(来源：芝士英语)
As he prepared to jump out of a plane at 7,600 meters, Luke Aikins could barely see his landing zone.
当卢克·艾肯斯准备从7600米高的飞机中跳出时，他几乎看不见他的着陆区。
This is not unusual, but landing in the correct area mattered more than ever—Aikins was attempting the first jump from such a height without a parachute (降落伞). His only chance of survival was to hit a huge net suspended above a desert in southern California. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous," Aikins, 42, said as he boarded the plane.
这并不罕见，但此次着陆在准确区域的重要性非比寻常——阿肯斯首次挑战不背降落伞从这样的高度跳下。他唯一的生存机会是降落在悬挂于南加州沙漠的一张巨网之上。“说不紧张是骗人的，”42岁的阿肯斯在登机时说。
Leaving the aircraft with three other skydivers, Aikins wore an oxygen mask, which he removed at 4,500 meters. Viewers below watched him fall, legs and arms spread, stomach down. At 1,500 meters, the other skydivers opened their parachutes, leaving Aikins to complete the final stage alone. He had to direct his body towards the net using only the air currents (气流) around him.
艾肯斯带着氧气面罩同另外三名花样跳伞运动员一起离开飞机，在4500米高处他摘掉了面罩。下面的观看者看着他降落下来，只见他的腿和手臂伸展开，腹部朝下。在1500米高空，其他花样跳伞运动员打开了降落伞，留下艾肯斯一人完成最后的阶段。他不得不凭借四周气流将身体调整向地面上的巨网。
The dive itself took only about two minutes. After landing successfully, Aikins climbed out of the net, into the arms of his wife. "It's incredible!" He exclaimed to cheers from the watching crowd.
降落本身只有2分钟左右。成功着陆后，艾肯斯爬出了巨网，投入了他妻子的怀抱。“这太难以置信了！”他向围观的群众欢呼。
Aikins is a professional skydiver who has made 18,000 parachute jumps, helped train some of the world’s best skydivers and done some of the stunts for Iron Man 3. "The [record-breaking] jump marks the [climax (巅峰)] of his 26-year career," said Aikins' spokesman.
艾肯斯是一名专业花样跳伞运动员，拥有18000次跳伞经验的他培养了一群全球最好的跳伞运动员，并且参与了《钢铁侠3》的特技出演。“这次（破纪录的）跳伞标志着他26年职业生涯（的巅峰）。”艾肯斯的发言人说。
"My whole life has been about flying and jumping," Aikins wrote on Facebook shortly after the jump. "I hope this just sparks imagination and that kids see the science behind it."
“我的一生都在进行飞行和跳伞，”这次跳伞之后艾肯斯在脸书上简短地写道。“我希望这可以激发大家的想象力，让孩子们能看到这背后隐藏的科学。”
