What kind of race do the children compete in?

Experiments have proved that children can be instructed in swimming at avery early age. At a special swimming pool in Los Angeles, children becomeexpert at holding their breath under water even before they can walk. Babies oftwo months old do not appear to be reluctant to enter the water. It is not longbefore they are so accustomed to swimming that they can pick up weights from thefloor of the pool. A game that is very popular with these young swimmers is theunderwater tricycle race. Tricycles are lined up on the floor of the pool sevenfeet under water. The children compete against each other to reach the other endof the pool. Many pedal their tricycles, but most of them prefer to push or dragthem. Some children can cover the whole length of the pool without coming up forbreath even once. Whether they will ever become future Olympic champions, onlytime will tell. Meanwhile, they should encourage those among us who cannot swimfive yards before they are gasping for air.

New words and expressions 生词与短语

instruct v. 指导，传授

Los Angeles 洛杉矶

reluctant adj. 勉强的，不愿意的

weight n. 重物

underwater adj. 水下的

tricycle n. 三轮车

compete v. 比赛，对抗

yard n. 码

gasp v. 喘气

本文参考译文

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。新概念英语第二册1

(兼职编辑：张博)