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 trash out of the water as she swam.
As a child, she had health problems and began swimming to help her lungs get stronger. She was soon taking part in open water swimming contests. In one training session, she nearly swallowed some plastic that was floating in the sea. It made her think of all the sea animals who faced similar pollution every day. She decided to work to make people more aware of plastic pollution.
Liivand first set the world record for swimming with monofin (单片脚蹼) in 2019, when she swam 6.2 miles. In 2020, she broke the record again by swimming 12.8 miles. In 2021, she set a new Guinness World Record by swimming 18.6 miles. Last year, Liivand broke the record once more by swimming the length of a full marathon. It took her 11 hours and 54 seconds to swim 26.2 miles.
The water was rough, and she ran up against a few problems, but she didn’t stop. “I got stung by jellyfish,” she said. “And I kept telling myself that it was not the time to cry.”
To keep her energy up, a friend followed her in a kayak (皮划艇) and gave her food and water from time to time. Along the way, Liivand picked up all the trash she found and put it in the kayak. By the end of her marathon, the kayak held three bags of trash. She said, “This isn’t just about a record. It’s about helping the community and the world. Set a dream and try your best to make it come true. I will persist (坚持) it forever.”
【小题1】What made Liivand develop the idea of picking up trash while swimming?| A．One of her swimming experiences. |
| B．The death of sea animals. |
| C．Her illness caused by pollution. |
| D．The encouragement from a friend. |
| A．Liivand’s brief life experiences. |
| B．Liivand’s innovation on swimming. |
| C．Liivand’s action against plastic pollution. |
| D．Liivand’s achievements in swimming. |
| A．Broke through. | B．Prepared for. |
| C．Came across. | D．Took away. |
| A．Cherish what you have. | B．Stick to your dreams. |
| C．Face disabilities bravely. | D．Help people in need. |
