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.
New words and expressions 生詞和短語
instruct v. 指導(dǎo),傳授
Los Angeles 洛杉磯
reluctant adj. 勉強(qiáng)的,不愿意的
weight n. 重物
underwater adj. 水下的
tricycle n. 三輪車
compete v. 比賽,對(duì)抗
yard n. 碼
gasp v. 喘氣
實(shí)驗(yàn)證明,兒童在很小的時(shí)候就可以開始學(xué)習(xí)游泳。在洛杉磯的一個(gè)特設(shè)的游泳池里,孩子們甚至在還沒有學(xué)會(huì)走路時(shí)就已經(jīng)能熟練地在水下屏住呼吸了。兩個(gè)月的嬰兒并未顯得不愿意入水。他們很快便適應(yīng)了游泳,以致能撿起池底的物品。這些幼小的游泳運(yùn)動(dòng)員非常喜愛的一種游戲是水下三輪車比賽。三輪車并排放在7英尺深的游泳池底上。孩子們比賽看誰先到達(dá)游泳池的另一端。很多孩子用腳蹬車,但多數(shù)孩子更愿意推或是拉著三輪車。有些孩子能夠跑完游泳池的全長(zhǎng)而不用露出水面換氣。他們將來是否能成為奧林匹克的冠軍,這只能由時(shí)間來作出回答。與此同時(shí),他們對(duì)我們中的那些游不了5碼就已喘不過氣來的人應(yīng)該是種鼓舞。