Celebrity File Japan by Lint


英文		重要語句
■ This man of adventure was recently in the news for his conquering of the summit of Mt. Everest at the age of 70! Even this does not match the spectacular survival feat all mountaineers are abuzz about during this ascent. Miura spent four days in the so-called Death Zone at 8,000-foot-plus elevation and lived to tell about it!		conquer　征服する feat　偉業 abuzz　騒然として ascent　登頂 so-called　いわゆる elevation　標高
■■ Known mainly for his incredibly bizarre adventure of skiing down the South Col of Mt. Everest in 1970― immortalized in the 1975 Academy Award-winning Canadian documentary The Man Who Skied Down Mt. Everest―Miura is certainly a man who lives life to the beat of a different drummer.		bizarre　突飛な col　コル；峰と峰の間の鞍部 immortalize　…に不朽の名声を与える to the beat of a different drummer　人とは違った
■■■ This recent assault on Everest caps a brilliant and crazy career of mountain adventures. Miura went up Everest this time with his son, Gota, and therefore not only became the oldest man to attain the summit but also part of the first Japanese father-and-son team to do it.		assault on ...　…への果敢な挑戦 cap　…を凌駕する attain　…に到達する
■■■■ It is speed and adventure skiing for which Miura really is known. He started off competing on the pro ski circuit in the early '60s where in 1964 he set a world speed record of 172.084 kph in a race in Italy, the Italian Kilometer Lanciad. He really found his calling, though, skiing down the highest peaks of the world. This, what is now called "extreme skiing," is obviously, incredibly dangerous. He very nearly died on that famous Everest run as he came close to falling off a precipice (which you can see in the movie).		start off -ing　…を始める kph　時速…キロ（kilometers per hourの略） calling　天職 peak　山頂 obviously　明らかに come close to -ing　もうすこしで…しそうになる precipice　断崖
■■■■■ Miura has skied down the highest peaks on seven different continents: 1966―Australia's Mt. Kosciusko (2,245 meters high) 1967―North America's Mt. McKinley (6,194 m) in Alaska, USA 1970―Asia's Mt. Everest (8,848 m, although his descent was around 8,000 m from that South Col) 1981―Africa's Mt. Kiliminjaro (5,895 m) in Tanzania (with his then 77-year-old father and 11-year-old son) 1983―Antarctica's Mt. Vinson Massif (5,140 m) 1985―Europe's Mt. Elbrus (5,633 m) in Russia 1985―South America’s Aconcagua (6,959 m) in Argentina He also has bombed down the highest peak in Mexico (Mt. Popocatepetoro--5,465 m) in 1968. Obviously, the man is either completely insane or one of the bravest men on the planet. Probably he's a bit of both.		descent　降下 bomb down ...　…を猛スピードで下る insane　正気でない
■■■■■■ Whatever the case, he is revered both at home and overseas for his adventurous ways, picking up the usual slew of mountaineering awards adventurers like him get. You also might wonder how Miura funds all these adventures. The ski run down Everest cost an estimated three million dollars (and that's in 1970 dollars!). Well, in his heyday, he was a university professor at the University of Aomori (his home prefecture), so he certainly could arrange time off in that profession. The rest is usually put up by wealthy corporate sponsors. This year's Everest climb saw such companies as Toshiba, Omron and Suntory signed on as sponsors. In total there were 15 sponsors―KDDI, for example, powered the Team Miura Everest 2003 Website.		whatever the case　いずれにしても revere　…を尊敬する slew of ...　たくさんの… mountaineering　登山 fund　…に資金を提供する estimated　概算の heyday　全盛期 time off　休暇 profession　職業 put up ...　 …に金を出す power　…を運営する
■■■■■■■ When he's not climbing Everest, or setting off on some other adventure, he runs the Dolphin Sports Academy at Teine Highland in Hokkaido (site of the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics' downhill ski events). He also promotes winter sports all year long, attending conferences, organizing ski tours and other events.		set off on ...　 …に出掛ける run　…を経営する
■■■■■■■■ What's next for Miura? Who knows? But isn't it going to be fun finding out what this adventurer gets up to next?		find out ...　 …を発見する get up to　…まで進む

－written by Brian Maitland

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