On May 7, 2022, Merle Liivand broke her own world record for swimming with a single fin. She swam the distance of a full marathon in the rough waters of Biscayne Bay, Florida. She even picked rubbish out of the water as she swam.
Ms. Liivand was born in Estonia. As a child, she had heat problems, and began swimming to help her lungs get stronger. She was soon taking part in open water swimming contests. In 2011, Ms. Liivand moved to Miami, Florida, where she continued swimming in the ocean. In one training session, she nearly wound up swallowing some plastic that was floating in the sea. That experience made her think of all the sea animals that faced similar pollution every day. She decided she wanted to work to make people more aware of plastic pollution, which she call a “plastic pandemic”.
Ms. Liivand first set the world record for swimming with a monofin (单鳍) in 2019, when she swam 6.2 miles off the coast of California. In 2020, she broke the record again by swimming 12.8 miles, this time in Miami, Florida. In 2021, she set a new Guinness World Record by swimming 18.6 miles, again in Florida. Even though it took her 9 hours and 19 minutes to set that record, Ms. Liivand says she knew she could go farther.
So for the year 2021, Ms. Liivand has been getting up at 4 in the morning every day, putting on her monofin, and going swimming. To help improve her strength, she sometimes seven pulled other people in the water. On May 7, 2022, she broke the record once more. This time she got stung by jellyfish. And she kept telling herself that it was not the time to cry.
To keep her energy up, a friend followed her in a kayak (皮艇) and gave her food and water from time to time. Along the way, Ms. Liivand picked up all the rubbish she found and put it in the kayak. By the end of her marathon, the kayak held three bags full of rubbish.
4. What made Ms. Liivand consider more about sea animals?
A.Her life in Estonia. | B.More education she got. |
C.A swimming experience in the ocean. | D.Reports on water pollution. |
5. When did Ms. Liivand first set the new Guinness World Record?
A.In 2019. | B.In 2020. | C.In 2021. | D.In 2022. |
6. What can we learn about Ms. Liivand?
A.She trained rather hard. | B.She loved to show off. |
C.She got tired of jellyfish. | D.She’s selfless and outgoing. |
7. What’s the best title for the text?
A.Merle Liivand Braved Rough Waters in Summer. |
B.Merle Liivand Set Marathon Record with a Monofin. |
C.“Eco-Mermaid” Constantly Challenged Herself in Water. |
D.“Eco-Mermaid” Swims Marathon to Fight Plastic Pollution. |