365个英语简短小故事-329. The Cluster Balloonist

Cluster balloonists tie a bunch of helium balloons to a lawn chair, sit in the chair, cut the anchor rope, and go flying into the wild blue yonder. To land, they cut some of the cords attaching the balloons to the chair. A small group of daredevils has been enjoying this sport for more than 30 years.

They usually take a radio to communicate with people on the ground, a GPS device so they can be located, a parachute, and bags of sand or water that they throw overboard to go higher. “It’s fun, but it’s not for everyone,” said Glenn Ford¹. “You have to dress warmly for higher altitudes. You should always take a life preserver and wear a helmet. And you need to take food and water for emergencies.” Balloonists often soar up to 6,000 feet, and many have soared to 12,000 feet or higher.

A popular priest in Brazil decided² to try cluster ballooning. Reporters from newspapers and TV stations interviewed and photographed him before take-off. He laughed and waved at everyone as his chair started rising. “I’ll see you at one o’clock,” he yelled to everyone on the ground. It was 11 a.m.

The weather, however, took a sudden turn for the worse. People could see the wind driving the balloonist toward the Atlantic. The bright balloons disappeared into the dark clouds. The next day, a pilot in a single-engine plane saw some balloons floating 10 miles out to sea. There was no sign of the priest. “This is unbelievable,” said his best friend. “He was an expert sky diver. He had a life preserver, an inflatable life raft, and a GPS device. And, he was a priest!”

 

1 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

2 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。