美国原汁原味访谈录:氦气球带他高飞
日期:2008-12-24 09:33

(单词翻译:单击)

听力练习

Balloon Man's Amazing Journey


He flew halfway across Oregon using only helium balloons


Last July, Kent Couch, a gas station owner from Bend, Oregon tied 105 helium-filled balloons to a lawn chair and took off.

It was beautiful; it was a dream.

For 9 hours and 193 miles, it was the fulfillment of a childhood dream. But with dangerous conditions ahead, he had to cut short his goal of reaching Idaho and landed his homemade aircraft. As he told us last year, “I just grabbed my knees and tat in rolls.”

Couch was safe on the ground, but a gust of wind took his chair and with it, thousands of dollars of equipment, including the video camera that had documented the flight.

“It was a successful landing, but not a successful day truly, because I lost my gear.” Then earlier this month, what was lost was found, the chair, the cellphone, GPS and most importantly, the camera. All rediscovered by ranchers on their property just 13 miles from where he landed, and that video is simply stunning.

“..no airplane, I was just sitting on a lawn chair and balloon.”

Floating above airplanes.

Gorgeous views of all the bottom, “I’m at 10,000 feet, 25 m/h,” Couch had a tour guide to the skies.

"It's hurtling, Jefferson." And you even get to see how he flew. He cut off or popped the balloons when he got too high, let the helium out and others, accidentally inhaling some of the helium at one point.

A ride out of a childhood fantasy, and now, the video to prove it, “enjoy a view there?” “Yes, beautiful!”

And here he is with us in the steel and concrete mountains of New York City. Kent Couch, it’s so great to see you again. It must have been stunning when you got the call, when they had the video, they found your chair.

Oh, I was excited; I thought I would never find it again. I was sure it was gone.

Yeah, It seemed to be after all that time.

Alright, I wanna take a look again for everybody who missed the first time at this little vehicle that you put together? Show us again how you did it. You sat, you sat in and strapped yourself in?

You see, but I just, no, you don’t have to strap yourself in, it’s a pretty comfortable lawn (chair) it is, you’re not really gonna go anywhere.

Right.

Yeah.

And this was your camera?

That was the footage I'd lost. (Right) I kind of set it up, panoramic.

And how many balloons did you have to have lift you off the ground?

Well, I had 105, I wanted a few extras and that gave me the lift I needed.

Okay, now, show us how the helium worked and you would released a little of the helium.

Well, you can grab a balloon, ah, grab a balloon, say, just let it out, (Right) and you can float it through the .

Can I hold it for you? All right!

I have got fingernailes here!

Can I say that everybody at home do not try this, this is serious.

So, if you want to let out a little bit, you do that. You can just let it out, take it in, if you want to do it.

Kind of I fetch your voice a little bit.

..........

I can let it out and come down a little ways if the weather permit it.

And how far do you want to go?

Well, I definitely gonna make it to Idaho this time, hopefully, two, three or four hundred miles.

Can you do anything differently?

Well, I got a few plans. I’ve got GPS tracking on the chair and myself, and more balloons, more water for a ballast.

Yep. And more food?

Yeah, I’ll take a few more snacks along.

Alright, well, take us with you.

Cut short: =reduce

文本参考中文翻译

这名男子仅仅依靠氦气球飞跃了半个俄勒冈州。

Kent Couch是俄勒冈州一个加油站的老板。去年七月,他在躺椅上绑了105个氦气球然后起飞。

非常精彩;这是一个梦想。

飞行9个小时,飞跃193英里,这是为了实现童年时期的一个梦想。他本来打算到爱达荷州之后才将他的自制飞机着陆,但是,前途危险遍布,他只得缩减了计划。他去年告诉我们,“我仅仅用线轴绑住了膝盖。”

Couch在地面上比较安全,但是他要依靠风力才能起飞,还载有数千美元的其他设备,包括用来记录此次飞行的摄像机。

“着陆过程非常成功,但是这一整天并不是那么成功,因为我丢失了齿轮。”

本月早期,丢失的东西失而复得,包括躺椅,手机,GPS,最重要的是,摄像机。所有物品都由距离着陆地点13英里的牧场的牧场工人找回。视频拍得非常好。

“……没有飞机,我只是坐在躺椅上,依靠气球飞行。”

飞行高度在飞机以上。

从下面看去真的是非常灿烂的景象,“我现在在10,000英尺的高度,飞行速度是每小时25米。”Couch经历了一次天空之旅。

“Jefferson,那简直就是在飞奔。”你可以看到他是怎样飞行的。当他飞行高度太高时,他减少气球或者将氦气放出一部分,偶尔在某个地方也会吸入一些氦气。

追求童年时期的梦想,现在,这段视频证明他真的实现了,“在那里欣赏到了美丽的风景吗?”“是的,非常漂亮!”

现在他和我们一起在钢筋混凝土的纽约城里。Kent Couch,很高兴再次见到你。当你接到电话说他们找到你的摄像机和你的躺椅时你肯定非常高兴。

是的,似乎一直都在找,终于找到了。

好的,很多人第一次的时候错过了这个神奇的装备,现在,我们想再看一下,你是怎样组装的呢?再给我们展示一下你是怎样做到。你就坐在上面然后把自己绑在上面?

你可以看看,我只是,不是的,你不必要将自己绑在里面,这个躺椅非常舒服,你可以舒舒服服的去任何地方。

对。

是的。

这是你的摄像机吗?

那是我丢失的镜头。我本想拍摄全景。

为了把自己从地面升起,你总共用了多少个气球?

哦,我准备了105个,我希望有一些额外的作为备用,以备想升得更高一点之用。

好的,现在,跟我们演示一下氦气的作用,你可以释放掉一些氦气。

呃,你可以抓住一只气球,你可以把它解下来,直接让它飘走。

我可以为你拿一下吗?好的!

我这里有手指甲!

我可以说,大家不要自己尝试,这是比较危险的。

所以,如果你想放掉一点氦气,你可以那样做。你可以释放出去,如果需要,也可以充进来。

如果天气允许,我可以将氦气释放出来一些,飞行的低一点。

你想飞行多远呢?

我这次想飞到爱达荷州,希望能飞行200,300,甚至400英里。

你可以做一些不同的吗?

我还有一些计划。我在躺椅和自己身上都装了GPS定位系统和更多的气球更多的水。

是的。准备了更多的食物吗?

是的,我会带更多的点心。

好的,到时我们会一起关注。

单词注解:

Cut short 减少

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重点单词
  • fulfillmentn. 满足,完成,履行
  • lawnn. 草地,草坪 n. 上等细麻布
  • ballastn. 压载物,压舱物,(铺铁路路基时所用的)石块,镇流器
  • propertyn. 财产,所有物,性质,地产,道具
  • balloonn. 气球 vt. 使膨胀 vi. 如气球般膨胀,激增
  • gearn. 齿轮,传动装置,设备,工具 v. 使适应于,以齿轮
  • bendv. 弯曲,使弯曲,屈服,屈从 n. 弯曲,弯曲物
  • gustn. 突然一阵 n. 风味 vi. 猛吹
  • concreteadj. 具体的,实质性的,混凝土的 n. 水泥,混凝土
  • permitn. 许可证,执照 v. 允许,许可