopworkingatone'sjob(becauseofage)退休来源：考试大voyage

n.seajourney航海;航行route

n.wayfromoneplacetoanother路线clipper

n.快速帆船crew

n.groupofpeoplewhoworktogetheronashiporaeroplane全体船员;全体乘务员

steer

vt.make(esp.aboatorroadvehicle)goinaparticulardirection为...撑舵

device

n.apieceof