筑梦蓝天

陈永战

一个17岁的英国少年成为世界上最年轻的驾驶小型飞机单人环球飞行的飞行员。

1 In January 2022， the now 17⁃year⁃old Mack Rutherford watched his 19⁃year⁃old sister， Zara Rutherford， set two new world records for flying around the world in an ultralight （超轻型的） aircraft. Less than a month later， Mack declared his intention to go for a world record too！

2 “I always knew I wanted to do something special in my life in aviation （航空）， but I wasnt quite sure what I wanted to do. It was only when my sister flew around the world that I knew this was what I wanted to do，” Mack said.

3 Mack is no stranger to aviation. He was only 15 when he became the youngest pilot in the world. Now， hes set the record for the youngest person to fly around the world， unseating previous record?holder Travis Ludlow of Britain， who was 18 when he set the record in 2021.

4 Macks journey began on March 23rd， 2022， when he left Sofia， Bulgaria flying a Shark， an ultralight aircraft that was the same style his sister used in her circumnavigation of the globe.

5 “I am flying a Shark，” Mack wrote on his website. “It is a high⁃performance ultralight aircraft manufactured in Europe. It is incredibly fast with cruising speed reaching 300 km/h. The aircraft has been specially prepared for such a long journey.”

6 Mack traveled through 52 countries over five continents. The trip was supposed to take between two and three months， but paperwork and visa issues slowed his progress.

7 On August 24， 2022， Mack completed his journey and set not one， but two new world records！ Hes now the youngest person to fly around the world solo， and the youngest person to fly around the world solo in an ultralight aircraft. He displaced his sister as the previous record holder， but were sure there are no hard feelings！

8 As Mack stepped out of the aircraft in Belgium， he had some simple words of wisdom to offer the world. “Just follow your dreams， no matter how old you are—work hard and move forward to achieve your goals，” he said.

[Reading][Check]

Detail 1. What encouraged Mack to follow his dream mostly？

A. His sisters encouragement.

B. His sisters great achievements.

C. His strong⁃willed personality.

D. His intention to travel the globe.

Vocabulary 2. What does the underlined word “unseating” in paragraph 3 mean？

A. Attaining. B. Displaying.

C. Replacing. D. Combining.

Inference 3. What can we infer about Macks journey？

A. Mack flew to the same place that his sister had been to.

B. Mack finished the journey ahead of time.

C. Bad weather made his journey slow.

D. It lasted for about five months.

Inference 4. Which of the following words can best describe Mack？

A. Courageous and ambitious.

B. Cooperative and generous.

C. Enthusiastic and kind.

D. Professional and proud.

[Language][Study]

Ⅰ. Difficult sentences in the text

1. “I always knew I wanted to do something special in my life in aviation， but I wasnt quite sure what I wanted to do. It was only when my sister flew around the world that I knew this was what I wanted to do，” Mack said. 麦克说：“我一直都知道，我想在我的人生中做一些特别的事情，在航空领域，但我不太确定我想做什么，直到我的姐姐飞到世界各地时，我才知道这就是我想做的事情。”

【点石成金】本句是一个主从复合句，引号内为直接引语，其中，but连接两个并列句；在第二个分句中，what引导宾语从句。 It was...that...是强调句。

2. Macks journey began on March 23rd， 2022， when he left Sofia， Bulgaria flying a Shark， an ultralight aircraft that was the same style his sister used in her circumnavigation of the globe. 麦克的旅程始于2022年3月23日，当时他驾驶一架鲨鱼超轻型飞机离开保加利亚的索非亚，这是他姐姐环球航行时使用的同款飞机。

【点石成金】句中的when引导定语从句，先行词是March 23rd， 2022；that引导一个定语从句，在从句中作主語；his sister used in her circumnavigation of the globe是一个省略了that的定语从句，先行词是the same style。

Ⅱ. Text⁃centered chunks

no stranger to 对……不陌生

set the record 创造纪录

be supposed to 应该

step out of 走出