365个英语简短小故事-118. Man Flies 200 Miles(1)

Bo Jackson was sitting in his favorite chair, drinking a beer, and watching a football game. At halftime, a car commercial featured a few hundred helium balloons floating skyward. I could do that, Bo thought. I could strap¹ a bunch of balloons to my lawn chair and float up into the sky.

He told his wife. She asked him how many beers he’d had. He told her that he wasn’t joking. What was the problem, he asked. Blow up a bunch of balloons, tie them to his chair, and away he goes. How was he going to steer², she asked. The wind would steer him, he said. How would he know where he was going to land? When he saw a nice landing spot, he’d just shoot holes in the balloons with his BB pistol³, he said. He told her not to be so negative.

He went online and found out what wind patterns were in Oregon that time of the year. He called up his friend Duke, who was a pilot. In a few days, Bo had it all figured out. He called up a balloon store and ordered 50 balloons and a few helium tanks to fill up the balloons. His 6-year-old son asked if he could go with him. His wife promised to divorce him if he actually went through with this.

 

1 strap   

n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎

参考例句：

• She held onto a strap to steady herself.她抓住拉手吊带以便站稳。
• The nurse will strap up your wound.护士会绑扎你的伤口。

2 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

3 pistol   

n.手枪

参考例句：

• He drew his pistol and aimed at the enemy soldier.他拔出枪对准敌兵。
• The escaped criminal fell at the sound of a pistol.手枪一响，逃犯应声倒下。