Barrington Irving Junior

　　BBC¹ Learning² EnglishPeople and placesBarrington Irving  JuniorDima: Hello, I’m Dima, and today we are meeting aJamaican pilot who has recentlyimpressed the world by becoming the youngest ever man tofly solo³ around the globe. The twenty-three year oldBarrington Irving Junior began his journey in March thisyear in Florida, where he’s lived since the age of six,and finished it in the same place three months later.
　　But why and how did Barrington decide to become a pilot inthe first place? In a moment we’ll hear from the manhimself. As you’re listening, try to find the answers tothese questions. First, who was Barrington’s inspirationwhen he chose his career? And second, what age was he whenhe first got involved in aviation⁵? Once again, at what agedid he get involved in aviation – and thanks to whom?
　　Listen out for the word ‘introduced’ meaning ‘madefamiliar with’:
　　Barrington 0'19"No pilots in the family. You know, I was first introducedto aviation by Captain Gary Robinson who approached meright before I turned sixteen. He said, ‘Hey son, have youever thought of becoming a pilot?’ I looked at him crazyand I told him that I didn’t think I was smart enough tobecome a pilot. And from that day on he just started tomentor me and work with me. And here I am today.
　　Dima: So who was Barrington’s inspiration⁴? It was thepilot Captain Gary Robinson who suggested that Barringtoncould become a pilot himself. And how old was he then? Theanswer is – just under sixteen, or as Barrington put it,'rightbefore I turned sixteen'. Let’s listen again, and thistime listen out for these twowords: ‘to approach’ – meaning ‘to make contact with’;and ‘to mentor’
　　meaning ‘to teach and coach on a daily basis, usually byexample’. That’s ‘to approach’ and ‘to mentor’:
　　Barrington 0'19"No pilots in the family. You know, I was first introducedto aviation by Captain Gary Robinson who approached meright before I turned sixteen. He said, ‘Hey son, have youever thought of becoming a pilot?’ I looked at him crazyand I told him that I didn’t think I was smart enough tobecome a pilot. And from that day on he just started tomentor me and work with me. And here I am today.
　　Dima: So Barrington was 'approached' by Gary Robinson whothen 'mentored⁶' him.
　　StingDima: Now we know a little bit about Barrington, let’sfind out some more about hismain achievement so far – his round-the-world flight. Theidea of the flight came about as Barrington was watchingyoung people from his own community who he thought wereoften quite negative about life, about themselves and theirfuture. He decided⁷ he had to prove to these young peoplethat they too can follow their dreams and do somethingamazing, that you don’t have to be anything too special toachieve things. As you’re about to hear, there was atleast one time during the flight when he thought he mightfail. Wherewas it? And what weather factor⁸ was the most dangerous?
　　Listen:
　　Barrington 0'29"I'd probably say crossing the North Pacific. Here I am,flying in and out of cloud formations⁹ I’ve never seenbefore, dodging¹⁰ icing conditions … The air, it's just sodensely populated with fog, you know, fog that stretchesdown, you know, right above the surface of the sea. Youknow, I had no radar¹¹ on this flight and I didn’t have anyde-icing on this flight. So I had to make sure that I wasdefinitely staying within my limits and the limits of theaircraft.
　　Dima: So where did Barrington feel he was in a seriousdanger? The answer is – in theNorth Pacific. And what was the weather that made him feelthis? It was fog. Let’s listen to him again, and as you’
　　re listening, see if you can catch these words andexpressions: ‘to dodge¹²’ meaning ‘to try to avoidsomething that may affect you badly’; and ‘to stay withinyour limits’, in other words ‘to know how much you can doand make sure you don’t try to do more’. Here he isagain:
　　Barrington 0'29"I'd probably say crossing the North Pacific. Here I am,flying in and out of cloud formations I’ve never seenbefore, dodging icing conditions … The air, it's just sodensely populated with fog, you know, fog that stretchesdown, you know, right above the surface of the sea. Youknow, I had no radar on this flight and I didn’t have anyde-icing on this flight. So I had to make sure that I wasdefinitely staying within my limits and the limits of theaircraft.
　　Dima: So Barrington tried 'to dodge' the weather and atthe same time 'stay within his limits and the limits of theplane'. Well, I’m afraid that’s all from Barringtonbecause this programme has to stay within its time limits,but before we go let’s remind ourselves of some of thelanguage we’ve just heard:
　　‘to introduce’
　　‘to approach’
　　‘to turn sixteen – or twenty, or forty’
　　‘to mentor’
　　‘to dodge’ and‘to stay within your limits’.
　　Join us again next time for more People and places. Bye fornow!

1 BBC   

abbr.（=British Broadcasting Corporation）英国广播公司

参考例句：

• She works for the BBC.她为英国广播公司工作。
• The BBC was founded in 1922.英国广播公司建于1922年。

2 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

3 solo   

n.独奏，独唱；adj.单独的；adv.单独地；v.放单飞，单独表演

参考例句：

• Tara is currently working on a solo album.塔拉眼下正忙着制作个人专辑。
• There's wonderfully lyrical flute solo in the middle of this symphony.在交响乐中间有一段奇妙的抒情长笛独奏。

4 inspiration   

n.灵感，鼓励者，吸气

参考例句：

• These events provided the inspiration for his first novel.这些事件给了他创作第一部小说的灵感。
• What an inspiration she was to all around her!她对于她周围所有的人是一种多么大的鼓舞！

5 aviation   

n.航空，航空学，飞机制造业

参考例句：

• Ten years ago,they began to develop the aviation. 十年前，他们开始发展航空工业。
• Pilots of large aircraft are masters of aviation.大型飞行器的驾驶员是航空学方面的专家。

6 mentored   

v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They had a fantastic dean who really mentored a lot of people. 那儿的教务长非常出色，的确为许多人提供了指导。 来自互联网
• The famous professor mentored him during his years in graduate school. 那位著名的教授在他读研究生期间指导他。 来自互联网

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 factor   

n.因素；要素；因子；因数；系数

参考例句：

• Her previous experience in social work is a plus factor.她先前在社会工作方面的经验是一个有利因素。
• Poor organization was certainly a contributory factor to the crisis.组织不善肯定是导致危机的因素之一。

9 formations   

n.形成( formation的名词复数 )；构成；形成物；编队

参考例句：

• Clouds are formations of condensed water vapour. 云是由凝聚的水蒸气构成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• New word formations have not regularity. 新词的构成没有规律。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 dodging   

n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避

参考例句：

• He ran across the road, dodging the traffic. 他躲开来往的车辆跑过马路。
• I crossed the highway, dodging the traffic. 我避开车流穿过了公路。 来自辞典例句

11 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

12 dodge   

v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计

参考例句：

• A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。
• The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。