20101023 The Blue Angels (2)

The Blue Angels

What does it take to be a Blue Angels' pilot? All pilots who wish to fly with the Blue Angels must be active-duty Navy or Marine Corps jet pilots with a minimum of 1,250 flight hours. They must be willing to travel and maintain a rigorous training schedule, including 120 training flights during the winter training season.

According to Senior Chief Petty Officer George Harris, "We're simply looking for the best and brightest young men and women in the Naval service. We want team players who are excellent communicators...have strong work ethics, and who really want to be the backbone of the Blue Angels organization."

In addition to their scheduled air shows, the team visits more than 50,000 people a year at schools and hospitals. The men and women who serve as Blue Angels take their role seriously as goodwill ambassadors for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

The maintenance team

While the pilots may be the stars, the maintenance people are the ones who keep the planes flying. Thanks to their great work, the Blue Angels have never cancelled a performance due to a maintenance problem. Each member of the team, both on the ground and in the air, epitomizes the Blue Angels' pursuit of excellence.

rigorous adj. 嚴峻的/嚴格的/嚴苛的

eg: Rigorous computer safety procedures are conducted to protect the bank's account holders.

=> 嚴謹的電腦安全程序的執行是為了保護銀戶頭的持有人。

eg: The team members went through rigorous training and improved dramatically in just a few weeks.

=> 球隊的成員經歷了嚴厲的訓練才僅僅幾個星期就有極大的進步了。

backbone n. 支柱/骨幹/基礎

eg: The manufacturing industry is the backbone of the country.

=> 製造業是這個國家的支柱。

eg: Volunteers are the backbone of our organization.

=> 我們的志工是整個組織的重要支柱。

backbone Un. 毅力/堅毅/骨氣

eg: Alex has no backbone and therefore shouldn't be leading the team.

=> Alex沒有毅力，所以沒有辦法帶領整個團隊。

epitomize (v) 成為典範;象徵; 作為...的縮影

eg: With great vision and the ability to make good decisions, Sam epitomizes a successful entrepreneur.

=> 有著遠大的映像和做出好決定的能力，Sam 是一位成功企業家的典範。