The Person
Fernando Alonso is a world famous Formula One racing driver. He was born on July 29, 1981 in Oviedo (the northwest of Spain). He lives in Oxford, England.
He measures 1.71 meters and weighs 68kg. He is a bachelor1, but people believe he has a girlfriend. One of his passions after the Formula 1 is the cycling (he admires Lance Armstrong's courage). He also likes football. He supports Real Madrid. As to food and drink, he likes pastas2 and water. His favorite animal is the dog. The most important quality for him is the sincerity. His favourite classic car is Renault Clio. But his first car was M?伢gane (he makes an advertisement on TV for a M?伢gane).
The Career
Fernando was only three years old when he began go-karting3 in his local championship. In the two years that followed, he was unbeatable in his regional go-kart events. In 1993, at the age of 12, he won the junior championship. In 1996, he became the Junior World Champion. His big success in Formula Open was Fernando's ticket to International Formula 3000. In 2001, aged 20, he made his F1 debut4 with the Minardi F1 Team5. He still managed to finish in an amazing 10th place at the season. Fernando became the Renault
On September 25, 2005 he won the World Driver's Championship title at the age of 24 years and 59 days, thus breaking Emerson Fittipaldi's record of being the youngest F1 champion, and ending Michael Schumacher's run of five consecutive7 championships. He has also been awarded the 2005 Prince of Asturias Award of Sports8, the youngest to receive the prize.
His Father, the Mentor9
His mother worked in a department store and his father was employed as an explosives expert in the mining industry. The Alonsos and their two children, older sister Lorena and Fernando lived comfortably but were by no means a wealthy family. Fernando's father José Luis, an amateur10 kart racer, wished to pass on his passion to his children. He built a pedal kart mimicking11 an F1 car. Originally the kart was meant for eight-year-old Lorena but she showed no interest in the sport. But her tiny three-year-old brother was eager to have a go. From the moment Fernando climbed into the tiny cockpit12 he immediately felt at home. And his determined and competitive spirit was already apparent at that young age.
From then on the young prodigy13 and his devoted father who also worked as his mechanic, competed in karting competitions around Spain.
Quotes
Alonso himself on his victory:
I just want to dedicate this championship to my family, and all my close friends who have supported me through my career. Spain is not a country with an F1 culture, and we had to fight alone, every step of the way, to make this happen. A huge thank-you should also go to the team as well—they are the best in Formula One, and we have done this together. People will say that I am world champion, but we are all champions—and they deserve this.
Niki Lauda, retired three-times F1 title holder:
He is perfect, the most complete performer in Formula 1 today and thoroughly deserving of becoming the 2005 world champion. Yet I also have to say that Alonso is extraordinary. The more pressure he has the better he drives. I've never seen any driver of that age so completely composed14 and consistent15. OK, so he made one slip16 at Montreal [when he hit the wall] but, speaking for myself, I think that I would have made many more mistakes if I'd been in that position at that age. I cannot find a single weakness in Alonso from any viewpoint. He's obviously a huge asset17 to the Renault team but more importantly a huge asset to the sport as a whole. I think he is perfect.
Emerson Fittipaldi, when asked to comment on his feelings about possibly losing the record to Alonso:
In him [Alonso], I know that my record is in safe hands.
Formula One
Formula One, abbreviated18 to F1 and also known as Grand Prix racing, is the highest class of single-seat open-wheel formula auto racing. It consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held on purpose-built circuits or closed city streets, whose results determine two annual World Championships, one for drivers and one for constructors. The cars race at speeds often more than 300 km/h (185 mph) with engines that produce, as of 2005, around 950 bhp19 at just over 18,000 rpm20.
Europe is Formula One's traditional centre and remains its leading market; however, Grands Prix have been held all over the world, and with new races in Bahrain, China, Malaysia and Turkey, its scope is continually expanding. As the world's most expensive sport, its economic impact is significant, and its financial and political battles are widely observed. In recent years, it has also become known for glamour21.
The sport is regulated by the F?伢d?伢ration Internationale de l'Automobile22, with its headquarters in Place de la Concorde23, Paris.
阿隆索其人
费尔南多·阿隆索是一级方程式汽车大奖赛车手，名扬四海。他1981年7月29日出生于西班牙西北部的奥维耶多市，现旅居英格兰的牛津镇。
阿隆索身高1米71，体重68公斤，单身，但人们相信他有女友。除了参加F1车赛，他还酷爱骑自行车，他钦佩美国自行车运动员阿姆斯特朗的勇气。阿隆索也喜欢足球，是皇马的支持者。饮食方面，他偏好意大利面食和水。最宠爱的动物是狗。他认为最重要的品质是忠诚。他最青睐的经典小汽车是雷诺克莱奥，但开的第一辆赛车是雷诺梅甘娜（他还在电视上为它做过广告）。
赛车生涯
阿隆索年仅3岁就开始参加当地的卡丁车锦标赛。随后的两年里，在当地的卡丁车赛事中，他从未输过。1993年12岁时，他参加青少年卡丁车比赛，获西班牙国内冠军；1996年，获世界冠军。阿隆索在方程式公开赛中的优异成绩使其得以晋级3000方程式比赛。2001年，20岁的他代表米纳尔迪车队首次亮相F1赛场，却能在这个赛季结束时获得排名第十的惊人成绩。2002年，他成为雷诺车队试车手；次年，获F1车赛匈牙利站冠军。
2005年9月25日他24岁零59天时，荣膺世界车手年度总冠军，取代埃莫森·费迪帕尔蒂成为F1历史上最年轻的世界冠军，并终止了舒马赫连续5次问鼎F1赛场。他还被授予西班牙2005年阿斯图里亚斯王子体育奖，是这一奖项最年轻的获得者。
父亲兼恩师
阿隆索的母亲在一家百货商店工作，父亲是矿山爆破专家。他们有两个孩子，姐姐洛雷娜和弟弟阿隆索，他们一家生活舒适但绝对算不上富裕。父亲何塞·路易斯是业余卡丁车赛手，他希望将这一个人爱好传给自己的孩子，于是模仿F1赛车的样子，做了一个脚踏卡丁车。本来这车子是做给8岁的姐姐洛雷娜的，可她对此毫无兴趣，3岁的小弟弟倒是跃跃欲试。一钻进车舱，萨隆索就如鱼得水。他的决心和好强在那么小的年纪就已经显露无遗。
从此，这位少年天才和他兼任机修工的慈父开始征战在西班牙的卡丁车赛场上。
语录
阿隆索谈自己取得的成功：
我要把这个冠军献给我的家人，以及所有由始至终支持我的好朋友们。西班牙不是一个拥有F1文化的国家，取得今天的成绩，我们需要一步一步地孤军奋战。我还要衷心感谢我的车队，他们是F1最好的车队，我今天的成绩离不开他们。都说我是世界冠军，但是我们都是冠军——他们当之无愧。
三度F1冠军、现已退役的尼克·劳达：
他是完美无瑕的，是F1现在以及历史上技术最全面的选手，完全应该获得2005年世界车手总冠军。然而，我还要说，阿隆索是非凡的，他承受的压力越大，表现得就越好。我还没有见过他这个年纪的车手竟如此沉着和稳定。在加拿大蒙特利尔他犯了一个错误（撞在隔离墙上），但是，如果我处在那种环境、在他那个年龄，评心而论我会犯更多的错误。从任何一个角度来看，我在阿隆索身上找不出一处弱点。大家都看得出来，阿隆索是雷诺车队的巨大财富，更重要的是，他是整个这项运动的财富。我认为他是完美的。
当自己保持的世界纪录有可能被阿隆索打破、被问及自己的感受时，埃莫森·费迪帕尔蒂说：
我知道我的纪录由他（阿隆索）保持最安全。
一级方程式汽车大赛(F1)
一级方程式汽车大赛，简称为F1，也叫国际汽车大赛，是世界上最高级别的单座、开轮方程式汽车比赛，由一系列称作Grand Prix的赛事组成。比赛在专用环形跑道上或在封闭的城市道路上进行，根据比赛成绩产生两个年度冠军：一个授给车手，一个授给汽车制造商。赛车的速度通常超过300公里/小时（185英里/小时）。发动机动力方面，2005年的数据是：转速18,000时，输出功率是950制动马力。
欧洲是F1的传统中心，也是它主要的市场。不过，F1赛事在世界各地举行，在巴林、中国、马来西亚和土耳其举办过新的赛事，其范围还在扩大。作为世界上最昂贵的体育运动，F1具有重大的经济影响力，它在金融和政治方面的影响也开始受到广泛关注。近几年，F1所表现出来的魅力也开始广为人知。
F1的管理机构是国际汽车联盟，总部设在巴黎的协和广场。
1. bachelor n. 单身男子，单身者
2. pasta n. 意大利面制品，意大利面食（包括通心粉及面条等）
3. karting n. 微型单座汽车赛车运动，卡丁车赛
4. debut n. 首次登场，初次露面
5. Minardi F1 Team米纳尔迪车队
6. Grand Prix国际汽车大奖赛
7. consecutive adj. 连续的，联贯的
8. Prince of Asturias Award of Sports西班牙阿斯图里亚斯王子体育奖
9. mentor n. 导师，指导者
10. amateur adj. 业余爱好的，业余的
11. mimic v. 模拟，模仿
12. cockpit n. 驾驶员座舱
13. prodigy n. 天才
14. composed adj. 镇静的, 沉着的
15. consistent adj. 一致的，和谐的
16. slip [slip] n. 疏漏；错误
17. asset n. 财产，财富
18. abbreviate v. 缩写
19. bhp 制动马力 ( brake horsepower )
20. rmp=revolutions per minute 转数／分
21. glamour n. 魅力，诱惑力
22. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile（法文）国际汽车联盟
23. Place de la Concorde （法文） ( 巴黎 ) 协和广场