VOA慢速英语2009年-IN THE NEWS - Faster Swimming Sinks High-T

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Swimmers broke many records this week at the world championships in Rome. But there was the swimsuit issue.
　
Start of the men's 200 meter individual medley¹ race in Rome

FINA is the group that governs swimming. On Tuesday, its officers accepted a decision by FINA members to ban high-tech² swimsuits next year.

Full-body suits first appeared in the two thousand Summer Olympics. But in Rome, German swimmer Paul Biedermann said the growing attention to the issue made him mad. "It's all about the suits. It's not about the swimmer anymore."

He said that after he defeated American Michael Phelps in the two hundred meter freestyle. And he did it faster than the world record time Phelps set last year at the Beijing Olympics.
　
Paul Biedermann, bottom, and Michael Phelps at the start of the 200 meter freestyle

Biedermann wore the newest speed suit. Phelps wore last year's version³. His coach later said he would urge Phelps not to compete internationally until the ban takes effect next year.

That was all Tuesday. The next day, Michael Phelps competed in the two hundred meter butterfly. Again he wore last year's Speedo Racer. This time, he not only won, he broke his own world record.

Now, we turn to some other sports stories of recent days.
　
Mark Buehrle pitching his perfect game

In baseball, Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox pitched a perfect game on July twenty-third. He threw to twenty-seven batters⁴ without one of them getting on base.

Buehrle pitched only the eighteenth perfect game in the history of Major League Baseball. The last one was in two thousand four. President Obama, a White Sox fan from Chicago, called to congratulate him.

Four days later, baseball had another rare event. Josh Willingham of the Washington Nationals hit two grand slams⁵ in one game. He became just the thirteenth Major League player ever to hit a home run with the bases loaded twice in the same game.

In cycling, American Lance Armstrong announced he will return to the Tour de France next year with a new American-based team. The seven-time winner competed this year on the Astana team based in Kazakhstan.

Armstrong finished third last Sunday after a three-and-a-half year retirement⁶. His Astana teammate Alberto Contador of Spain won his second Tour. Andy Schleck of Luxembourg finished second.

On July nineteenth, American Tom Watson aimed to become the oldest golfer to win a major event. The oldest man so far was forty-eight year old Julius Boros in nineteen sixty-eight.

The fifty-nine year old Watson needed to make a short attempt on his final hole to win the British Open. But he missed from about two and a half meters, and then lost in a playoff to American Stewart Cink.

And finally, this week Michael Vick won a conditional⁷ return to the National Football League. But no N.F.L. teams showed immediate⁸ interest in having him play. Vick recently served eighteen months in federal⁹ prison for running a dog fighting operation in which he also killed dogs. The former quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons¹⁰ was once the league's highest paid player.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake. I'm Steve Ember.

1 medley   

n.混合

参考例句：

• Today's sports meeting doesn't seem to include medley relay swimming.现在的运动会好象还没有混合接力泳这个比赛项目。
• China won the Men's 200 metres Individual Medley.中国赢得了男子200米个人混合泳比赛。

2 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

3 version   

n.版本；型号；叙述，说法

参考例句：

• His version of the events is pure supposition.他对这件事的说法纯属猜测。
• What is your version of this matter?你对这件事情的看法 怎么样？

4 batters   

n.面糊（煎料）( batter的名词复数 )；面糊（用于做糕饼）；（ 棒球） 正在击球的球员；击球员v.连续猛击( batter的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The pitcher has beaned as many as three batters in this game. 在这？热？投手投球竟打中了三个击手的头。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• A storm batters the ship. 一场风暴袭击了这条船。 来自辞典例句

5 slams   

v.砰地关上（门或窗）( slam的第三人称单数 )；用力一放；使劲一推；猛劲一摔

参考例句：

• I'm sick of your slams. 对于你的谩骂我真受够了。 来自辞典例句
• Kentucky steal Ball and Ron Mercen slams for two. 肯塔基队争到球，罗恩默塞扣篮得2分。 来自互联网

6 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

7 conditional   

adj.条件的，带有条件的

参考例句：

• My agreement is conditional on your help.你肯帮助我才同意。
• There are two forms of most-favored-nation treatment:conditional and unconditional.最惠国待遇有两种形式:有条件的和无条件的。

8 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

9 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

10 falcons   

n.猎鹰( falcon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Peregrine falcons usually pluck the feathers and strip the flesh off their bird prey. 游隼捕到鸟类猎物时，通常是先拔掉它们的羽毛，再把肉撕下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Though he doubted the wisdom of using falcons, Dr. de la Fuente undertook the project. 虽然德·拉·富恩特博士怀疑使用游隼是否明智，但他还是执行了这项计划。 来自辞典例句