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　　An Australian adventurer has taken on a dangerous bid to become the first kayaker(皮艇手)to paddle 1,600 kilometers(1,000 miles)from his country to New Zealand．

　　Having spent five years planning his trip across the Tasman Sea, Andrew McAuley, 39, ignored strong request by marine police to stop an attempt they described as“dangerous and high-risk”．McAuley left early from Fortescue in south-eastern Tasmania on a risky journey that was expected to take a month．

　　McAuley, who was last year’s Australian Geographic Adventurer of the Year, has equipped his kayak with navigation and safety equipment to protect him from the bad weather at night．Although well prepared for his 1,600-kilometre adventurous journey, he admitted on his website earlier that he was both excited and scared．“The balance of each emotion changes from time to time, but overall I can’t wait to get out there and get it done,”wrote McAuley．“I’m hungry for some paddling!”

　　McAuley aims to reach New Zealand’s Milford Sound in 30 days, where he will present his passport to New Zealand customs authorities．“You know it’s a long kayak trip when you need your passport,”he said．

　　McAuley admitted the Tasman crossing, which had been attempted just twice by others－unsuccessfully－would be“very hard going”．However, a wealth of experience at sea gave him some idea of what to expect, he said．

　　Between 2000 and 2003, McAuley crossed the Bass Strait between Tasmania and mainland Australia three times, and last year led an 850- kilometer Antarctic kayaking expedition．In 2004, he completed the 530-kilometer Gulf of Carpentaria crossing, northern Australia, sleeping in his kayak in rough oceans for six nights and“battling salt sores, fever and encounters with sharks and sea snakes along the way”．

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　　Mr．Peter Johnson, aged twenty-three, fought for half an hour to escape from his trapped car yesterday when it landed upside down in three feet of water．Mr．Johnson took the only escape route－through the boot(行李箱)．

　　Mr．Johnson’s car had finished up in a ditch(沟渠)at Romney Marsin, Kent after skidding on ice and hitting a bank．“Fortunately, the water began to come in only slowly, ” Mr．Johnson said．“I couldn’t force the doors because they were jammed against the walls of the ditch and dared not open the windows because I knew water would come flooding in．”

　　Mr．Johnson, a sweet salesman of Sitting Home, Kent, first tried to attract the attention of other motorists by sounding the horn and hammering on the roof and boot．Then he began his struggle to escape．

　　Later he said, “It was really a half penny that saved my life．It was the only coin I had in my pocket and I used it to unscrew the back seat to get into the boot．I hammered desperately with a hammer trying to make someone hear, but no help came．”

　　It took ten minutes to unscrew the seat, and a further five minutes to clear the sweet samples from the boot．Then Mr．Johnson found a wrench and began to work on the boot lock．Fifteen minutes passed by．“It was the only chance I had．Finally it gave, but as soon as I moved the boot lid, the water and mud poured in．I forced the lid down into the mud and scrambled clear as the car filled up．”

　　His hands and arms cut and bruised(擦伤), Mr．Johnson got to Beckett Farm nearby, where he was looked after by the farmer’s wife, Mrs．Lucy Bates．Huddled in a blanket, he said, “That thirty minutes seemed like hours．” Only the tips of the car wheels were visible, police said last night．The vehicle had sunk into two feet of mud at the bottom of the ditch．

阅读理解

　　Mr．Peter Johnson, aged twenty-three, battled for half an hour to escape from his trapped car yesterday when it landed upside down in three feet of water．Mr．Johnson took the only escape route－through the boot(行李箱)．

　　Mr．Johnson’s car had finished up in a ditch(沟渠)at Romney Marsin, Kent after skidding on ice and hitting a bank．“Fortunately, the water began to come in only slowly,” Mr．Johnson said．“I couldn’t force the doors because they were jammed against the walls of the ditch and dared not open the windows because I knew water would come flooding in．”

　　Mr．Johnson, a sweet salesman of Sitting Home, Kent, first tried to attract the attention of other motorists by sounding the horn and hammering on the roof and boot．Then he began his struggle to escape．

　　Later he said, “It was really a half penny that saved my life．It was the only coin I had in my pocket and I used it to unscrew(拧开)the back seat to get into the boot．I hammered desperately with a hammer trying to make someone hear, but no help came．”

　　It took ten minutes to unscrew the seat, and a further five minutes to clear the sweet samples from the boot．Then Mr．Johnson found a wrench and began to work on the boot lock．Fifteen minutes passed by．“It was the only chance I had．Finally it gave, but as soon as I moved the boot lid, the water and mud poured in．I forced the lid down into the mud and climbed out as the car filled up．”

　　His hands and arms cut and bruised, Mr．Johnson got to Beckett Farm nearby, where he was looked after by the farmer’s wife, Mrs．Lucy Bates．Huddled in a blanket, he said, “That thirty minutes seemed like hours．” Only the tips of the car wheels were visible, police said last night．The vehicle had sunk into two feet of mud at the bottom of the ditch．