Michael Phelps: Born to Swim 麦克?菲尔普斯：天生泳将
Millions will be watching to see if Phelps makes Olympic history!
很多人将仔细观察菲尔普斯能否打造奥运历史！
August 5
After an already stellar career in the water, Michael Phelps still hopes to make a splash at the Beijing Olympics. When he begins competing on August 9, crowds of people are expected to gather to see Michael do what he does best ─ swim!
Watching him compete, one might be tempted to think Michael swam before he walked, but he actually didn't begin to swim until age 7. His first exposure to the water, however, came when he was just a baby, watching from his stroller as his sisters swam laps. It seemed that swimming and competition were in the family's blood when Michael's sister, Whitney, tried out for the 1996 U.S. Olympic team. Much to her family's disappointment, she didn't qualify and had to stop swimming because of back problems, but Michael was already hooked on the sport.
At age 11, while watching the 1996 Summer Games, Michael began to fantasize about becoming a world champion swimmer someday. Little did he realize he would soon meet the man who would put him on the path to making his Olympic dream become a reality.
尽管麦克?菲尔普斯在泳坛已有卓越成就，但仍希望在北京奥运创下轰动成绩。他在八月九日出赛时，料将有大批观众群聚欣赏麦克的拿手绝活──游泳！
你看麦克比赛，可能不免以为他还没走路前就下水游泳了，但其实他到了七岁才开始游泳。不过，他头一次接触水时，还只是小婴儿，他坐在婴儿车上看着姊姊们来回穿梭泳池游泳。看来这家人的天赋就是游泳和比赛，麦克的姊姊惠妮曾参加一九九六年美国奥运代表队选拔赛，无奈资格不符，结果令家人非常失望，而她更因背部问题不得不终止游泳，麦克却已迷上这种运动。
麦克十一岁时，他一边观看一九九六年夏季奥运会，一边开始幻想有朝一日要成为世界游泳冠军，当时他不知道自己很快就会遇到一位贵人，把他带上实现奥运梦想之路。
Word Bank
stellar (adj)卓越的
Ron gave a stellar performance in the community play.
make a splash (idiom)引起轰动
Claire hopes to make a splash in the music world with her latest CD.
in one's blood (idiom)对某事物生来就有兴趣或天赋的
Teaching is definitely in Katie's blood, with her father, mother and two sisters all in the teaching profession.
fantasize (v)幻想
At age seven, John began to fantasize about playing professional basketball. His dream came true when he turned 21.
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stroller (n)婴儿车
Chat Room
Teaching Topic: Sink or Swim 教學主題：生死一線間
sink or swim：是生是死全由自己决定，成败全靠自己
---Welcome to the Chat Room. I'm Ken. And this is Naomi.
---Hi, friends. So we've been learning about an Olympic swimmer today. Ken, do you like to swim?
---Sure, though maybe not quite as much as Michael Phelps. Our artical says: It seems like Michael swam before he could walk. Wait. Shouldn't it be swum before he could walk?
---Well, swum, S-W-U-M, is the past participle of swim. So we could say Michael had swum several races before that day. But I would say he swam, S-W-A-M, the two-hundred-meter race in record time.
---So he swam before he could walk. I've heard this expression before. Is it really true or is it an exaggeration?
---Well, it's an expression to mean that someone has been a certain way since they were very young. For instance, my mom likes to tell people that I read before I could walk. It's not quite true, but it expresses that I started reading when I was young.
---这是个比较夸张的讲法，如果说某个人swam before he could walk，在学会走路前就会游泳，那就表示他生来就很会游泳，是个游泳高手。
---You know, Ken, although Michael Phelps didn't start swimming until he was about seven, my dad put me in the water when I was just a baby. Really! Did you sink or swim?
---Well, I think I floated. But that's another great idiom. to sink or swim. It means that in a difficult situation, you'll either succeed or you'll fail.
---I see. So my first year of college was sink or swim. I knew I had to work hard to succeed or I'd fail my classes. Exactly.
---很实用的一个片语，sink or swim，灭顶或游泳，意思就是生是死全由自己决定，成败全靠自己。
---And friends, I'm sure you're all swimming through this lesson. But even the best swimmers need a break. So Studio Classroom will be right back.
make a splash (idiom)引起轰动
1 George Clooney made a splash in the TV series "ER".
乔治克罗妮在急诊室的春天这部电视中一炮而红。
2 Her first album made quite a splash. She even got nominate for Grammy.
她的第一张专辑造成极大的轰动，甚至被提名格莱美奖。
in one's blood (idiom)对某事物生来就有兴趣或天赋的
某种天赋是家传的。
1 Many of Nick's family are actors or actresses. Acting is in their blood.
尼克有许多家人是演员或者是女演员，演戏是他们家传的天赋。
2 Both of Vivian’s parents are musicians, so it’s obviously in her blood.
维维安的父母都是音乐家，所以他的音乐才华很明显地是在家传的。
fantasize (v)幻想
不及物动词，后面要加上about再加上受词
1 He fantasized about winning the lottery.
他已经幻想自己赢到乐透。
2 Tina fantasizes about being a super model.
蒂娜幻想自己是超级名模。
3 She retreated to a world of fantasy.
她退缩到她的幻想的世界中。
August 6
Breaking records and making history
Bob Bowman was a swim coach at Baltimore's Meadowbrook Aquatic and Fitness Center when Michael joined the club in 1996. It didn't take Bowman long to realize the young man's potential, and he soon started Michael on a strict swimming regimen. The hard work paid off. In 2000, Michael became the youngest swimmer to make the U.S. Olympic swim team since 1932. Remarkably, he placed 5th in the 200m butterfly at the Sydney Olympics.
Just months later at 15, Michael broke the world record in the 200m butterfly, becoming the youngest male ever to set a world record in swimming. Michael went on to break one record after another, including his own! But it was at the 2004 Summer Olympics that he really shone as he collected six gold and two bronze medals. This wasn't quite good enough to surpass Mark Spitz's 1972 world record of seven gold medals, but it gave Michael another goal to strive for.
If he wins eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, some believe Michael will join the ranks of the world's greatest athletes. One thing is certain ─ millions will be watching to see if he can do it!
刷新纪录又缔造历史
一九九六年，麦克参加巴尔的摩的「牧草小溪水上运动和健身中心」，巴柏?鲍曼是当时的游泳教练。没多久，鲍曼就看出这个年轻人潜力无穷，很快对麦克施以严格的游泳集训。辛勤耕耘有了收获，二０００年，麦克成为美国奥运游泳代表队自一九三二年以来最年轻的泳将。惊人的是，他还在雪梨奥运二百公尺蝶式比赛中荣获第五名。
不出几个月，十五岁的麦克就打破二百公尺蝶式纪录，成为有史以来刷新世界游泳纪录最年轻的男性。麦克接连打破纪录，包括自己的纪录！但直到二００四年夏季奥运，他才真正大放异彩，夺下六面金牌和二面铜牌。这个表现还没好到超越马克?史毕兹在一九七二年创下的七面金牌世界纪录，但这又让麦克有个努力追求的目标。
如果麦克从北京奥运抱回八面金牌，有些人相信他将跻身世界上最伟大运动员之列，不过我们可以确定一件事──万千观众将注意他能否成功夺金！
Word Bank
aquatic (adj)水上的
To prepare for the competition, Belinda practiced two hours a day with the aquatic ballet team.
potential (n)潜力；潜能
When Tiger Woods was very young, his father recognized his potential for playing golf.
regimen (n)密集体能训练；养生法
The doctor put my father on an exercise and diet regimen to bring his blood pressure down.
surpass (v)胜过；超越
The company has had a great year and expects to surpass last year's earnings.
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fitness (n)健身；健美
butterfly (n)蝶式；蝶泳
Chat Room
Teaching Topic: First Place 教學主題：第一名
place：竞赛中的名次；(v)排名多少，名列第几
first place：第一名，second place：第二名
She placed third in her class.在她的班上她名列第三。
in the first place：首先，一开始；如Why Why didn't you tell me that in the first place? 你为什么一开始不讲呢？
---Hi, friends. Welcome back to the Chat Room. I'm Naomi.
---And I'm Ken. Naomi,I have good news. I won third place in the singing contest.
---Well, that's great. Are you happy?
---Well, I wish I could've won first place.
---I understand. But you know, you should be really proud that you placed at all.
---I placed? What do you mean? Don't we usually place something somewhere like I placed my pen on the table?
---You're right. But when we talk about a competition, we can use place as a verb to mean that someone has obtained a certain position.
---Ah, like in our article, it tells us that Michael Phelps placed fifth in the two hundred meter butterfly at the Sydney Olympics. In other words, he won fifth place.
---That's right. But if we competed, we probably wouldn't place at all. Our scores would be too low to even be on the list.
---Yeah, I'm sure. place可以表示竞赛中的名次，first place是第一名，second place是第二名，而place也可以当动词用，表示排名多少，名列第几，比如说She placed third in her class.在她的班上她名列第三。
---But getting back to your contest, Ken, I'm impressed that you competed in the first place.
---Naomi, I already told you I didn't win first place. I won third place.
---Oh, that is a little confusing. OK, when we say in the first place, we mean in or at the beginning. For example, I might offer my friend a piece of apple every day for months until he finally admits that he doesn't like apples. Then I would probably ask: Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?
---in the first place是个片语，表示首先，一开始，如果你请朋友去吃麻辣火锅，结果坐到餐厅都坐了下来，朋友这时才说，“对不起，我不吃辣”，你一定会很生气地说，Why Why didn't you tell me that in the first place? 你为什么一开始不讲呢？
---Well friends, we have more Studio Classroom coming up. But first let's take a break.
aquatic (adj)水上的
1 aquatic plants
水生植物
2 The oil leakage from the cargo ship caused severe aquatic pollution.
货船的漏油造成严重的海域污染。
3 Water-skiing is just one of the many aquatic sports Peter's good at.
皮特擅长许多水上运动，划水只是其中的一项。
regimen (n)密集体能训练；养生法
为了健康或强身所设计的一种养生法或者是生活的规则
1 The doctor put him on a regimen which only allowed him to eat vitamin and vegetables.
医生安排他的生活规则是只能吃白肉以及蔬菜。
2 The trainees in the camp had to follow a strict regimen.
参加这个训练营的学员必须遵守严格的生活规则。
surpass (v)胜过；超越
1 The novelist once again surpassed herself with her new novel.
这位小说家再次以她的新作超越了自己之前的成就。
2 The film's success surpassed everyone's expectations.
这部电影的成功超过了每一个人的预期。
