Pre-reading questions:
- Can you ride a bike? If yes, when did you learn? Please explain your answer.
- Have you ever joined a cycling competition? Please explain your answer.
For this year’s 35th America’s Cup event in Bermuda, the New Zealand sailors have changed the common paddle-style with pedal-style machine. The idea behind the pedal-style is that the bigger leg muscles will be able to give more power than paddle-style machine. This is the fastest way to keep the boats sail continuously above the water all around the course. Oracle Team USA Jimmy Spithill and former Team NZ Dean Barker — now head of SoftBank Team Japan — have questioned the effectivity of the pedal-style. But former America’s Cup designer Mike Drummond said such pedal-style could give 10-15% extra power for longer time.
Vocabulary:
sailor – [noun] a person who works on a boat or ship
paddle – [noun] an instrument used to move a small boat through the water
pedal – [noun] a foot-operated throttle, brake, or clutch control in a motor vehicle
sail – [verb] to travel on water in a ship or boat
course – [noun] path or track
True or False:
- The New Zealand cyclist changed the common paddle-style with pedal-style machine.
- Pedal-style is a leg powered movement of a flat piece of metal.
- Paddle-style is an arm powered movement of a long wooden pole.
- Pedal-style is the fastest way to keep the boats sail continuously above the water all around the track.
- Former America’s Cup designer Mike Drummond have questioned the effectivity of the pedal-style.