VOA标准英语2008年-US Olympic Swim Team Hopes Beijing Performance

U.S. swimmers had great success at the Athens Olympics four years ago. But they did even better at last year's World Championships in Melbourne, so there are high hopes for a big medal haul¹ in Beijing. VOA Sports Editor Parke Brewer² is there and has a report.

Swimmers won 28 medals, or 22 percent of the U.S. Olympic Team's total in Athens. Twelve of them were gold, nine silver and seven bronze. At the 2007 World Championships Americans had their best performance ever, amassing³ 36 medals, with 20 of them gold. They also set 12 world records.
　
Michael Phelps during Beijing press conference, 06 Aug 2007

Five of those records came from superstar Michael Phelps, who won seven gold medals in Melbourne. In Beijing he will have a chance to break the single Olympics record of seven golds set by compatriot Mark Spitz back in 1972 in Munich.

But he told reporters here, that's not his focus.

"You guys are the ones who are talking all about it. I'm not saying anything," Phelps said. "You know I'm just going through what I have to do, you know preparing myself the best way I can to compete as fast as I can. And that's my goal and that's what I'm going to stick with. I haven't said anything about breaking any record, or going after any record. I'm just going to go out there and try to do something that I want to do."

Phelps added that only he and his coach know what his goals are at these Olympics.
　
Dara Torres talks to reporters in Beijing, 06 Aug 2008

The U.S. woman swimmer getting the most attention is Dara Torres. And for good reason. At 41 years old, she is the oldest ever to make a U.S. swim team, and the only one ever to make five Olympic teams.

"I am just looking forward to standing⁴ up and competing," Torres said. "I have at least one relay⁵ [race] and the 50-meter freestyle. I just want to go out there for those 40-something-year-olds and show that age is just a number and go out there and have fun."

The schedule for the swimmers at these Olympics will be different than any other. Normally they swim preliminaries in the morning and finals in the evening. In Beijing, preliminaries will be in the evening and finals will be in the morning. That's because U.S. television network NBC, which paid the biggest rights fee to broadcast the games, wanted to have the finals live in prime evening viewing hours in the United States, and the request was granted.

Michael Phelps said it should not make a difference.

"It's the Olympic Games. You have to be ready to swim no matter what - morning, night, midday, midnight," he said. "It doesn't matter. All that aside, you have to be ready to swim no matter what. You're representing your country and that's an honor. It doesn't matter for me. I'll be ready to swim whenever I have to."

On Saturday, the day after the Opening Ceremonies, Olympic swimmers will begin nine consecutive⁶ days of competition. The first medals will be awarded Sunday.

 

1 haul   

vt./n.（用力）拖，拉，（用车等）拖运，运送

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• The rope stood up under the strain of the haul.这绳子经受不住紧拉。

2 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

3 amassing   

v.积累，积聚( amass的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The study of taxonomy must necessarily involve the amassing of an encyclopaedic knowledge of plants. 分类学研究一定要积累广博的植物知识。 来自辞典例句
• Build your trophy room while amassing awards and accolades. 建立您的奖杯积累奖项和荣誉。 来自互联网

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 relay   

n.接力赛，中继转播（设备）；vt.转述，转播

参考例句：

• They will relay your message.他们会转达你的口信。
• This metal tower is used to relay television signals to distant villages.这个金属塔是用于向遥远的村子转播电视讯号的。

6 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。