Outdoor Activities

Reading

You’ve probably heard of Ben Nevis in Scotland.With its 1,344 metres it is the highest mountain in Great Britain.Each year 125,000 people climb this mountain and enjoy the great view from the top.It usually takes a few hours to get to the peak.But if you go up on the first Saturday in September,you can see people who run up or down the mountain.You think they’re crazy? Well,they probably are...They take part in the Ben Nevis race which takes place every year in early September.The race starts and finishes in Fort William.The runners do not only run up the mountain but also back down again-that’s a distance of 9.9 miles with a height difference of 1,340 metres.And some runners are really fast.In 1984,Kenny Stuart ran up and down the mountain in 1 hour,25 minutes and 34 seconds-that’s still the record today.

To run up and down the mountain you must be really fit.Only runners with a lot of experience are allowed to take part in the race.For safety reasons the number of runners is limited to 600.The weather can change quickly in the mountains,so the runners must wear waterproofs,a hat,gloves and a whistle.

But who had this crazy idea anyway? The first person known to run up and down the mountain was William Swan.On September 27,1895,he ran from Fort William to the top of the mountain in 2 hours and 41 minutes.He probably didn’t know what he started...

Wordlist

probablyadv.可能 peakn.峰頂 racen.競賽 distancen.距離

recordn.紀錄 experiencen.經歷 allowv.允許 safetyn.安全

limitv.限制 waterproofn.防水服 whistlen.口哨

Note

The first person known to run up and down the mountain was William Swan.

第一個以奔跑著上山和下山而聞名的人是威廉·斯萬。“known to run up and down the mountain”是過去分詞作后置定語，修飾“the first person”.

Tasks

1.What does the underlined sentence of the article mean?

2.What’s the difference between the Ben Nevis race and common（普通的）mountain climbing?

Writing

假如你是李兵，你校準備開展一次英語演講比賽，主題是“My favourite outdoor activity”，請根據下面的提示寫一篇演講稿。

要點：

1.說說你最喜歡的戶外活動以及喜歡的原因。

2.介紹一次你的戶外活動經歷。

3.談談你參加戶外活動的感受。

原文呈現

My favourite outdoor activity

There are many kinds of outdoor activities,such as hiking and playing basketball.And today I’m glad to introduce mine to you.

建議一兩句話概述戶外運動的好處，使語言更生動，行文更流暢。

My favourite outdoor activity is playing football.It helps me to relax after a hard day’s study.Also,football teaches me something that I can’t learn from books.

此處可以使用連接詞使句子銜接更自然。喜歡的原因可更具體、生動些，表達出對足球特別的喜愛之情。

I still remember the experience that I represented my school to take part in a football match.In the beginning,my teammates and I threw all the rules away.We never passed the ball to others.Over times,we were backward.The coach said to us seriously in the half-time,“Even though you come from different classes,now it’s time to work as one person!”He motivated us,“Cheer up,boys!”We were suddenly filled with power.In the next half,the team was like a lion.Finally we won.

上半場比賽語言可以精煉些。

下半場還可以增加細節描寫，表現出老師鼓勵和指導后隊員們的變化，使語言更具有感染力。

It was not only a common match,but a special lesson which let me understand what football truly taught us.Just as the saying goes,“Many hands make light work.”That is why I love playing football.So much for this.Thank you!

“So much for this.”可以另起一段，使演講稿結構更清晰。

結束語可增加與聽眾互動的話語，突出演講稿語言的特點。

（江蘇省泰州市第二中學附屬初中吳崔昊）

升格展示

My favourite outdoor activity

There are many kinds of outdoor activities,such as hiking and playing basketball.They are all very meaningful in our lives.And today I’m glad to introduce mine to you.

Like many boys,my favourite outdoor activity is playing football.It helps me to relax after a day’s hard and tiring study.Also,it is football that teaches me something that I can’t learn from books.

I still remember the experience that I represented my school to take part in a football match,which makes me grow a lot.In the beginning,my teammates and I threw all the rules away.We never passed the ball to others whether we can make goals or not.Over times,we became backward and helplessness was around us.The coach said to us seriously in the half-time,“Even though you come from different classes and play different roles,now it’s time to work as one person rather than like sand!”Then he motivated us,“Cheer up,boys!”At that moment,our thoughts seemed to be washed.We were suddenly filled with power and confidence.“It’s our turn to perform on stage!”I thought.In the next half,the team was like a lion that nothing can prevent it going forward.Finally,we won through the team work.

It is not only a common match,but it is also a special lesson which lets me understand what football truly teaches us.Just as the saying goes,“Many hands make light work.”That is why I love playing football,it provides me with valuable experiences.

So much for this.So let’s keep on from now on and you will certainly understand what I mean!Thank you!

綜合點評

升格文中增加了細節描寫和心理描寫，使文章情感更真摯，字里行間表達了對足球的喜愛。用英文諺語“眾人拾柴火焰高”升華主題，表述喜愛足球的原因及足球比賽對“我”的深遠影響。結尾處用祈使句與讀者互動，富有感染力，能讓讀者產生共鳴。

（江蘇省泰興市分界初級中學張琴）