? ?Ellen MacArthur started sailing when
she was eight，going out on sailing trips with her aunt．She loved it so much that
she saved her money for three years to buy her first small sailing boat．When she
was 18，she sailed alone around Britain and won the“Young Sailor of the
Year”award． ? ?But Ellen really became famous in 2001．Aged only
24，she was one of only two women who entered the Vendee Globe round the world
solo race，which lasts t00 days．Despite many problems，she came second in the race
out of 24 competitors and she was given a very warm welcome when she returned．
? ?Ambition and determination have always been a big part of
Ellen’s personality．When she was younger，she lived in a kind of hut(棚屋) for
three years while she was trying to get sponsorship to compete in a
transatlantic race．Then she took a one-way ticket to France，bought a tiny seven
meter Class Miniyacht，slept under it while she was repairing it，and then she
raced it 4，000 kilometers across the Atlanticin 1997，alone for 33 days．
? ?Ellen has had to learn many things，because sailing
single-handed means that she has to be her own
captain，electrician，sailmaker，engineer，doctor，journalist，cameraman and cook．She
also has to be very fit，and because of the dangers of sleeping for long periods
of time she’s in the middle of the ocean，she has trained herself to sleep for
about 20 minutes at a time． ? ?And she needs courage．Once，in the
middle of the ocean，she had to climb the mast(桅杆) of a boat to repair the
sails-at four o’clock in the morning，with 100kph winds blowing around her．It
took her many hours to make the repairs；Ellen says：“I was exhausted when I came
down．It’s hard to describe how it feels to be up there．It’s like trying to hold
onto a big pole，which for me is just too big to get my arms around，with someone
kicking you all the time and trying to shake you off”． ? ?But in
her diary，Ellen also describes moments which make it all worthwhile(值得的)：“A
beautiful sunrise started the day，with black clouds slowly lit by the bright
yellow sun．I have a very strong feeling of pleasure，being out here on the ocean
and having the chance to live this．I just feel lucky to be
here”．
? ?Ellen MacArthur started sailing when
she was eight，going out on sailing trips with her aunt．She loved it so much that
she saved her money for three years to buy her first small sailing boat．When she
was 18，she sailed alone around Britain and won the“Young Sailor of the
Year”award． ? ?But Ellen really became famous in 2001．Aged only
24，she was one of only two women who entered the Vendee Globe round the world
solo race，which lasts t00 days．Despite many problems，she came second in the race
out of 24 competitors and she was given a very warm welcome when she returned．
? ?Ambition and determination have always been a big part of
Ellen’s personality．When she was younger，she lived in a kind of hut(棚屋) for
three years while she was trying to get sponsorship to compete in a
transatlantic race．Then she took a one-way ticket to France，bought a tiny seven
meter Class Miniyacht，slept under it while she was repairing it，and then she
raced it 4，000 kilometers across the Atlanticin 1997，alone for 33 days．
? ?Ellen has had to learn many things，because sailing
single-handed means that she has to be her own
captain，electrician，sailmaker，engineer，doctor，journalist，cameraman and cook．She
also has to be very fit，and because of the dangers of sleeping for long periods
of time she’s in the middle of the ocean，she has trained herself to sleep for
about 20 minutes at a time． ? ?And she needs courage．Once，in the
middle of the ocean，she had to climb the mast(桅杆) of a boat to repair the
sails-at four o’clock in the morning，with 100kph winds blowing around her．It
took her many hours to make the repairs；Ellen says：“I was exhausted when I came
down．It’s hard to describe how it feels to be up there．It’s like trying to hold
onto a big pole，which for me is just too big to get my arms around，with someone
kicking you all the time and trying to shake you off”． ? ?But in
her diary，Ellen also describes moments which make it all worthwhile(值得的)：“A
beautiful sunrise started the day，with black clouds slowly lit by the bright
yellow sun．I have a very strong feeling of pleasure，being out here on the ocean
and having the chance to live this．I just feel lucky to be
here”．
Ellen lived in a kind of hut for three years
A.while she was learning how to repair sails． B.because she was ambitious for the coming race． C.while she was trying to get financial support for a race． D.because she was interested in country life．
单选集
