Surfing

Surfing, written by Lorraine Freeney. Focus question. What are some key events in the history of surfing? Why do you think surfing became popular around the world?

《冲浪》，作者：洛兰·弗里尼。 思考问题。 冲浪发展历史上有哪些重要事件？ 你觉得冲浪为什么会在全球流行起来呢？

The sport of kings. People have been surfing for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. The first surfers may have been Polynesian fisherfolk who rode boards to help them move quickly through the waves. When Polynesians first settled in Hawaii around 1200 CE, they brought their love of surfing with them. They called it he 'e nalu, which means wave sliding.

王者的运动 人们冲浪的历史已经有数百年，甚至可能有数千年了。 最早的冲浪者可能是波利尼西亚渔民，他们踩着木板在浪里快速穿行。 公元1200年左右，波利尼西亚人最早定居夏威夷，也把对冲浪的热爱带到了那里。 他们把这项运动叫做he 'e nalu，意思就是滑浪。

Surfing was more than a sport to the early Hawaiians. It was an important part of their culture. Hawaiians carved surfboards from the wood of special trees. Surfers prayed to their gods to protect them and bring them great waves. Hawaiian chiefs showed their skill and courage by riding huge wooden boards. The best beaches were kept only for royalty.

对早期夏威夷人来说，冲浪可不只是一项运动。 它是夏威夷文化里重要的一部分。 夏威夷人用特殊树木的木材雕刻制作冲浪板。 冲浪者会向神明祈祷，祈求保护，也祈求能遇上好浪。 夏威夷酋长会踩着巨大的木板冲浪，展示自己的技巧和勇气。 最好的海滩历来只供王室使用。

Surfing U .S .A. and beyond. Europeans learned about surfing in the late 1700s. That's when British explorer Captain Cook and his crew spotted surfers around Tahiti and Hawaii. In 1885, three Hawaiian princes visited Santa Cruz, California. They rode surfboards off the beach. Soon, local boys were trying to copy them. Jack London, a world -famous author, visited Hawaii in 1907 and wrote stories about the surfers he saw there. One of those surfers, George Freeth, helped spread surfing across the mainland when he traveled to California and showed off his skills. He became known as the father of modern surfing.

冲浪传入美国乃至全世界。 欧洲人在18世纪末才了解到冲浪这项运动。 那时候英国探险家库克船长和他的船员在塔希提和夏威夷周边见到了冲浪者。 1885年，三位夏威夷王子到访了加利福尼亚州的圣克鲁斯。 他们在海边踩着冲浪板冲浪。 很快，当地的男孩们就开始模仿他们冲浪。 世界知名作家杰克·伦敦在1907年到访夏威夷，写下了他见到的冲浪者的故事。 其中一位冲浪者乔治·弗里思前往加利福尼亚展示技巧，把冲浪推广到了美国大陆。 他被人们称为“现代冲浪之父”。

Duke Kahanamoku was a Hawaiian -born champion swimmer who won medals at the 1912 and 1920 Olympic Games. He learned to surf as a boy in Hawaii and loved to share the sport. Kahanamoku traveled around the United States and became one of surfing's most important early stars. He took part in Australia's first surfing shows using a board he built himself. By the 1960s, surfing was hugely popular in California, Hawaii, and Australia. Hit songs, movies, magazines, and TV shows celebrated the fun and freedom of surfing. Even people who had never seen the sport in real life knew about the surfing lifestyle.

杜克·卡哈纳莫库是出生在夏威夷的游泳冠军，他在1912年和1920年的奥运会上都拿到了奖牌。 他从小在夏威夷学习冲浪，也十分热爱向人们分享这项运动。 卡哈纳莫库周游美国，是早期冲浪运动最重要的明星之一。 他用自己亲手做的冲浪板，参加了澳大利亚第一场冲浪表演秀。 到了20世纪60年代，冲浪已经在加利福尼亚、夏威夷和澳大利亚风靡一时。 热门歌曲、电影、杂志还有电视节目都在歌颂冲浪带来的乐趣与自由。 哪怕是从没亲眼见过冲浪的人，也都听说过冲浪的生活方式。

Boards Up until the early 20th century, surfboards were still made of solid wood. They were heavy and difficult to steer. In 1926, surfer Tom Blake invented a hollow board that was much lighter and faster. He was also the first person to add fins to make boards easier to control. By the 1940s, surfboards were made of a light wood known as balsa. Modern materials, such as fiberglass, have helped make today's surfboards light, strong and buoyant.

冲浪板 在20世纪初之前，冲浪板一直都是用实心木头做的。 它们又沉又难操控。 1926年，冲浪手汤姆·布莱克发明了空心冲浪板，比实心板轻得多，速度也更快。 他还是第一个给冲浪板加装尾鳍，让板子更好控制的人。 到了20世纪40年代，冲浪板开始用一种叫巴尔沙木的轻木材制作。 玻璃纤维这类现代材料，让如今的冲浪板更轻、更结实，浮力也更好。