Part Four: Monologue
Carl’s Note:
Extreme sports are very new in America. They usually come from people trying the craziest things. Bungee jumping is a good example. Someone tied a bungee cord to himself one day and jumped off of a very tall bridge. Bungee cords stretch a lot, so the person lived, but he took a big risk to find out if his idea would work. Another extreme sport is snowboarding. A skier decided to stand sideways on one piece of wood to get down the mountain instead of using two skis. People like these dangerous sports because they are exciting. They often do them for “the rush” they get. The first extreme sport might have been mountaineering, or mountain climbing. Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Mt. Everest, gave another reason for doing something so dangerous. When asked why he climbed the world’s tallest mountain, he replied, “Because it was there.”
卡尔的话：
极限运动在美国还很新鲜。通常是喜欢尝试刺激的人参加极限运动。蹦极跳就是一个很好的例子。某天某人用橡皮筋套住自己，然后从一个很高的桥上跳下。橡皮筋有很好的伸张力，所以这个人不会有生命危险，但是要证实自己的想法是否管用还是具有很大的冒险性。另外一个极限运动的例子则是滑雪。一位滑雪者决定使用其中一块木板，侧面站在这块木板上滑下山坡而不是使用两块滑板。人们之所以喜欢这种危险的运动是因为这些运动够刺激。往往就是为了那一股“冲劲”。最早的极限运动可能就是登山，或者叫做登山运动。艾得蒙•希拉里爵士是第一个爬上珠穆朗玛峰的人，他道出了之所以从事这些危险举动的另一个原因。当问到他为什么会选择攀爬世界第一高峰的时候，他回答：因为它在那里。

Part Five: Vocabulary and Phrases
--extreme 极端的，极度的
--rappel 用绳索（垂直）下降
--climb (n. & v.) 爬，攀登；登上
--exhilarating 令人振奋的；使人高兴的
--terrifying令人害怕地；惊人地
--plummet 笔直落下
--waterfall 瀑布
--nature 自然；自然界
--wild
--scary 引起惊慌的
--get in touch with (something/somebody) 和某人保持联系