题目内容
听力原文： Paddling around on a river in a small boat is not everyone's idea of fun. Canoes, which are narrow boats to start with and usually hold one or two people at the most, are particularly well known for being unstable and turning over in the water. But more and more people are taking boats like this out onto dangerous rivers to enjoy what is called "white-water-canoeing". And today I'd like to talk about what the sport is and how to get started if you are thinking of taking it up.
A lot of people may be familiar with what is called recreational canoeing. That's where you take a canoe out onto a nice calm river, with a picnic and have a very relaxing time. But if you're doing white-water canoeing then you're doing something very different. For a start, you have to do it on a fast-flowing river. You've got to be moving quickly through the water and when you are doing that, you make a lot of froth and bubbles and the water looks white. That's basically where the name comes from. Also, unlike recreational canoeing, white-water canoeing is a competitive sport. It involves racing on a river against other canoeists to see who can win and there are two main ways that this is done.
The first is the typical race to see who can follow a straight line, between two points on the river, in the quickest time. Just like a runner on a race track. The second, and more challenging type of race, is one in which the participants have to steer their canoe in and out of poles along the river in order to reach the end of the race, more like a skier.
So, where do you go to do it？ Well, although you can canoe on most rivers, those that are ideal for white-water canoeing are hard to come by and enthusiastic canoeists regularly travel quite long distances to find the right water. If you're prepared to go there, Scotland has numerous popular rivers like the Tay and Tweed, and Wales is also very good for white-water canoeing. And on the other side of the world, I believe the sport is catching on in parts of Australia and New Zealand, too.
Of course, you have got to think about equipments as well. You need to get yourself a good canoe and these can set you back anything from 300 pounds to 700 pounds, depending on the material they're made of. The more you can pay, the better really. Personally, I wouldn't look at anything under 500 pounds, but that obviously depends on your budget. You also need a hard helmet to protect yourself against rocks when you fall out of the canoe, and believe me, you will fall out. Because of this, there is no point, particularly as a beginner, in wearing anything but a wet suit. That's a must.
I think it's worth saying that once you get started, the important thing is not to be put off the sport early on, by allowing someone to tempt you to canoe on a river that's just too difficult. The popular rivers are, in face, graded from 1 to 6 in the same way that ski runs are graded to tell people just how flat or steep they are. The higher the grade, the more difficult the river is, so grade 1 river, which is basically no different from a canal, is the best one to start with. Once you're an expert, which can take some time, you can, of course, try anything and really serious canoeists, who want a real challenge, go out a lot more in the winter when the water level is high and deliberately look for the most dangerous rivers.
Whatever you say about this sport, it is never dull. Generally it's a fantastic sport for anyone who likes adventure. On another level, it's a serious activity and you can become a real champion but it's a small group who take it that far.
Questions:
16.According to the lecture, which of the following is NOT true about canoeing？
17.Why is the sport called "white water" canoeing？
18.According to the speaker, which statement is true about canoeing equipments？
19.If you first try canoeing, what should you do according to the speaker？
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