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Text 1
About the author
Pat Carr was born in Dublin 1949,one of a
family of four children. He developed a religious outlook
during childhood and this stayed with him during adulthood,
providing him with great support during what he terms an unbalanced
emotional development which led him to have recourse to the
services of psychiatry for over 30 years.
Language notes
1.My
confidence started to disappear the day Angela Brady showed
up at the pool for workout.
(那一天，安吉拉·布兰迪一出现在游泳池边参加赛前集训，我便开始丧失自信了。）
Show up means to arrive as expected
or arranged.
2....and
now I was actually in the running to compete at the
Nationals.
(事实上，我现在很有希望参加全国比赛。）
In the running means having some hope
of winning.
3.I
stroked harder, but I could still feel someone closing in
on me. I soon felt a light touch on my foot.
(我拼命地打水，然而仍能感觉到有人向我逼近，甚至还轻轻碰了一下我的脚。）
Close in on means to surround gradually
and usually from all sides, especially in a threatening way.
4.In
swim workouts, it's one of the rules that when a teammate
taps your foot you move to the right to let that swimmer go
ahead of you.
(游泳集训中有一项规定，那就是当队友碰你的脚时，你应该向右靠，让她过去。）
Note that the that-clause after the word
rule is in the subjunctive mood.
5.How
do you psych yourself up for a race?
(比赛前你是如何进行心理准备的？）
Psych somebody up means to make (especially
oneself) keen and ready.
Text 2
About Naumburg Competition
Established in 1926, the Naumburg
International
Competitions have been described by the New York Times as
"in its quite way the most prestigious of them all."
The competitions are organized by the Walter W.Naumburg Foundation,
which was funded by Mr. Walter Naumburg. Mr.Naumburg's desire
was to assist the young gifted musician in America. It was
his firm belief that such competitions were not only for the
benefit of new stars, but very much for those talented young
artists who would become prime movers in the development of
the highest standards of musical excellence throughout America.
The competition is held every year and involves different
musical instruments such as cello, violin, piano.
Language notes:
1.I
walked up Amsterdam Avenue because I didn't want to see anybody,
didn't want to run into anybody, didn't want anyone to ask
what I was doing.
(我从阿姆斯特丹大街走，就是因为不想看见任何人，不想撞见任何人，也不想任何人过问我的状况。)
Run into means to meet someone by chance.
2.I
even talked Miss Delay into giving my lesson at night.
(我甚至说服了德雷小姐晚上给我上课。）
Talk somebody into doing something
means to persuade somebody to do something.
3.I
was nuts.
（我快发疯了。）
Here nuts is used as an adjective
and is often used informally. In this sentence it means mad
or crazy.
4.
I was completely obsessed with getting back into shape, with
doing well in this competition.
（我一心想调整好自己的状态，想在比赛中取得佳绩。）
Be obsessed with means to completely
fill the mind of somebody so that no attention is given to
other matters.
5."Nadja,
you've dedicated yourself to this thing. Ready or not, do
your best."
(“娜德佳，你已经为此竭尽全力了。准备好也罢，
没准备好也罢，拿出你的最佳状态。”）
Dedicate oneself to something means
to give oneself completely to a particular cause, purpose,
or action or to devote oneself to something.
6.
She said I was so tense, I was beyond shaking.
（她说我太紧张，根本就不会发抖了。）
This sentence means that I was so nervous
and attentive that I couldn't shake.
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