Hull and high water

Wang Qian

成都小伙賣房環球航行，在亞丁灣巧遇中國海軍護航編隊并相互問候。 這是一段何其幸運又多么讓人為祖國自豪的旅程！ 而他的航行，也充滿了求知與危險。

題材 體裁 文章詞數 建議用時航行 記敘文 約810 13分鐘

難詞探意

1. dreaded /'dred?d/ adj. 令人畏懼的

2. notorious /no?'t??ri?s/ adj. 臭名昭著的; 聲名狼藉的

3. piracy /'pa?r?si/ n. 海上搶劫

4. solo /'s??l??/ adv. 單獨地；獨自地

5. brew /bru?/ v. 即將來臨

6. lash /l??/ v. 捆綁

7. toss /t?s/ v. 扔；拋；（使）顛簸

ThedreadedGulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia, is one of the most dangerous passages in the world for sailors. Located in the Arabian Sea, it is anotoriouscenter forpiracy.

After sailing for 10 days from Djibouti on April 23, not only did Han Xiao brave the sea alone on his boat, but also he encountered the 34th Chinese naval escort flotilla (海軍護航編隊) two days later and made radio communication with the fleet, which made the captain “extremely excited and proud”.

“The short encounter and talk gives me confidence and power. You cannot imagine how these words warmed my heart at that moment,”Han said in a recent video recording the encounter, adding that he hadn't met another Chinese boat during his one-year voyage until meeting the naval fleet.“When you are happy and unburdened, there are others carrying the world for you. Salute to the Chinese Navy,” he added.The Navy began to carry out escort missions in the pirate-plagued waters in December 2008.“This is the best protection at sea, reflecting the dignity of the Chinese,” Han said.He sailed through the Gulf of Aden on May 3, becoming the first Chinese sailor to navigate these waters solo.The video clip has become popular,being viewed about 1 million times.

Born in 1985 in Chengdu,Sichuan Province,Han graduated from the Sichuan International Studies University. Daring to chase his dream,he opened a bar in Chengdu, ran a hotel in Mauritius and was a tour guide in Europe. At 34, he decided to put his career on hold, say goodbye to his family and go sailing around the world for the next three years. He sold his house in Chengdu and bought a sailboat Deep Blue in Stockholm, starting his around-world adventure in April last year.

“As a man born inland, sailing is my dream. It provides a totally different view of life and a new lifestyle,” Han said. His parents and wife supported his dream and told him to just“come back alive”. Sailing over 18,520 kilometers, Han has explored more than 20 countries so far. Sailing through the world's waterways, including the Baltic Sea, the English Channel, the Kiel Canal, the Strait of Gibraltar and the Red Sea, for Han, the sea is always changing and sometimes merciless.

Reading Check

1. What can be inferred from paragraph 3?

A. Happiness is the most important.

B. Han Xiao braved the sea alone on his boat.

C. Han Xiao felt calm when meeting the Chinese naval fleet.

D. The Chinese naval fleet is the first Chinese boat that Han Xiao met during his voyage.

2. Which of the following can replace the underlined part in paragraph 4?

A. Value his career.

B. Quit his career.

C. Plan his career.

D. Change his career.

3. What's the attitude of Han's wife to his sailing plan?

A. Opposed. B. Unclear. C. Supportive. D. Neutral.

Language Study

Sentence for writing

He sailed through the Gulf of Aden on May 3, becoming the first Chinese sailor to navigate these waters solo.

【信息提取】該句中becoming為現在分詞作結果狀語，表示的是主句帶來的結果。

【句式仿寫】她爸爸搬去北京了，把老房子給了她。

At the beginning of his voyage, Han was given a lesson in how small man can be in the face of nature. Sailing the Baltic Sea to the Kiel Canal in last April, Han and his friend, surnamed Gu, detected a stormbrewingon their route that they were on course to meet that afternoon. They had no time to change the direction, instead having to face it and sail directly through it. The whole dramatic incident was recorded on his video blog.

Entering the thunderstorm in the darkness,waves reaching a height of one or two meters were hitting the boat and Han couldn't tell when and where the next wave would come. In the moonless night, it was hard to tell the direction in which the boat was headed. The only thing the two sailors could do islashthemselves tightly to the boat with safety belts, wish for good luck and gettossedabout with the boat at the mercy of sea. Han asked Gu to shelter inside the boat, while he remained at the boat's bridge.If the engine had got damaged, in likelihood they would have been claimed by the inky depths.“It feels like a man running in the wilderness, with constant thunder and lightning so close that you can touch death,” Han said in his blog.After 12 hours, the pair finally broke free of the storm. Han concluded that“Nature can do whatever it wants” and that“family matters most”.

Running out of fuel and only half way to their next port of call, the two floated for three days without phone signal and hope of rescue before finally arriving at an industrial port in Denmark. The next day, Gu told Han that he wanted to quit and fly back home. The experi-ence also made Han really understand the meaning of his parents' words—“come back alive”. After Gu left him in Amsterdam, Han chose to continue the voyage on his own, because“he has devoted everything to the boat and there is no turning back”.

In September, Han, alone, sailed nine days non-stop to pass through the Mediterranean Sea.He set his alarm clock to ring every 20 minutes,to wake him up and check the route and incoming weather. He will stay in Oman until August,and then start to cross the Indian Ocean, arriving at an international port in India, before sailing on to the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand. “It is time to realize my next dream—to return to my family,” the man smiled.

Reading Check

1. What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?

A. The power of human beings.

B. The engine of the boat.

C. A storm on the voyage.

D. A video blog.

2. What's the meaning of the underlined word “claimed” in paragraph 2?

A. Attracted.

B. Achieved.

C. Demanded.

D. Killed.

3. Why did Han set his alarm clock?

A. To enjoy the beautiful scenery.

B. To check the route and weather.

C. To remind himself of possible storms.

D. To keep in touch with his family members.

Language Study

Sentence for writing

“It feels like a man running in the wilderness, with constant thunder and lightning so close that you can touch death,” Han said in his blog.

【信息提取】本句中so...that...意為“如此……以至……”。

【句式仿寫】他跑得很快，我追不上他。