Outdoor Activities

Reading

You’ve probably heard of Ben Nevis in Scotland.With its 1,344 metres it is the highest mountain in Great Britain.Each year 125,000 people climb this mountain and enjoy the great view from the top.It usually takes a few hours to get to the peak.But if you go up on the first Saturday in September,you can see people who run up or down the mountain.You think they’re crazy? Well,they probably are...They take part in the Ben Nevis race which takes place every year in early September.The race starts and finishes in Fort William.The runners do not only run up the mountain but also back down again-that’s a distance of 9.9 miles with a height difference of 1,340 metres.And some runners are really fast.In 1984,Kenny Stuart ran up and down the mountain in 1 hour,25 minutes and 34 seconds-that’s still the record today.

To run up and down the mountain you must be really fit.Only runners with a lot of experience are allowed to take part in the race.For safety reasons the number of runners is limited to 600.The weather can change quickly in the mountains,so the runners must wear waterproofs,a hat,gloves and a whistle.

But who had this crazy idea anyway? The first person known to run up and down the mountain was William Swan.On September 27,1895,he ran from Fort William to the top of the mountain in 2 hours and 41 minutes.He probably didn’t know what he started...

Wordlist

probablyadv.可能 peakn.峰顶 racen.竞赛 distancen.距离

recordn.纪录 experiencen.经历 allowv.允许 safetyn.安全

limitv.限制 waterproofn.防水服 whistlen.口哨

Note

The first person known to run up and down the mountain was William Swan.

第一个以奔跑着上山和下山而闻名的人是威廉·斯万。“known to run up and down the mountain”是过去分词作后置定语，修饰“the first person”.

Tasks

1.What does the underlined sentence of the article mean?

2.What’s the difference between the Ben Nevis race and common（普通的）mountain climbing?

Writing

假如你是李兵，你校准备开展一次英语演讲比赛，主题是“My favourite outdoor activity”，请根据下面的提示写一篇演讲稿。

要点：

1.说说你最喜欢的户外活动以及喜欢的原因。

2.介绍一次你的户外活动经历。

3.谈谈你参加户外活动的感受。

原文呈现

My favourite outdoor activity

There are many kinds of outdoor activities,such as hiking and playing basketball.And today I’m glad to introduce mine to you.

建议一两句话概述户外运动的好处，使语言更生动，行文更流畅。

My favourite outdoor activity is playing football.It helps me to relax after a hard day’s study.Also,football teaches me something that I can’t learn from books.

此处可以使用连接词使句子衔接更自然。喜欢的原因可更具体、生动些，表达出对足球特别的喜爱之情。

I still remember the experience that I represented my school to take part in a football match.In the beginning,my teammates and I threw all the rules away.We never passed the ball to others.Over times,we were backward.The coach said to us seriously in the half-time,“Even though you come from different classes,now it’s time to work as one person!”He motivated us,“Cheer up,boys!”We were suddenly filled with power.In the next half,the team was like a lion.Finally we won.

上半场比赛语言可以精炼些。

下半场还可以增加细节描写，表现出老师鼓励和指导后队员们的变化，使语言更具有感染力。

It was not only a common match,but a special lesson which let me understand what football truly taught us.Just as the saying goes,“Many hands make light work.”That is why I love playing football.So much for this.Thank you!

“So much for this.”可以另起一段，使演讲稿结构更清晰。

结束语可增加与听众互动的话语，突出演讲稿语言的特点。

（江苏省泰州市第二中学附属初中吴崔昊）

升格展示

My favourite outdoor activity

There are many kinds of outdoor activities,such as hiking and playing basketball.They are all very meaningful in our lives.And today I’m glad to introduce mine to you.

Like many boys,my favourite outdoor activity is playing football.It helps me to relax after a day’s hard and tiring study.Also,it is football that teaches me something that I can’t learn from books.

I still remember the experience that I represented my school to take part in a football match,which makes me grow a lot.In the beginning,my teammates and I threw all the rules away.We never passed the ball to others whether we can make goals or not.Over times,we became backward and helplessness was around us.The coach said to us seriously in the half-time,“Even though you come from different classes and play different roles,now it’s time to work as one person rather than like sand!”Then he motivated us,“Cheer up,boys!”At that moment,our thoughts seemed to be washed.We were suddenly filled with power and confidence.“It’s our turn to perform on stage!”I thought.In the next half,the team was like a lion that nothing can prevent it going forward.Finally,we won through the team work.

It is not only a common match,but it is also a special lesson which lets me understand what football truly teaches us.Just as the saying goes,“Many hands make light work.”That is why I love playing football,it provides me with valuable experiences.

So much for this.So let’s keep on from now on and you will certainly understand what I mean!Thank you!

综合点评

升格文中增加了细节描写和心理描写，使文章情感更真挚，字里行间表达了对足球的喜爱。用英文谚语“众人拾柴火焰高”升华主题，表述喜爱足球的原因及足球比赛对“我”的深远影响。结尾处用祈使句与读者互动，富有感染力，能让读者产生共鸣。

（江苏省泰兴市分界初级中学张琴）