美国国家公共电台 NPR To Raise Awareness For Climate Change, 50-Year-Old Makes Bid To Swim Across Pacific

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

It's 5,700 miles to cross the Pacific Ocean. And a 50-year-old French swimmer is aiming to be the first person to swim the whole way. This Tuesday, Ben Lecomte will start the journey from a beach in Choshi, Japan and try to swim to San Francisco. A crew¹ - people will be following him by boat and documenting the journey to raise awareness² of climate change and ocean preservation³. He joins us now from his boat in Choshi.

Welcome to the program.

BENOIT LECOMTE: Thank you for having me.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: How do you train for the conditions that you'll face? It's not just the logistics, but it's also you, right?

LECOMTE: It's part of it, yes. But I've been swimming and doing those type of open water for a long time. And the real training will start when I jump in the water because it's not something you can really replicate⁴, you know, swimming eight hours a day, sleeping on a boat and having a limited contact with the outside. It's very particular. So...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah, it's not just your physical sense, but I suppose it also is your mind.

LECOMTE: Absolutely. It's mind over matter. So with the mind, you know, when you are strong and you are determined⁵ and focused⁶, you can go and push your body, past, certain limits that sometimes you cannot push. So the mind is the most important component⁷ there.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I have to ask you, though - it is mind over matter, but there is matter in the water. What are the things that you are afraid of? I mean, I, of course, think of sharks, but what are you worried about?

LECOMTE: No, the sharks are there. I mean, that's their environment. But for me the biggest concern, I think - it's mostly the cold water because you can do so much in cold water after so many hours in the water. No matter how thick your wetsuit is, you get cold, and it's very, very uncomfortable.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah, you've done this before when you crossed the Atlantic. You said that your first words after you crossed were never again (laughter). And I wonder what changed your mind.

LECOMTE: That's funny because it didn't take that long for me to change my mind. Three, four months after, I was already thinking about the next adventure and doing something kind of the same. And I had the idea of the swim in the Pacific early on, but I got married and had children. So I put that on the side and...

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Ah, family.

LECOMTE: Yeah, exactly. So that was my priority⁸. And now that I come back to the dream that I had. And I don't want to leave with any, you know, regrets. So it's something that I've pursued⁹, and I'm determined do it.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah. What do your kids think?

LECOMTE: Well, they are very enthusiastic. They are with me right now. They were on the boat last night with me and are going to be on the boat tonight and love it. We swim very often together, so we share the same passion¹⁰.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Mr. Lecomte, I must ask you this question, and I'm sure you get it a lot. But why are you doing this?

LECOMTE: Well, for me, I have had the opportunity to do many swim and enjoy the environment so that now it is just normal that I try to do anything I can to protect it because the ocean is in peril¹¹. And I'm very sensitive¹² to my kids in knowing what they are going to have in their life. So I think it's my duty to try to use my passion to make a little change. And we have to find what our role is if we want to preserve¹³ what we have. And that's very important for me and very important for me to do that for my children.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Ben Lecomte is attempting to swim the Pacific Ocean from Japan to San Francisco. I wish you the very best of luck. Thank you very much.

LECOMTE: Well, thank you very much for your interest.

(SOUNDBITE OF PATTY LARKIN SONG, “TRAVELLING ALONE”)

1 crew   

n.全体船员，全体乘务员；vi.一起工作

参考例句：

• A captain controls his ship and its crew.船长管理他的船和船上的船员。
• The captain kept his crew at a distance.船长与他的船员总保持一段距离。

2 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

3 preservation   

n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持

参考例句：

• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
• The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。

4 replicate   

v.折叠，复制，模写；n.同样的样品；adj.转折的

参考例句：

• The DNA of chromatin must replicate before cell division.染色质DNA在细胞分裂之前必须复制。
• It is also easy to replicate,as the next subsection explains.就像下一个小节详细说明的那样，它还可以被轻易的复制。

5 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

6 focused   

adj.聚焦的v.（使）集中， （使）聚集( focus的过去式和过去分词 )；调整（镜头，眼睛）焦点[焦距]以便看清；（光、声等的）焦点；集中（光束于）

参考例句：

• Research has focused on improving the car's aerodynamics. 研究的重点是改善轿车的流线型。
• The discussion focused on three main problems. 讨论集中在三个主要问题上。

7 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

8 priority   

n.优先处理的事，居先，优先（权）

参考例句：

• The development of the national economy is a top priority.发展国民经济是应予以最优先考虑的事。
• Things should be taken up in order of priority.办事应有个先后次序。

9 pursued   

追求

参考例句：

• He began to pursue an easy and comfortable life. 他开始追求安逸舒适的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Foxes, wild cats and other animals pursue the hare. 狐狸、野猫及其他一些动物都捕食野兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 passion   

n.热爱，强烈的感情，热情，耶稣的受难

参考例句：

• He had a passion for music.他酷爱音乐。
• In his passion,he tore the letter into pieces.在盛怒之下，他把那封信撕得粉碎。

11 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

12 sensitive   

adj.敏感的，灵敏的，过敏的，感光的

参考例句：

• He's very sensitive about his ugly appearance.他对自己丑陋的外貌很敏感。
• It's difficult to avoid stepping on her sensitive feelings.很难不伤害她脆弱的情感。

13 preserve   

vt.保护，保持，保存，保藏；vi.做蜜饯，禁猎；n.蜜饯，果酱，禁猎地，禁区，防护物

参考例句：

• What can we do to preserve the company from ruin? 我们怎么做才能保护这家公司不破产？
• It is the duty of the police to preserve public order.维护公共秩序是警察的职责。