10 . MacArthur’s devotion to sailing dates back to when she was just four years of age, when she first got the chance to have a try. “I’ll never forget that sailing as a kid of setting foot on a boat for the first time,” MacArthur said. “It kind of struck me that this boat had everything we needed to take us anywhere in th world. And as a child, that opened up everything.” She explained how it felt life the “greatest sense of freedom”.
This experience lighted a passion within MacArthur. She knew then that she wanted to sail around the world. She had no idea how to achieve it — growing up in the countryside, it wasn’t the most obvious career path — but she knew that was what she wanted to do at some stage. So she acquired knowledge and saved up for years to pursue a career in sailing. She would have potatoes and beans every day for eight years so that she could save up to buy the right equipment. By reaching certain financial goals and asking technical questions about sailing, MacArthur felt as though she was getting closer to her ambitions.
“When you know where you’re going, you can actually get there — even if it seems unlikely. The impossible could be possible and aiming high is not necessarily such a nutty thing to do.” And it seems that MacArthur’s drive to become a sailor went beyond her expectations. At the age of 24, she started to receive media attention after participating in the Vendee Globe, a single-handed non-stop yacht (帆船) race that goes around the world. She came in second place.
Some three to four years later, MacArthur chose to sail for 71 days and 14 hours, covering more than 26, 000 miles during the course of her journey. This led to MacArthur scoring a new world record in 2005, as the fastest person to sail around the globe single-handedly. While this record has since been surpassed, MacArthur is still considered as Britain’s most successful offshore racer.
1. What happened to MacArthur when she was four?
| A．She prepared to sail around the world. | B．She got stuck in a boat. |
| C．She had her first taste of sailing. | D．She saw a boat for the first time. |
2. What do we know about MacArthur from paragraph 2?
| A．She worked as a technician to earn money. |
| B．She sought financial support for her amibitions. |
| C．She planted potatoes and beans for profit . |
| D．She prepared herself for her goal. |
3. What did MacArthur do in 2005?
| A．She set the world sailing record. | B．She attracted media spotlight. |
| C．She secured second place in a yacht race. | D．She had her personal best surpassed. |
4. What does the story mainly tell us?
| A．Follow your own course, and let others talk | B．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. |
| C．Practice makes perfect. | D．Doing is better than saying. |
