VOA慢速英语2014 游泳者不去泳池而去野外游泳

 

AS IT IS 2014-11-10 Swimmers Trading Pools for Open Water 游泳者不去泳池而去野外游泳

Increased numbers of swimmers are trading warm, calm pool water for exercise in open water. These people are known as “wild swimmers.”

“Wild” seems like a good description when you consider that they dive into lakes, rivers and oceans almost any time of the year.

The rising popularity¹ of open water swimming has resulted in races and an unusual new business. 

It is not unusual to see people swimming in the height of summer in Seattle, Washington. But this is autumn. The salt water of Puget Sound is 13 degrees Celsius². And, the air is not much warmer. That is why you can hear the involuntary sounds at the start of a group swim.

Forty-three-year-old Mike Tanner enters the water first. He works with technology and lives near Seattle. At a time when other people might go to Hawaii or Mexico, he chooses chilly³ Puget Sound.

 “You know, I usually swim from about May until the end of November in open water. Then I go back to the pool and wait for May again.” 

Mike Tanner jokes that he is not very intelligent. He says swimming in open water is a challenge for him. He also says he gets bored in a pool. He wants something a little more exciting.

On this day, Mr. Tanner has paid to join a guided group called a “swim excursion.” Most of the people wear wetsuits to cover more of their bodies than traditional swimsuits.

More than 10 swimmers are in the group. They follow an orange kayak for a one and a half kilometer salt-water swim. Guila Muir paddles the first of the support boats.

“A swim excursion is not a race. That’s the primary differentiation⁴ (first difference). It’s an expedition. It’s an adventure.”

Guila Muir has turned the idea into a business called “Say Yes! to Life Swims.”  She began swimming a lot after her 40th birthday. The Seattle businesswoman soon recognized there were enough other enthusiastic swimmers around to support her company. 

She questions why anyone would pay to swim in a community pool.

“Why pay to swim when you just can go down and jump in yourself? It’s for the camaraderie⁵. As, you can see the incredible⁶ enthusiasm, the feeling of support…”

She spoke⁷ during a stop at a beach. There the group gathered around a small fire to warm up after their swim. They ate fish and chips and drank hot chocolate.

The establishment of Ms. Muir’s business three years ago shows the increased interest in open water swimming in the northwest United States.

Kelly Reynolds of Seattle is one of the newest converts⁸ to the sport. She says she swam in college two years ago. But she does not want to race in swimming pools anymore. She says she does not want to see how slow she is.   

Words in this Story

chilly – adj., noticeably cold

challenge - n., something that by its nature serves as a call to battle, to competition or special effort

paddles - v., moves through the water in a boat

enthusiastic - adj., feeling or showing strong excitement about something

converts – n., people who have changed from one belief, party or pastime⁹ (like a sport) to another.

1 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

2 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

3 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

4 differentiation   

n.区别，区分

参考例句：

• There can be no differentiation without contrast. 有比较才有差别。
• The operation that is the inverse of differentiation is called integration. 与微分相反的运算叫做积分。

5 camaraderie   

n.同志之爱，友情

参考例句：

• The camaraderie among fellow employees made the tedious work just bearable.同事之间的情谊使枯燥乏味的工作变得还能忍受。
• Some bosses are formal and have occasional interactions,while others prefer continual camaraderie.有些老板很刻板，偶尔才和下属互动一下；有些则喜欢和下属打成一片。

6 incredible   

adj.难以置信的，不可信的，极好的，大量的

参考例句：

• Some planets run at incredible speed.某些星球以难以置信的速度运行着。
• Her answer showed the most incredible stupidity.她的回答显示出不可思议的愚蠢。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 converts   

v.（使）转变( convert的第三人称单数 )；（使）转化；皈依；改变（信仰）

参考例句：

• The microphone converts acoustic waves to electrical singals for transmission. 麦克风将声波转化成电信号进行传播。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These individuals' desire for wilderness preservation converts wilderness areas into public goods. 这些保护荒野的人们的愿望是把荒野区域转变成公有物。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

9 pastime   

n.消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Playing chess is his favourite pastime.下棋是他最喜爱的消遣。
• Baseball is the national pastime.棒球是全民性的休闲运动。