Cold-Water Winner

At 40°F, water is so cold that most people would freeze. But champion swimmer Lynne Cox is not like most people. She became the first person to swim from the Bering Strait island of Little Diomede in Alaska to Big Diomede in Russia. Cox baffled（难住） scientists who didn’t think the swim was possible.

Cox’s Advantages

Most people would freeze to death in such cold water, but Lynne Cox can tolerate（忍受） cold water temperatures. She has trained her body to work in the correct way in very cold conditions. Body structure（结构）also helps Cox stay warm. Compared to most people, Cox has a very even layer of fat（均匀的脂肪层）. This fat layer acts as natural insulation（绝缘）.

From Cold to Colder

After the Diomedes challenge, Cox headed south-way south! She wanted to be the first person to swim a mile in Antarctica.“The marine mammals（海洋哺乳动物） in Antarctica all have body fat to stay warm,” Cox said before the swim. “Their blubber（多余的脂肪） is very dense（稠密的）, though mine will be more like a cotton sweater. But I’m not going to be in as long as they are.” Her natural insulation helped her stay in for 25 minutes; long enough to swim 1.22 miles where no human had ever swum before.

When he was nine years old, American boy Milo Cress had a question: How many plastic（塑料）straws（吸管）do Americans use every day?

He quickly learned there wasn’t a simple answer. The boy tried to work it out himself. Through lots of research, Cress found out that Americans use about 500 million straws every day. In hopes of reducing（减少；缩减）plastic waste, he founded（创建）the Be Straw Free project in 2011.

Cress started the project in his hometown—Burlington, Vermont. He asked a local restaurant to stop offering straws with every drink order. It was a simple change. However, it would save money. And by doing that the restaurant would cut down on its straw use by 50 percent.

For the years that followed, Cress tried to spread his project across the United States. More and more restaurants agreed to join. They stop providing the customer with a straw unless he or she asks for one. Last April, Seattle became the American city to completely ban（禁止）.

Plastic pollution has been one of the most serious problems today. According to scientists, more than eight million tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year. Plastic straws are especially terrible. They make it easy for people to get comfortable with single-use plastics.

After his project became popular, Cress took his findings on the road. He has since spoken to tens of thousands of students around the world. He wants to encourage more people to say no to plastic straws.

“Focusing（聚焦）on straws is one simple step we all could take, ” Cress says. “And it makes me feel that I, could make a difference, too.”

A problem is only a problem until there is a solution. We find solutions by thinking creatively.     16     In other words, we think outside the box. Sometimes, thinking outside the box solves not just one, but two problems.

Amsterdam is one of the most crowded cities in Europe. As a result, housing is very expensive, especially for students.     17     However, finding this type (类型) of apartments was almost impossible until recently.

While the colleges in Amsterdam were trying to solve the housing problem, thousands of shipping containers (集装箱) were lying quietly in ports (港口).     18     Yet they can’t recycle all of them because there are so many.

Back in Amsterdam, a company came up with an amazing idea. Why not reuse these shipping containers as student apartments?     19     They are all the same size and fit together perfectly. The steel is strong. Moreover, these containers are so widely available that they are quite cheap to buy. For all these reasons, they can be used to build apartments quickly and cheaply. Building began in 2005, hundreds of Amsterdam students had new homes.

When students first heard about this idea, they thought the container apartments would be small, noisy.     20     Each container apartment has a kitchen, a bedroom with a study area, and a bathroom. The apartments are warm and quiet. They even have a high-speed Internet connection. Living in a shipping container has become popular. Today 3, 000 Amsterdam students live in the container village.

The bus was filled with energy and excitement. Students     34     (talk) happily, but there was also a bit of nervous energy in the air. As the bus rounded the corner, Mr. Ishilkawa cleared his throat.

“I want to thank each one of you for your hard work. I know that many of you have had to pause (暂停) other activities for the intensive training (强化训练) we     35     (do) in the past weeks.”

“Whether or not Schuyler Middle School wins today’s competition, I’m proud of you all,” Mr. Ishikawa continued. “It’s a great honor just to have qualified (具有资格) to represent (代表) our school. We     36     (get) together at the gate at 8 o’clock tomorrow morning. So just do your best, and enjoy yourselves today. No matter what, we’re all going home winners.

The members of the team cheered as Mr. Ishilkawa finished his speech. The students knew they were ready for almost any question the quizmaster (主持测验的人) might pose (提出). They couldn’t wait to get started.

Inside the studio (演播室), Cane, the show’s executive producer (执行制作人)     37     (meet) the students. When the competing team from Brighton Park arrived, Ms. Cane made quick introductions and passed out drinks.

“I’m sure you’ve already heard this a hundred times today,” she told students, “but the most important thing you can do during the competition is to relax and have fun. Do your best to ignore (忽视) the cameras and audience. Once the host (播音员) has finished     38     (ask) a question, you will ring your buzzer (蜂鸣器) as soon as you think you have the answer. You may not ring in until the entire (整个的) question has been read.

“Try to answer slowly and calmly when it’s your turn.” Ms. Cane smiled. “Do you have any questions before we begin taping? ”

Gabriel, a seventh-grader from Schuyler, waved his hand. “    39     the winning team 6 (come) back to compete for the championship?” he asked.

Ms. Cane nodded. “Of course. The championships are held in the spring. Each member of the winning team and the winning school will receive awards.”

“Who     40     (choose) the questions that are used during the show?” asked Monique, an eighth-grader from Brighton Park.

“We have some researchers who compile (编制) a list of questions. They come together to narrow down (缩小) the list of questions and decide which one     41     actually 8 (use) in the show.” Ms.Cane answered.

“Any more questions?” she asked. The students were silent. “Then, let the game begin!”

One cold rainy evening last October, I was going to interview an old lady in the hospital to gather information for my medical thesis (论文).

The old lady was lying on bed 4B. I sat down on a chair     48     her bed, and in a low voice I introduced myself and asked how she was doing. She softly replied that she was getting     49    .When I told her that I wanted to gather some information from her, she agreed.

After I finished the questionnaire, I prepared to leave so I could get more medical records. Before I could get up, the old lady     50     in her weak voice,   “I haven’t seen you before, Doctor. Are you new? “

“Not really, ma’ma. It’s just that I don’t come here every day.” I replied. She started     51    , asking where I was from and why I was working so late in the evening. I was surprised someone in her condition would want to talk.

“Doctor, do you think I can get back to my normal life?” the old lady asked at one point.

I     52     that while I didn’t know much about her case, I could tell her what I had learnt about the recovery of the patients of her kind. However, I was unwilling to go     53     detail as I was only a medical student.

The old lady started     54     herself. She shared her difficulties and sufferings, talked about her husband, who was killed in a car accident (同情).

A few days later, I     55     that the old lady had been allowed to go out of the hospital as her condition had improved though she would still need     56    .

The old lady taught me one of the most important lessons a doctor can learn. Sometimes patients do not need     57     treatment. They just need someone with the patience and willingness to lend an ear to them and spend some time to be with them.

58. 假定你是李华。某英文报“My Hometown”专栏面向中学生招募小记者，请你用英文给报社写封自荐信。要点如下：

Yours,

Li Hua