Lesson 94  Future champions 未来的冠军

  Experiments have proved that children can be instructed in swimming at a very early age. At a special swimming pool in Los Angeles, children become expert at holding their breath under water even before they can walk. Babies of two months old do not appear to be reluctant to enter the water. It is not long before they are so accustomed to swimming that they can pick up weights from the floor of the pool. A game that is very popular with these young swimmers is the underwater tricycle race.

Tricycles are lined up on the floor of the pool seven feet under water. The children compete against each other to reach the other end of the pool. Many pedal their tricycles, but most of them prefer to push or drag them. Some children can cover the whole length of the pool without coming up for breath even once. Whether they will ever become future Olympic champions, only time will tell. Meanwhile, they should encourage those among us who cannot swim five yards before they are gasping for air.

实验证明，儿童在很小的时候就可以开始学习游泳。在洛杉矶的一个特设的游泳池里，孩子们甚至在还没有学会走路时就已经能熟练地在水下屏住呼吸了。两个月的婴儿并未显得不愿意入水。他们很快便适应了游泳，以致能捡起池底的物品。这些幼小的游泳运动员非常喜爱的一种游戏是水下三轮车比赛。三轮车并排放在7英尺深的游泳池底上。孩子们比赛看谁先到达游泳池的另一端。很多孩子用脚蹬车，但多数孩子更愿意推或是拉着三轮车。有些孩子能够跑完游泳池的全长而不用露出水面换气。他们将来是否能成为奥林匹克的冠军，这只能由时间来作出回答。与此同时，他们对我们中的那些游不了5码就已喘不过气来的人应该是种鼓舞。

课堂笔记（一）

1.prove
prove 表示“证明”、“证实”，后面可以跟从句、形容词、名词、不定式等：
We've been trying to sell our house, but it's proved to be very difficult.
我们一直试图把房子卖掉，不过事实证明这很困难。
vi.The rumo proved true.
这谣传证明是真的。
He proved a competent manager.
他证明是一个能干的经理。
You should first prove that you bought these goods here.
你应该首先证明这些物品你是从这里买的。
prove sth to sb.向某人证明某事物属实

2.instruct vt.
1）指示,命令,吩咐
He instructed me to deliver it to a customer.
他吩咐我把东西送去给顾客。
2）教授;训练;指导[(+in)]
My job is to instruct her in English.
我的工作是教她英语。
3）通知,告知[H][O5]
My agent has instructed me that you still owe me $150.
我的代理人告诉我你还欠我一百五十美元。

3.at/in the pool    在游泳池里

4.age作"年岁，年龄"解,应与at搭配;age表示"时期,时代",应与in搭配.
She doesn't look her age at all.她显得年轻多了。
I can't remember the age（ ）which I won that prize.
That is the age（ ）which people live in peace and happy.

5.expert
expert 表示“做/干......的专家/高手”时后面通常用 at doing sth.;表示在某一领域是“专家”、“权威”时可用介词in 或on:
John is an expert at driving a car.
约翰是开车高手。
She is an expert in flowers.
她是花卉方面的专家。
Sam is an expert on that problem.
萨姆是研究那个问题的权威。

6.hold one's breathe固定短语，屏住呼吸
How long can you hold your breathe for?
你能屏住呼吸多久？
（be） out of breathe/short of breathe 喘不过气
save one's breathe低声地说

7.appear vi.似乎，好象，显得
She appears to have many friends.
她好象有很多好朋友似的。
She appeared/seemed very confident她显得很有自信。
It appears that...It seems that...
It's going to rain.So it appears/seems
要下雨了。看样子像

出现，显露
Gradually a smile appeared on her face.
她脸上渐渐地露出笑容。

8.reluctant不情愿的，勉强的
reluctant to do sth.
She was reluctant to admit the truth.
她不情愿地承认了这事实。
n.reluctance
adv.reluctantly

9.not long before 通常译为“不久”、“很快”。
long ago/before很久以前
be/become accustomed to 表示“习惯的”、“适应了的（be used to）be accustomed oneself/sb/sth to sth
My mother is accustomed to getting up early.
我母亲习惯早起。
He soon became accustomed to his new job.
He accustomed himself to the new job.
他很快适应了新工作。
pick up 表示“捡起”。weight 在这里指比重较大（因此能沉在水底）的物品。