After a year at sea, 16-year-old Laura Dekker can finally say, “Mission accomplished!” Last month, she finished a daring trip around the world aboard her 38-foot boat, Guppy. Dekker, who is from the Netherlands, traveled more than 30,000 miles all by herself. She is the youngest person ever to sail around the globe alone.
Dekker had wanted to lake on this challenge when she was even younger. She first tried to set sail at the age of 13, but a court in the Netherlands stopped her. They said that she was too young to make such a risky trip by herself. But Dekker insisted she had the navigation skills and patience of an adult sailor.
She finally took off on January 20, 2011. During her trip, Dekker battled loneliness, storms, and worries about pirates. But she also got to surf, scuba dive, and started a new hobby: playing the flute. Although Dekker didn’t spend all of her time at sea—she stopped at ports along the way—she did spend her 16lh birthday on the open ocean. To celebrate, she ale doughnuts for breakfast.
But Dekker didn’t sail into the record books. Guinness World Records and the World Sailing Speed Record Council no longer recognize records for “youngest” sailors. They dropped the category in 2009 to discourage children from attempting such dangerous feats (壮举) But that didn’t stop Dekker，who was born on a yacht during a seven-year world voyage undertaken by her parents.
Dekker doesn’t mind that she won’t hold an official record. She says it was a personal goal, and she is happy she achieved it.
“I am not disappointed at all that Guinness World Record won’t recognize my attempt.” Dekker wrote on her website. “I did not start on my trip to achieve any record…I did it just for myself.”
4. Dekker wasn’t allowed to sail at the age of 13 because .
A. people were concerned about her safety
B. she didn’t learn any sailing skills well
C. she had to continue her study at school
D. she didn’t have enough patience for long trips
5. What does the underlined word “accomplished” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A. Failed. B. Completed.
C. Continued. D. Started.
6. In 2009 records for youngest sailors were canceled in order to .
A. set a higher sailing standard for teen sailors
B. stop children entering Guinness World Records
C. encourage parents to sail with their children
D. prevent children making dangerous attempts
7. What could be the best title for this passage?
A. A New Guinness World Record in Sailing
B. A New Sailing Standard for Teen Sailors
C. A Teen Girl Sailing Alone Around the World
D. The Youngest Sailor in Guinness World Records