The Rising Popularity of Extreme Sports

极限运动是指人类在与自然融合的过程中, 借助于现代高科技手段, 最大限度地发挥自我身心潜能,向自身挑战的体育娱乐运动。从下面的文章你可以了解这一新兴时尚活动的内容。

 

Chance McGuire, 25, stands on the edge of a 650-foot concrete dam in Northern California. There is a light breeze. A lone hawk circles above the deep valley. The sound from the creek below is faint. “Five...four...three...two...one,” counts McGuire. “See ya!” He leaps out into space. In one second he falls 16 ft., in two seconds 63 ft., and after three seconds and 137 ft. he is dropping at 65 m.p.h. The air comes rushing at his face and tearing at his clothes, and the massive gray dam is a blur. He prays that his parachute will open facing away from the dam, that the chute won’t collapse, and that no ill wind will slam him back into the cold concrete. The chute snaps open, sounding like a gunshot in the valley. Now McGuire is soaring, making S turns in the air while descending toward the winding creek. When he lands safely, he lets out a whoop of joy. 　

Skateboarders, skiers, bicyclists, and snowboarders have all been testing the limits of their sports. Dissatisfied with ordinary tricks, bike riders now do back-flips and handstands on their handlebars. Skateboarders and in-line skaters soar off half-pipes, twisting and spinning high into the air like gymnasts. Skiers come down mountainsides so steep that it would probably be more accurate to say that they are falling rather than skiing. Extreme sports like these are gaining popularity in Europe and Asia, but they are most popular in America. 　

[注释]：
concrete dam: 混凝土大坝　
creek: 小溪，小湾　
hawk: 鹰　
faint: lacking clarity or distinctness 微弱的，模糊的　
leap: to spring or bound upward from or as if from the ground; jump 跳，跳跃　
parachute: 降落伞　
chute: a parachute, such as one for pilots or skydivers 降落伞　
collapse: 失败　
slam: a forceful impact that makes a loud noise 冲击　
snap: to open, close, or fit together with a click 吧嗒一声猛地打开　
gunshot: 射击　
soar: the act of soaring 翱翔　
winding: one complete turn of something wound 线圈　
whoop: a loud cry of exultation or excitement 大叫，呐喊　
skateboarder: a short, narrow board having a set of four roller skate wheels mounted under it and
usually ridden in a standing or crouching position 滑板　
bicyclist: 骑自行车的人　
handlebar: a curved metal steering bar, as on a bicycle, often used in the plural 手把　
spinning: 旋转　
gymnast: a person who is trained and skilled in gymnastics, especially one who engages in
competition 体操运动员　
mountainside: the side of a mountain 山腹，山腰　
steep: having a sharp inclination 陡峭的，险峻的