VOA标准英语2012--US Synchronized Swimmers Hope Hard Work Pays Off at Olympics

 

US Synchronized¹ Swimmers Hope Hard Work Pays Off at Olympics

Their nickname² is "MK squared" because the first letters of their first and last names are the same. Mary Killman and Mariya Koroleva are as close as you can get to sharing the same birthday, with Killman born April 9 and Koroleva April 10, although at age 22, Koroleva is a year older.

They became a duet last September, only six weeks before winning a silver medal at the Pan³ American Games in Mexico.

Killman says the two have fast become friends.

"We do a lot of things together. We're almost like sisters," she admits. "It's kind of funny how close we are. A lot of times, someone will ask us a question and we answer exactly the same. And they're looking at us and going, 'Wait?'"

Although both swimmers live together and train in California, they come from very different backgrounds. Killman is from Texas and Koroleva is from Russia. Koroleva moved to the United States with her family at age nine, after the Soviet⁴ Union fell and her father took a job in the computer industry in California. At the time, she knew little English, but she took the chance to try a new sport.

"I just got a flier [i.e., an information sheet] when I was in fourth grade saying, 'Try synchronized [swimming] for two weeks for free.' So I said, 'Why not?' I don't know the language. I don't have any friends, really. It's a great way to meet people and try something new," she recalls⁵. "And then it just kind of took off from there."

Koroleva's partner, Mary Killman, swam competitively before she switched to synchronized swimming. Killman was also on the U.S. synchronized team that features eight members performing in the water at the same time, but it failed to qualify⁶ for the London Olympics.

She says synchronized swimming is a very aesthetic⁷ sport, and that how you look in a number of areas - even in your swimsuit - are important.

"They judge how high out of the water you are. They judge how fast you can move," she explains. "And on the artistic⁸ side, it's how does it match the music. Do you look like you're enjoying it?"

Koroleva says perfecting routines⁹ takes long, hard hours of practice.

"People ask, 'How long can you hold your breath for?' Or you know, 'How do you do that?' And it's just a lot of training," she says. "You know you start when you're little, just doing a lap under water. And you can't even make the whole lap because your lungs can't handle it. But over time, you get used to it. So it's just a lot of years of training and repetition¹⁰."

Mariya Koroleva and Mary Killman hope that all of their hard work pays off at the London Olympics. In their final competition before the Summer Games, they won the gold medal at the Swiss Open on July 1. 

1 synchronized   

同步的

参考例句：

• Do not use the synchronized keyword in Managed Objects. 不要在管理对象上使用synchronized关键字。 来自互联网
• The timing of the gun was precisely synchronized with the turning of the plane's propeller. 风门的调速与飞机螺旋桨的转动精确同步。 来自辞典例句

2 nickname   

n.绰号，昵称；v.给...取绰号，叫错名字

参考例句：

• She called me by my nickname.她叫我的外号。
• Why do you fasten such a nickname on her?你为什么给她取这样一个绰号？

3 pan   

n.平底锅；v.严厉批评

参考例句：

• The water had all boiled away and the pan was burned.水煮干了，锅也烧坏了。
• The eggs were frying in the pan.鸡蛋正在锅里煎。

4 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

5 recalls   

回忆起( recall的第三人称单数 )； 使想起； 使想到； 勾起

参考例句：

• The sight recalls the days of childhood to me. 那情景使我想起了童年。
• Moreover, extensive use of voluntary recalls can undercut agency accountability. 此外，大量利用自愿撤回会削弱行政机关的责任心。

6 qualify   

vt.取得资格，有资格，限定，描述；vi.取得资格，有资格

参考例句：

• I won't qualify until next year.我明年才具备资格。
• You must qualify yourself for the post.你必须使自己具备担任这一工作的资格。

7 aesthetic   

adj.美学的，审美的，有美感

参考例句：

• My aesthetic standards are quite different from his.我的审美标准与他的大不相同。
• The professor advanced a new aesthetic theory.那位教授提出了新的美学理论。

8 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

9 routines   

n.[计算机]程序( routine的名词复数 )；例行公事；日常工作；固定节目

参考例句：

• The artists were going through their daily routines. 艺术家们正进行日常的练习活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hospital routines for nurses are very rigid. 医院中护士的日常工作非常刻板。 来自辞典例句

10 repetition   

n.重复；反复

参考例句：

• The perfomance improved with each repetition.演出每演一场都有改进。
• This degree of repetition is not found in any known language.这种重复程度在任何已知语言中都不曾出现。