环球英语 — 389：Cliff Diving

　　Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight¹ program. I’m Adam Navis.
Voice 2
And I’m Marina Santee. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Imagine you are standing² on the edge³ of the land. You are on a high rock, twenty-five [25] metres above the sea. Your toes bend around the edge of the rock. If you take one step forward you will fall. People are watching you from far down below. You can hear the waves crashing over the sharp rocks. Everyone is waiting for you.
Voice 2
You breathe in. You stretch your arms out and bend your knees. Then you jump. You pull yourself into a ball and roll through the air. The wind fills your ears. You open your body and point your toes towards the water. You hit the water and everything goes quiet. You swim up to the surface and everyone is cheering for you because you are a cliff⁴ diver⁵.
Voice 1
Today’s Spotlight is on Cliff Diving. In cliff diving, the divers⁶ jump from the top of a cliff - from a rocky⁷ edge of land, high above the water. Usually the diver will include a roll, turn, or bend before entering the water. In other kinds of diving, the person enters the water head first. But in cliff diving the person enters the water feet first.
Voice 2
Cliff Diving has its origins on the Island of Hawaii. In 1770, Kahehili was the king of the island. He demanded that men jump off high cliffs⁸. He felt that this would prove their courage and loyalty⁹ to him.
Voice 1
As time went on, cliff diving changed into something people enjoyed. People began to practice diving and holding special diving events. These first events were simple and had very few rules. But over time, they became more complex¹⁰. Today, cliff diving is a world-wide sport under the authority¹¹ of a group called the World High Diving Federation¹².
Voice 2
Cliff diving is dangerous, but diving events are very organized. They show some of the strongest and most skilled¹³ people in the world. Today, there are around one hundred and fifty [150] professional¹⁴ cliff divers from all around the world. Professional divers earn money by diving - for example, in public shows.
Voice 1
Many people jump from cliffs just for fun. However, this is not real cliff diving. Real cliff diving is a respected sport that requires courage, strength and skill. Cliff divers spend a lot of time preparing their bodies and their minds for each dive.
Voice 2
Although cliff diving usually happens directly¹⁵ from the cliff edge, sometimes a platform extends¹⁶ over the water. This makes the dive safer because the diver is further away from the rocks. When there is no safe cliff to dive from, people will dive off bridges. Or they build high structures¹⁷ and dive into pools. So, although it is called cliff diving, sometimes there are no cliffs involved.
Voice 1
Each diver gets a chance to perform several dives. Each dive is judged by a group of judges. Each judge awards up to ten points. More points are added¹⁸ if dives are difficult or are attempted from a higher cliff. The diver with the highest total of points wins the event.
Voice 2
Cliff diving is not for everyone, because cliff diving is very dangerous. Most cliff diving competitions involve jumps between eighteen [18] and twenty-eight [28] metres. By the time a diver reaches the water, he or she is moving between seventy five [75] and one hundred [100] kilometres per hour. Even for experienced¹⁹ divers, this is dangerous. Recently, diving champion Joey Zuber broke his leg when he hit the water. It took a seven hour operation to repair the leg.
Voice 1
On the islands of Hawaii, injuries from cliff diving are a common problem. At the Koko Head sea cliffs, divers jump thirty [30] metres into a part of ocean that is only deep enough when the waves are just right.
Voice 2
The divers must time their jumps perfectly²⁰ or they will not land in enough water. Divers could land on the rocks. Or they may be unable to swim through the large waves back to shore.
Voice 1
But for professional cliff divers, cliff diving is about more than just the dive. Many divers would argue that the place they dive from is just as important as the dive itself.
Voice 2
Cliff divers are always looking for new diving places. There are hundreds of places around the world that have strange rocks to jump from and wonderful things to see. The most famous cliff diving places are in Hawaii, Mexico, Jamaica, Australia and Switzerland.
Voice 1
Do you think that cliff diving sounds like fun? Do you think you have the strength and skills needed? Well, before you begin there are some things you should do to make sure you stay safe.
Voice 2
First, be careful about the height you choose. Begin by gaining experience diving at a lower²¹ level. Serious injury can happen at only ten metres high. Anything higher than fifteen metres should only be attempted by experienced divers.
Voice 1
You need to stay within your abilities. Do not let anyone pressure you into doing something that you do not feel good about doing.
Voice 2
Before you dive, throw a rock off the top and watch where you will land. Walk down to the water and swim around. Look for rocks, tree branches, or other things that could injure you when you dive. Try to estimate²² the depth²³ of the water. It should be five metres deep or more.
Voice 1
Never dive head first into water you do not know. If you missed a rock while you were searching, it would be better to break your foot than to break your head.
Voice 2
Begin with a “pencil dive”. A pencil dive is where you jump into deep water feet first with your body very straight, and with your arms by your side. Try to keep your body calm while your are in the air. When you are about to hit the water, press your feet together. Tense your arm, leg, and stomach muscles²⁴. You need to feel like a long, hard piece of wood. Whatever you do, be careful!
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 edge   

n.边(缘)；刃；优势；v.侧着移动，徐徐移动

参考例句：

• Sight along the edge to see if it's straight.顺着边目测，看看直不直。
• She lived on the extreme edge of the forest.她住在森林的最边缘。

4 cliff   

n.悬崖，峭壁

参考例句：

• The cliff edge is dangerous and should be railed.崖边危险，应该用栏杆围起来。
• He took the measure of the cliff before he climbed it.他把悬崖的高度估量一下后再攀登。

5 diver   

n.潜水员，跳水运动员

参考例句：

• He is a deep sea diver.他是深海潜水员。
• The diver comes up for air.潜水员升到水面呼吸空气。

6 divers   

adj.不同的；种种的

参考例句：

• He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人，要他们和他作伴。
• Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作，同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。

7 rocky   

adj.岩石的，像岩石的；多岩石的

参考例句：

• She drives carefully up the rocky lane.她驾车小心地从这条很多石头的小路上驶过去。
• There is only one port along this rocky coast.这个多岩石的海岸只有一个港口。

8 cliffs   

n.悬崖，峭壁（cliff的复数形式）

参考例句：

• the chalk cliffs of southern England 英格兰南部的白垩质峭壁
• Local folklore has it that prehistoric men drove cattle over these cliffs. 当地民间传说中称，史前人类把野牛从这些悬崖上驱赶下去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

10 complex   

adj.复杂的，合成的，综合的；n.联合体

参考例句：

• What he said was too complex for me to understand.他说的太复杂了，我无法了解。
• Justice is part of the complex machinery of the law.正义是复杂的法律机器的一部分。

11 authority   

n.当局，官方；权力，权威，威信；当权者

参考例句：

• He is recognized internationally as an authority in this field.国际上承认他是这方面的一个权威。
• Professor White is looked upon as an authority on mathematics.怀特教授被看成数学权威。

12 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

13 skilled   

adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的

参考例句：

• Unskilled workers usually earn less money than skilled workers.无技能的工人通常比有技能的工人挣钱少。
• She was skilled enough in French to translate a novel.她法语娴熟，足以翻译小说。

14 professional   

adj.专业的；职业的；n.专业人员；职业运动员

参考例句：

• He is a professional tennis player.他是一名职业网球运动员。
• I need a professional to sort out my finances.我需要专业人士为我管理财务。

15 directly   

adv.直接地，径直地；马上，立即

参考例句：

• I will telephone you directly I hear the news.我一听到消息，马上打电话给你。
• She answered me very directly and openly.她非常坦率地、开门见山地答复了我。

16 extends   

v.（空间、时间等）延伸，延续( extend的第三人称单数 )；伸展；给予；延长

参考例句：

• This country extends its power and influence into neighbouring countries. 这个国家将其势力与影响扩大至邻国。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His domain extends for 20 miles in every direction. 方圆20英里之内都是他的地产。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 structures   

n.结构( structure的名词复数 )；[生物学]构造；机构；构造物v.组织( structure的第三人称单数 )；安排；制定

参考例句：

• All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines. 这3座建筑都建于3 世纪，并且初步鉴定为神庙。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Flexibility of labour was obtained through the breakup of old trade union structures. 打破了旧的工会结构之后，雇用劳工可以灵活处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 added   

adj.更多的，附加的，额外的

参考例句：

• They have added a new scene at the beginning.在开头他们又增加了一场戏。
• The pop music added to our enjoyment of the film.片中的流行音乐使我们对这部电影更加喜爱。

19 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

20 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

21 lower   

adj.较低的；地位较低的，低等的；低年级的；下游的；vt.放下，降下，放低；减低

参考例句：

• Society is divided into upper,middle and lower classes.社会分为上层、中层和下层阶级。
• This price is his minimum;he refuses to lower it any further.这个价格是他开的最低价，他拒绝再作任何降价。

22 estimate   

n.估计，估量；评价，看法；vt.估计，估量

参考例句：

• We estimate the cost to be five thousand dollars.我们估计费用为5000美元。
• The lowest estimate would put the worth of the jewel at ＄200.按最低的评估这块宝石也值200美元。

23 depth   

n.深度；深奥；深厚，深切，深

参考例句：

• What is the depth of this lake?这个湖有多深？
• He was in the depth of despair.他处于绝望的深渊。

24 muscles   

n.肌肉( muscle的名词复数 )；（操纵他人的）力量；权力；肌肉组织

参考例句：

• I must take some exercise and loosen up my muscles. 我必须活动活动使肌肉放松些。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Gosh! My muscles is going to ache all over tomorrow. 哎呀！明天我全身肌肉都会痛了。 来自《简明英汉词典》