1    On July 16, 2009, Zac Sunderland sailed into Marina del Rey in Los Angeles County, California, on a 36-foot sailboat named  Intrepid to a soundtrack of air horns, whirring helicopters, and cheering. Why all the fuss? Zac had just become the first person to complete a solo trip around the world before the age of 18.

2    Zac began his 28,000-mile journey 13 months earlier, on June 14, 2008. He made the decision to go only six months before that.

3    “Football season was over,” Zac jokes, “and I was looking for something to do.”

4    A solo circumnavigation might not be what most people would expect a high-school student to choose, but Zac isn’t interested in doing what people expect. He thinks teens are capable of much more than society assumes.

5    “I wanted to experience life,” says Zac.

Boating Background

6    Zac’s trip was inspired in part by Robin Lee Graham’s book, Dove. In Dove, Graham describes his own five-year trip sailing around the world. He started his journey in 1965 at the age of 16.

7    Zac’s introduction to the world of sailing came before he read Graham’s book, however. “I learned how to sail before I could ride a bike,” says Zac. His dad is a shipwright (a person who builds and repairs boats), and both of his parents are experienced sailors. But although Zac had done a lot of sailing with his family, his first solo trip would be the one he took around the world. 

8    Zac used the $6,000 he’d saved from summer jobs to buy a sailboat. He and his dad then spent four months getting it ready.

9    When they were finished, Zac knew Intrepid was up to the trip. The only question was how he would hold up.

Adventures at Sea

10    Zac made it safely around the planet — but not without some harrowing moments. One of the most perilous situations occurred on the Indian Ocean. The wind ripped loose the heavy wire that helps support the mast (the tall pole that holds the sails), and the mast was in danger of breaking. For two days and nights, as wild waves tossed the boat and the wind whipped at the sails, Zac struggled to make repairs.

11    Another time, Zac was working on deck around 2 a.m. when Intrepid was struck by a “rogue” wave — an unpredictable, abnormally large wave that seems to come from nowhere. While Zac clung to the mast to avoid being swept overboard, the wave soaked the cabin and shorted out the boat’s electrical system.

12    And then there were the pirates. Off the coast of Indonesia, Zac was followed by what he believes was a pirate vessel. He emerged from the ordeal unharmed, but the hour during which it occurred seemed to be the longest hour of Zac’s life.

13    Not all of Zac’s days were so dramatic. A friend gave him 70 books to take on the trip, and Zac made his way through almost all of them. He also had an iPod and a collection of DVDs to enjoy in calmer moments. He even spent time updating the blog he kept during the journey.

Big World to Explore

14    For Zac, the best thing about his trip was meeting new people. “I’ve got friends all over the world,” he says proudly. For example, he made many friends during his time in Cape Town, South Africa.

15    He also loved visiting islands that are accessible only by boat and seeing beautiful places that he wouldn’t otherwise see. One island he particularly loved is Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. Of the island with only 3,000 citizens, Zac says, “There are more people at my high school.”

16    Now Zac is ready to find his next adventure. “I don’t like sitting still,” he says. He signed with a talent agency, and there is talk of his next adventure — whatever it may be — being made into a TV show.

17    In the meantime, Zac plans to finish up the few classes he needs to graduate from high school and work on the book he is writing about his trip. He’ll also continue to get his message out to other teens: “Do what people don’t expect. Break the mold. Get out there and give it all you’ve got. If it doesn’t happen, at least you know you tried.”

(717 words)

1. … Zac Sunderland sailed into Marina del Rey in Los Angeles County, California, on a 36-foot sailboat named Intrepid to a soundtrack of air horns, whirring helicopters, and cheering.

……扎克·桑德兰把他36英尺长的“无畏号”帆船驶进了加利福尼亚州洛杉矶县的雷伊码头。顿时，汽笛声、直升机的轰鸣声和人们的欢呼声响成了一片。 

此句中 to 作为介词，表示伴随，意为“跟着，随同”。又如：

She danced to the music.

她合着音乐跳舞。

2. A solo circumnavigation might not be what most people would expect a highschool student to choose, but Zac isn’t interested in doing what people expect.

大多数人可能不会期待一个中学生会选择单人驾舟环球航行，但扎克对做人们所期待的事不感兴趣。

此句中有两个由 what 引出的名词性从句，其功能是不同的。what most people would expect a high-school student to choose 是 be 的表语从句；what people expect 是 doing 的宾语从句。

3. But although Zac had done a lot of sailing with his family, his first solo trip would be the one he took around the world. 

虽然扎克和他的家人有过很多航海活动，但他的首次单独航行却是环游世界。

本句中 one 是不定代词，指代 his first solo trip。又如：

My house is the first one on the left.

我的房子是左边第一家。

There are only hard chocolates left；we’ve eaten all the soft ones.

只剩下巧克力硬糖，我们把软糖全吃光了。

4. Zac made it safely around the planet — but not without some harrowing moments.

扎克平安地完成了环球航行，但并非没有一些痛苦的时刻。

without 是双重否定，起强调作用。又如：

Certainly, there will be no lasting recovery without confidence and hard work. 

的确，没有信心和苦干，就不会有持续的经济复苏。

5. Off the coast of Indonesia, Zac was followed by what he believes was a pirate vessel. 

在印度尼西亚附近的海面上，扎克发觉被一艘海盗船盯上了。

本句中连接代词 what 在宾语从句中担任主语。what 在宾语从句中还可担任宾语和表语，如：

We must believe in what we do, even when others do not. (what 在从句中担任宾语)

我们必须相信我们做的事，即使别人不信。

Everybody can see what it is. (what 在从句中担任表语)

人人都明白它是什么。

* Read the following paragraphs until you have learned them by heart.

Now Zac is ready to find his next adventure. “I don’t like sitting still,” he says. He signed with a talent agency, and there is talk of his next adventure — whatever it may be — being made into a TV show.

In the meantime, Zac plans to finish up the few classes he needs to graduate from high school and work on the book he is writing about his trip. He’ll also continue to get his message out to other teens: “Do what people don’t expect. Break the mold. Get out there and give it all you’ve got. If it doesn’t happen, at least you know you tried.”