【答案解析】[听力原文]

   The history of man's involvement with water sports stretches back before history was written down. It is a history of the development of technology/as well as human physical achievement. /Man first took to water in boats/that sailed around the world/with nothing but the stars to guide them. /As a sport, water sports are new comparatively to those on land. /Probably the oldest one is rowing in a rowboat. / This is seen in modern games such as competitions/between rowing clubs in British and American universities. /The different kinds of water sports such as diving or water skiing came later. /
[参考译文]
   
   人类水上运动的历史，即是技术发展的历史，也是人类体能进步的历史。最早的水上运动，可追溯到没有文字记载的时代。人类第一次乘船环游世界的时候什么都没有带，只有星星为其指引方向。作为一项运动，水上运动相对予陆地运动来说是新鲜的。其中最古老的水上运动可能要数划船了。这项运动亦见于现代比赛当中，例如英美校际俱乐部间的划船比赛。后来出现了不同种类的水上运动，如跳水和滑水。