Unit 7 Section 4 Focusing on culture

The story of a smokejumper

My name is Fan Yuan and I’m from north-east China. I’m a special kind of firefighter called a smokejumper. This means that I jump out of airplanes to stop big fires from spreading in the forest!

I live and work in the Daxing’anling region in Heilongjiang Province. Thick forests, rich in wildlife, cover the beautiful and wild mountains here. Sadly, fires are quite common at certain times of the year. These fires are very dangerous. They can hurt or even kill people and animals.

When a forest fire starts, my teammates and I act fast. The fires are often difficult to reach, so we fly out in a plane and then jump down with a parachute. Once we land, we race to put out the fire. We use simple tools to clear away dead leaves and trees to stop fires from spreading.

It is not easy to be a smokejumper. You have to be very brave, tough and smart. It is also important to be fit. Otherwise, you might hurt yourself when you land. Finally, you need to be able to survive in the wild and know how to find food and a safe place to rest.

My job can be difficult and dangerous. However, I’m very proud of what I do. I love this beautiful land and I will do anything to protect it.