Lesson 10 Fast Runners

Many sports began as ways to overcome obstacles. People jumped to cross a gap;they swam to cross a river. Sleighing began as a way to traverse snow-covered land.

Natives of northern countries were the first experts in sleighing and sledding.Lapps, Finns, and Eskimos staged races. Eskimos raced across frozen ground at breakneck speed. Each man stood on the back of his dog-drawn sled. He guided his huskies with a long whip. Lapp drivers hurtled down a steep slope①. The reindeerdrawn sleds shot up the opposite slope at top speed. Then they raced down again and up another hill.

Other people cared less for speed in sleighing. Many liked sleigh rides for winter fun. In Russia during the eighteenth century, scaffolds were cleverly built on skating rinks. Sleighing fans lined up to ride down these man-made slopes.

Sleighing by boat dates from the seventeenth century. It was invented by the Dutch. Their waterways, Holland’s main roads, were frozen all winter. The Dutch made up their minds to sail their boats, no matter what. With runners fastened beneath the bow, or front, a boat became a sleigh. An “iron shoe” was fastened at the stern②, or back. Sails bulging in the wind, iceboats became a familiar sight on the canals. Soon the Dutch sailed iceboats just for fun.

Today iceboating is a racing sport. Each fast, small racer is topped by a towering sail, the racer is steered from the stern and carries one or two riders. It tears along at more than eighty miles an hour.

Sleighing, too, is now a racing sport. The story of the racing sled begins with the toboggan, the sled known to the American Indians. About the beginning of this century,Americans visiting the Swiss Alps had the idea of riding toboggans down snow-clad mountainsides. Soon some Swiss winter resorts③ had tobogganing courses nearby.

After a time the toboggan did not seem fast enough. A heavier sled was invented and then improved. It was safer; it was easier to keep on course.

Today the bobsled, or bobsleigh, is a streamlined metal racer. Its usual crew is four, counting the driver and the brakeman. It is steered by a rope fastened in front of the runners or by a steering wheel. Its downhill speed is ninety miles an hour or more.

A simple method is used to add speed. The riders, except for the driver, bend backward. At the command “Bob!” from the brakeman, in the rear④, they snap forward into sitting position. They repeat this at command. They keep exact time. The brakeman’s sharp cry gave bobsledding its name.

Each winter thousands of fans flock to St. Moritz or Davos in Switzerland or to Lake Placid in New York State. At these resorts the great bobsled teams perform. Fans can see only part of the course. A public-address system keeps them informed. In turn,each sled speeds down the curving, walled-in, chutelike⑤ run. Safety depends on driver and brakeman. Accidents are frequent. Many a rider has been injured or even killed in a spill.

Sleighing can be enjoyed without snow. In a favorite game, Hawaiians race up a sandy hill. Each man carries a sled. It is simply a board bound to two well-oiled runners. Going over the top of the hill, the racer throws himself headlong on his sled.It slides down over a track built of stones and hard-packed earth. A cover of dry grass makes the track slippery and the ride smoother.

Long before wheel and wagon were invented, sleighs carried men and their goods.Sleighs still perform the same tasks. But iceboats and bobsleds are now in the world of sports. There they give pleasure and excitement to those who ride and those who watch.

(626 words)

Ⅰ . How well did you read?

1. [Note the details.] According to the writer, people who raced with sleds included the___________ .

A. Eskimos and Lapps B. Dutch and Russians C. neither A nor B

2. [Give the purpose.] Iceboats were invented by the Dutch in order to___________ .

A. use the frozen canals as roads

B. make use of power from windmills

C. have contests in winter sports

3. [Note the origin.] The racing bobsled began with the___________ .

A. iceboat B. toboggan C. Hawaiian sled

4. [Note the place.] The first downhill courses for bobsleds were in the___________ .

A. North American Rockies

B. Swiss Alps

C. Italian Alps

5. [Give the main idea.] Paragraph 9 tells about___________ .

A. the origin of the name bobsled

B. famous races for bobsled teams

C. the building of a course for bobsledding

6. [Judge from details.] As sports, both iceboating and bobsledding can be described as___________ .

A. dangerous B. fast C. both A and B

Ⅱ. Read for words.

Choose one best paraphrase for the underlined words.

1. Many sports began as ways to overcome obstacles. (Para.1)

A. difficulties in a person’s way B. shortcomings C. feelings

2. Sleighing began as a way to traverse snow-covered land. (Para.1)

A. clear B. equip C. cross

3. He guided his huskies with a long whip. Lapp drivers hurtled down a steep slope.(Para. 2)

A. moved quickly with a rushing sound

B. skated slowly

C. rolled

4. Sails bulging in the wind, iceboats became a familiar sight on the canals. (Para. 4)

A. rocking B. sinking C. sticking out

5. Today the bobsled, or bobsleigh, is a streamlined metal racer. (Para. 7)

A. fashionable B. improved C. adventurous

Ⅲ. Writing practice.

Why do people like to take part in or watch dangerous sports?

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