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1.
Some call it a sport, but others just call it crazy. Yes, BASE jumping is one of those new "extreme sports." It basically means
1)parachuting from high places other than
2)aircraft.
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| 有人稱它為運動，但也有人說那是發瘋。是的，定點跳傘屬於那種新的「極限運動」。基本上它的意思是從飛機以外的高處跳傘。
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1)
parachute (v.) 跳傘
It takes courage to parachute from an airplane.
2) aircraft (n.) 航空器（單複數同形）
I saw several aircraft circling overhead.
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2.
"BASE" stands for the four kinds of
3)objects from which one can jump: Building,
4)Antenna, 5)Span (such as a bridge), and Earth (such as a
6)cliff or mountaintop). A person who has made jumps from all four can apply for a "BASE number." So far, just over 1,000 people have done so. The record for highest BASE jump is
7)currently held by Nic Feteris and Glenn Singleman, both of whom jumped from the 5,791-meter Trango cliff in Pakistan.
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| 「定點」（BASE）代表四種可以跳下的物體︰建築物、天線、跨距（如橋樑）和地面（例如懸崖或山頂）。四種定點都跳過的人就可以申請「BASE 編號」。到目前只有一千出頭的人申請過。最高的定點跳傘記錄目前由尼克菲特里斯和葛林辛格門保持，兩人都是從巴基斯坦五千七百九十一公尺高的特蘭戈懸崖跳下的。
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3) object (n.) 物體
He has a heavy object in his pocket, but I can't tell what it
is.
4) antenna (n.) 天線
You need an antenna to watch broadcast TV.
5) span (n.) 跨距，兩個支柱間的距離
The span of the bridge is 10 meters.
6) cliff (n.) 懸崖，峭壁
Only a monkey can climb up this cliff.
7) currently (adv.) 目前，現今
Currently we have 30 people working for us, but next year
there may be more.
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3.
Some say it all began in 1912, with Frederick Law's jump from the
8)Statue of 9)Liberty. A few daredevils tried similar
10)stunts over the years, but it was probably the opening
11)scene of the 1977 James Bond movie, The
12)Spy Who Loved Me, that really put the idea into the popular
13)imagination. 14)Agent 007, played by
15)stuntman Rick Sylvester,
16)skied off the face of a mountain and
17)popped open a Union Jack parachute. Sylvester was paid US$30,000 for the stunt.
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| 有人說始作俑者是佛得瑞克洛，一九一二年他從自由女神像跳下。多年來有幾個不怕死的人試過類似的特技，但是真正讓這個點子深植於人們想像中的，可能要屬一九七七年○○七電影《海底城》的開場鏡頭。特技演員瑞克席維斯特飾演的○○七滑雪衝出山崖，然後迅速張開一具英國國旗降落傘。席維斯特表演這項特技獲得三萬美元的報酬。
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8) statue (n.) 雕像
There's a huge statue of Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial (林肯紀念堂).
9) liberty (n.) 自由
This is a free country; you have liberty to do whatever you
like.
10) stunt (n.) 特技
This is a dangerous stunt that you shouldn't try at home.
11) scene (n.) （戲劇、小說等）場景
Some 20 people died in the opening scene of the movie.
12) spy (n.) 間諜
If you work as a spy for a foreign country, you might be sentenced
(判刑) to death.
13) imagination (n.) 想像（力）
You need imagination to write a good novel (小說).
14) agent (n.) 特工，探員
James Bond, or 007, is a secret agent.
15) stuntman (n.) 特技演員
The movie star had a stuntman do the scene for him.
16) ski (v.) 滑雪
There are very few places where you can ski in Taiwan.
17) pop (v.) 碰的一聲（打開）
He popped open the soda (汽水) and started drinking.
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4.
One year later, Carl Boenish filmed several jumps from El Capitan, in California's Yosemite National Park. The jumpers used special "ram-air" parachutes,
18)pioneering the 19)technique that
20)defines the sport today. Others soon copied them. It was Boenish who
21)coined the name "BASE." He was also one of the sport's first
22)victims, meeting his end against a cliff face in 1984. Far more dangerous than skydiving, BASE jumping is still seen as a
23)fringe sport. At least 76 people have died since 1981, according to an unofficial
24)fatality list.
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| 一年後，卡爾柏尼許拍攝了幾次從美國加州優勝美地國家公園船長岩的定點跳傘。跳傘者用的是特殊的「衝壓」降落傘，開創了一項新技術，成為今天這項運動最典型的技術。其他人很快模仿起來。「定點跳傘」這個名稱是柏尼許取的。他也是這項運動最早的犧牲者之一，在一九八四年撞到懸崖壁而喪命。危險性遠超過特技跳傘的定點跳傘，至今仍被視為一項邊緣運動。根據一份非正式的死亡名單，自一九八一年以來至少有 76 人喪生。
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18) pioneer (v.) 開創，開拓
The Wright brothers pioneered flying.
19) technique (n.) 技術
That dancer has excellent technique.
20) define (v.) 給……下定義
How do you define success?
21) coin (v.) 杜撰，創造（新字）
Time Magazine has coined many new words.
22) victim (n.) 犧牲者，受害者
Victims of the accident are now in the hospital.
23) fringe (a.) 邊緣的，極端的
Most fringe sports are very dangerous.
24) fatality (n.) 死亡者，死亡事故
The railway bombing (爆炸) caused many fatalities.
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5.
BASE jumpers don't 25)bother with second parachutes, which are required in skydiving. They wouldn't have time to use them in any event. Due to the extreme danger, BASE jumping is seldom
26)permitted in America. That doesn't stop the jumpers however. A few hundred people a year continue to jump in Yosemite, often at night to
27)avoid 28)detection. One jumper
29)drowned in a river while being chased by park
30)rangers. |
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特技跳傘規定要攜帶備用降落傘，定點跳傘者卻不理會這一套。反正他們也不會有時間用到備用傘。由於危險性極高，定點跳傘在美國很少能得到允許。不過定點跳傘者並不因此打退堂鼓。每年還是會有幾百人在優勝美地跳傘，經常在晚間進行以免被發現。曾有一名跳傘者在躲避公園管理員追捕時淹死在河裡。
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25)
bother (v.) 不嫌麻煩去做
Don't bother doing the dishes-I'll clean up later.
26) permit (v.) 允許，許可
Smoking is not permitted here.
27) avoid (v.) 避免
You should drive slowly to avoid accidents.
28) detection (n.) 發現，探知
The rock star is wearing a hat and sunglasses (太陽眼鏡) to avoid
detection.
29) drown (v.) 淹死
Every summer some bathers (泳客) will drown in this river.
30) ranger (n.) 國家公園管理員（巡警）
My father is a park ranger at Yushang National Park.
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6.
Of course there are always
other places. Jumping is permitted at several 31)sites
in Europe, despite past fatalities. The Petronas Towers building
in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, has been the site of several BASE
jumping 32)demonstrations
and "33)tournaments."
The 426 m Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai has also been jumped. Taipei
101, now the world's tallest building, must look 34)appetizing
to these daredevils. Perhaps it is only a matter of time.
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| 當然還有別的地方可以跳傘。歐洲仍有幾個地點允許跳傘，雖然過去死過一些人。馬來西亞吉隆坡的雙子星大樓舉行過幾次定點跳傘示範表演以及「錦標賽」。426公尺高的上海金茂大廈也有人跳過。台北一○一目前是世界最高的建築，一定會令這些不要命的人相當垂涎。在此跳傘或許只是遲早的事。
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31) site (n.) 地點
It's hard to find a good site to build a stadium in this neighborhood.
32) demonstration (n.) 示範表演
This demonstration will help people know better about our
new robot.
33) tournament (n.) 錦標賽，比賽
Jack beat Mark 31-29 in the tournament.
34) appetizing (a.) 引人垂涎的
That colorful ice cream looks really appetizing.
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