Crossing the cook strait

Cook Strait is the strait between the North Island and the South Island of New Zealand. It was known for centuries as Raukawa Moana by Maori but takes its current name from Captain James Cook, the first European commander to sail through it (January - February 1770. In good weather one can clearly see across Cook Strait. At its narrowest point it has a width of 23 km (between Cape Terawhiti in the North Island and Perano Head on Arapawa Island in the Marlborough Sounds). Maori accounts tell of at least one swimmer who conquered Cook Strait (Raukawa) in 1831. Following the crossing by Barrie Devenport on 20 November 1962, many successful attempts on the strait have occurred.

The English Channel – пролив Ла-Манш

The Cook Strait – пролив Кука

The Strait of Dover – Па-де-Кале

claim – заявление

account – здесь: свидетельство, источник

attempt – попытка

dubious – сомнительный

to trace origin – брать начало

to observe – наблюдать

to ratify – утверждать

to dissolve – распадаться

to authenticate –удостоверять

to conquer – завоевывать, побеждать

to emulate – симулировать

Comprehension test

1. The English Channel…

   1. separates the island of Great Britain from northern France.

   2. is the strait between the North Island and the South Island of New Zealand.

   3. is the channel between the North and the South America.

2. The strait between the North Island and the South Island of New Zealand…

   1. is called English Channel

   2. is called Cook Strait

   3. is called Strait of Gibraltar

3. The Cook Strait was known for centuries as…

   1. the Strait of Dover

   2. the English Channel

   3. Raukawa Moana

4. The narrowest part of the English Channel measures…

   1. 23 km

   2. 32 km

   3. 34 km

5. The Cook Strait was crossed for the first time by…

   1. Barrie Devenport in November 1962.

   2. Captain Matthew Webb in August 1875

   3. Captain James Cook in January - February 1770

6. Captain Matthew Webb made the first observed and unassisted swim across…

   1. the Cook Strait

   2. the Strait of Dover

   3. the Strait of Gibraltar

7. The Channel Swimming Association (the CSA) was founded to…

   1. register and ratify swimmers' claims to have swum the English Channel

   2. observe and authenticate track-and-field records

   3. govern the Olympic Games

6. Read additional information about water sports

Water sports

1. Diving refers to the sport of acrobatically jumping or falling into water. Non-competitive diving is a common recreational pastime in places where swimming is popular. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. Most diving competitions consist of three disciplines: 3 m springboard and 10 m platform. Successful competitors possess many of the same characteristics as gymnasts, including strength and flexibility.

2. Surfing is a surface water sport in which the participant is carried by a breaking wave on a surfboard. There are various kinds of surfing, based on the different methods or surf craft used to ride a wave.

3. Windsurfing is a surface water sport involving a windsurf board, also commonly called a sailboard, usually two to five meters long and powered by a single sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating flexible joint. The sport could be considered a hybrid between sailing and surfing. Windsurfers can travel over flat, calm water as long as there is enough wind; they can also cut into breaking waves and perform spectacular stunts.

4. Water skiing is a surface water sport and recreational activity which is popular in many countries around the world where appropriate conditions exist - an expanse of water unaffected by wave motion. Rivers, lakes, and sheltered bays are all popular for water skiing. Standard water skis were originally made of wood but now are usually constructed out of fiberglass-based composites. They are of similar length to downhill snow skis but are somewhat wider. Instead of a rigid binding, they have rubber molded binding, in which the skier's feet are placed. Skiers are pulled along by a rope with a handle fitted at one end and attached to a powerboat at the other.

5. Scuba diving is the term used to describe the use of a self-contained breathing set to stay underwater for periods of time greater than the average individual can breath-hold. The diver swims underwater using fins attached to his feet. The word 'SCUBA' is an acronym for "Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus”. The term SCUBA in common usage usually means open-circuit equipment in which gas (usually air) is breathed from a tank of compressed gas and then exhaled into the water, usually in the line of kit development started by Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

6. Water polo is a team water sport, which can be best described as a combination of swimming, football, basketball, ice hockey, rugby and wrestling. A team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The goal of the game resembles that of football: to score as many goals as possible, each goal being worth one point. A perfect water polo athlete can be best described as having the over-arm accuracy of a baseball pitcher, the vertical of a volleyball player, the toughness of a rugby player, the endurance of a cross-country runner and the strategy of a chess player.

7. A hybrid of swimming, gymnastics, and ballet, synchronized swimming involves competitors (actually duets or teams) combining strength, endurance, flexibility, grace and artistry with exceptional breath control and aerobic endurance required to perform difficult routines while upside down underwater. Synchronized swimming is an Olympic sport open to women since 1984. Synchronized Swimming is governed internationally by FINA.