游泳是一種健身的好方法，但你會在冰水中游泳嗎？進入冷水的瞬間，身體會受到短暫而劇烈的沖擊，但有證據表明，這會給身體健康帶來的好處。本文介紹冷水游泳的益處。

詞匯：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.

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.

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.”

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.

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!

詞匯表

workout （身體）鍛煉，訓練
endurance 忍耐力
muscle strength 肌肉力量
cardiovascular fitness 心血管健康
take the plunge 決定運動，冒險嘗試
wild swimming 野外游泳
pond 池塘
a short sharp shock 短暫而劇烈的沖擊
dip 游泳
wellbeing 健康
open water 開放水域
immersion 浸泡
at one with nature 與自然融為一體
stress response 應激反應
anti-inflammatory 消炎的，抗炎的
cross-adaptation 交叉適應

測驗與練習

1.  閱讀課文并回答問題。

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.  選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

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.  閱讀課文并回答問題。  

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 .  選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。

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.