10. First flight

Mr. Johnson had never been up in a plane before and he had read a lot about air accidents, so one day when a friend offered1 to take him for a ride in his own small plane, Mr. Johnson was very worried about accepting. Finally, however, his friend persuaded2 him that it was very safe, and Mr. Johnson boarded the plane.

His friend started the engine and began to slide onto the runway of the airport. Mr. Johnson had heard that the most dangerous part of a flight were the take-off and the landing, so he was extremely frightened and closed his eyes.

After a minute or two he opened them again, looked out of the window of the plane, and said to his friend, "Look at those people down there. They look as small as ants, don't they?"

Those are ants, answered his friend. "We're still on the ground."

Notes:

1. offer 主动提供，主动要求

2. persuade 劝说

第一次坐飞机

约翰逊先生以前从未乘过飞机，他读过许多关于飞行事故的报道。所以，有一天一位朋友邀请他乘自己的小飞机飞行时，约翰逊先生非常担心，不敢接受。不过，由于朋友不断保证说飞行是很安全的，约翰逊先生终于被说服了，登上了飞机。

他的朋友启动引擎开始在机场跑道上滑行。约翰逊先生听说飞行中最危险的是起飞与降落，所以他吓得紧闭双眼。

过了一两分钟，他睁开双眼朝窗外望去，对朋友说道：“看下面那些人，他们看起来就像蚂蚁一样小，是不是？”

“那些就是蚂蚁”，他的朋友答道，“我们还在地面上。”

Useful link:

1903年12月17日，美国的威尔伯·莱特和奥维尔·莱特兄弟俩设计制造的“飞行者”号飞机在美国北卡罗来纳州的基蒂霍克试飞成功，这是世界上公认的第一架飞上天空的可操纵载人动力飞机。