英语名人堂：艾伦·麦克阿瑟
Dame Ellen MacArthur (born in 1976) is a very brave and talented English yachtswoman. Her first name is Ellen; ‘Dame’ is a special title she received for her outstanding achievements from the British Queen. On 7 February 2005, she broke the world record for being the fastest person to sail around the world. Ellen now heads the crews of Britain’s top sailing teams.
She became interested in sailing after she read the ‘Swallows and Amazons’ books by Arthur Ransome. Her first experience of yachting was on her aunt’s boat on the east coast of England. She instantly fell in love with sailing and the sea. She decided to become a sailor and saved her school dinner money to buy her first boat.
In 1998, aged 22, she was named the Royal Yachting Association "Yachtsman of The Year" in the UK. This encouraged her to go for the big time. In 2001, she came second in the Vendée Globesolo round-the-world race. For this, she got her first honour from Britain’s Queen. She got her second award for breaking the solo circumnavigation of the world.
She has used her fame to start her own charity to help young people with cancer and other serious illnesses. Ellen has also made it to the heavens, as well as the seas; there is an asteroid named 20043 EllenMacarthur. In 2008, she was further honoured; French President Nicolas Sarkozy awarded her the French Legion of Honour.
