閱讀: Staying Afloat

Staying Afloat

Many hundreds of years ago the ancient Egyptians made boats from a reed called papyrus. These boats were made in a very simple way, without the help of modern tools and machines. But they stayed afloat.

Today the same kind of boat-making still goes on. The people who live near Lake Titicaca in South America cut tall reeds from the banks of the lake. They bend and weave them into fishing boats in much the same way as the Egyptians did long, long ago.

Not all boats are this simple to make, of course. Today, we use many kinds of boats to sail on our lakes, rivers, canals and oceans. Huge container ships for example, carry enormous crates from one side of the world to another.