游泳是一种健身的好方法，但你会在冰水中游泳吗？进入冷水的瞬间，身体会受到短暂而剧烈的冲击，但有证据表明，这会给身体健康带来的好处。本文介绍冷水游泳的益处。

词汇：swimming 游泳

We all know about the health benefits of swimming. It offers a great workout for the body – it builds endurance , muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness . If you don’t mind getting wet, it can be fun too. But who would enjoy swimming in water that’s ice cold? Well, many people are taking the plunge , based on evidence that it can actually be good for us.

我们都知道游泳对健康的好处。它为身体提供了很好的锻炼——它可以增强耐力、肌肉力量和心血管健康。如果你不介意淋湿，那也会很有趣。但是谁会喜欢在冰冷的水中游泳呢?好吧，许多人都在冒险，因为有证据表明它实际上对我们有好处。

Cold-water swimming – sometimes called wild swimming – involves swimming in natural areas including ponds , rivers and the sea. Jumping in gives a short sharp shock to the body, but many participants say they get used to it. A cold dip might wake you up, but research has found it can have much bigger benefits than that for your body and mind. As well as being good exercise, spending time outdoors and by water improves wellbeing .

冷水游泳，有时也被称为野外游泳，是指在池塘、河流和海洋等自然环境中游泳。跳进去会给身体带来短暂而尖锐的冲击，但许多参与者说他们已经习惯了。冷水浴可能会让你清醒，但研究发现，它对你的身心有更大的好处。除了良好的锻炼，花时间在户外和待在水边可以改善你的健康状况。

There is much evidence, mostly anecdotal, that suggests cold-water swimming has cured certain health conditions. One man who suffered constant pain after surgery claimed he was cured by taking a plunge in cold open water . And another swimmer, Sandria Simons, told the BBC “the immersion of your body in cold, salt water, just feeling like you’re at one with nature if you like, just feels amazing.”

有很多证据(大多是坊间传闻)表明，冷水游泳可以治愈某些健康问题。一名手术后持续疼痛的男子声称，他跳入冰冷的开放水域中，治愈好了自己的疾病。另一名游泳运动员桑德丽亚·西蒙斯在接受BBC采访时表示:“把身体浸泡在冰冷的盐水中，如果你愿意，就会感觉自己与大自然融为一体，这种感觉太棒了。”

But what is it that people are gaining from this chilly experience? Doctors say getting into cold water evokes a stress response , but the more you do it, your reaction to stress is reduced. It’s also thought to have a strong anti-inflammatory effect. But there are bigger benefits to this stress-reducing exercise. Some experts believe cold-water swimming helps ‘ cross-adaptation ’, where one form of stress prepares the body for another. For example, it also helps reduce the stress of exercising at high altitude.

但是，人们从这种寒冷的经历中得到了什么呢?医生说，浸入冷水会引起压力反应，但你越这样做，你对压力的反应就会减少。它也被认为有很强的抗炎作用。但这种减压运动还有更大的好处。一些专家认为，在冷水中游泳有助于“交叉适应”，即一种压力让身体为另一种压力做好准备。例如，它还有助于减少在高海拔地区锻炼的压力。

So, if you’re convinced that this is for you, take advice: approach it with caution, swim with a friend, and maybe start in the summer, when the water temperatures are higher!

所以，如果你确信这是为你准备的，请采纳建议:小心行事，和朋友一起游泳，也许在夏天开始，那时水温更高!

词汇表

workout （身体）锻炼，训练endurance 忍耐力muscle strength 肌肉力量cardiovascular fitness 心血管健康take the plunge 决定运动，冒险尝试wild swimming 野外游泳pond 池塘a short sharp shock 短暂而剧烈的冲击dip 游泳wellbeing 健康open water 开放水域immersion 浸泡at one with nature 与自然融为一体stress response 应激反应anti-inflammatory 消炎的，抗炎的cross-adaptation 交叉适应

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. Where could you go cold-water swimming?

2. How does spending time by water help you?

3. According to some swimmers, when do you get used to the low temperature of the water?

4. True or false? Cold-water swimming can make you less stressed.

5. When might be a good time to start cold-water swimming?

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. Running a marathon was a test of my human _______.

workout， stress response， endurance ，cross-adaptation

2. When I go walking in the forest, I feel _______.

one at nature， at one with nature， with nature ，nature at one

3. Carrying all the boxes to the top floor felt like a real _______.

wellbeing， dip， pond， workout

4. I love going to the cinema and _______ myself in a good film.

immersing， immerse， immerses， immersed

5. I’m going to _______ and quit my job to go travelling around the world.

take a plunge， take the plunge， take plunge， take plunging

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. Where could you go cold-water swimming? You could swim in a pond, the river or the sea

2. How does spending time by water help you? Spending time outdoors and by water improves wellbeing.

3. According to some swimmers, when do you get used to the low temperature of the water? After the short sharp shock of getting in the water.

4. True or false? Cold-water swimming can make you less stressed. True. Doctors say getting into cold water evokes a stress response, but the more you do it, the more your reaction to stress is reduced.

5. When might be a good time to start cold-water swimming? In the summer, when the water temperatures are higher!

2 . 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. Running a marathon was a test of my human endurance .

2. When I go walking in the forest, I feel at one with nature .

3. Carrying all the boxes to the top floor felt like a real workout .

4. I love going to the cinema and immersing myself in a good film.

5. I’m going to take the plunge and quit my job to go travelling around the world.