7 . Texan 81-year-old good friends Ellie Hamby and Sandy Hazelip toured the world in 80 days, proving that adventure doesn’t have an age limit.
Their first stop was a location challenging even many experienced travelers: the Antarctic. Getting to the southernmost continent first required crossing the Drake Passage, the waters between the southern tip of South America and the Antarctic’s South Shetland Islands. “For almost two days, we were rocking and rolling, slipping and sliding through the Drake Passage and we were holding on for dear life, “Hamby said. The voyage, however, faded from their mind as they set foot on the ground of the Antarctic, fascinated by the breathtaking beauty of penguins, icebergs and glaciers.
Since that first venture, the pair have visited 18 countries across all seven continents. And despite the challenges international travel presented, the good friends said they had finished their trip without any argument. Though they’re both independent and stubborn, they respect each other’s feelings. And what they remember the most are the people that they met. “We met some of the most wonderful, kindest, friendliest people. We just have friends now all over the world that we love dearly,” Hamby said.
The two shared a crucial piece of advice for travelers worrying about the language barrier on their own adventures.” You know, people often ask us about it,” said Hamby.” We tell them there’s one universal language, and that’s the smile. We found it worked wonders because we were often aware that English was not always spoken and that the smile could cover all languages.”
They also encouraged other older people not to let age hold them back. Aside from some minor changes in plans, their age didn’t affect their itinerary(旅程)abroad. They said they felt confident that if they were injured during their trip, their children would have been at peace knowing that they were doing what they absolutely wanted. And Hazelip described 81 as the perfect age to embark on a trip.”Getting older does give us a little bit of wisdom of making decisions,” she said.
1. What might the pair think of their trip to the Antaretic?
| A．Brief but exciting. | B．Tough but worthwhile. |
| C．Interesting but fruitless. | D．Unpleasant but memorable. |
2. What is the highlight of the pair’s adventures for themselves?
| A．Meeting nice people along the way. |
| B．Experiencing many challenging activities. |
| C．Learning about different cultures from travelers. |
| D．Avoiding conflicts despite their stubborn nature. |
3. What helped the pair communicate with people during the adventure?
| A．English. | B．The smile. |
| C．Crucial advice. | D．Universal gestures. |
4. What can we infer about the pair from the last paragraph?
| A．They fell down when riding a bike in Bali. |
| B．They regretted not exploring the world earlier. |
| C．Their children understood and supported them. |
| D．Their wisdom saved them lots of time during their trip. |
