Episode Details

Even as temperatures kept dropping in China’s northeastern “ice city” of Harbin, excitement rose among a group of swimmers who enjoy jumping into freezing waters. 

尽管中国东北“冰城”哈尔滨的气温持续下降，一群喜欢跳入冰冷水域的游泳者却兴奋不已。 

The daily event, known as ice swimming, is a winter tradition in Harbin. Swimmers train daily throughout the year to get their bodies ready for the unusual swim. Reporters from The Associated Press recently visited the city and spoke with some of the swimmers. 

这项每日活动被称为冰泳，是哈尔滨的冬季传统活动。游泳运动员全年每天都进行训练，让身体为不同寻常的游泳做好准备。美联社记者最近访问了这座城市并与一些游泳运动员进行了交谈。 

To create a pool in the Songhua River, the swimmers first had to break a 10-centimeter thick cover of ice. Then they removed the ice pieces, took off all clothes except bathing suits and prepared to enter. One by one, they jumped into a freezing, 10-meter-long pool. 

为了在松花江上建造一个水池，游泳者首先必须打破10厘米厚的冰层。然后他们把冰块拿掉，脱掉除泳衣外的所有衣服，准备进去。他们一一跳进了十米长的冰冷水池中。

Some of the swimmers reported that their legs and arms quickly went numb after entering the water. The outside temperature was about minus 13 degrees Celsius and the water temperature remained near freezing. 

一些游泳者反映，入水后他们的腿和手臂很快就麻木了。室外温度约为-13摄氏度，水温保持在冰点附近。 

One of the swimmers was Chen Xia. She came from Zhejiang province about 1,700 kilometers further south. She decided to jump into the river even though she had a cold. Chen said the winter waters where she lives are warmer than those in Harbin. 

其中一名游泳运动员是陈霞。她来自更南约1700公里的浙江省。尽管感冒了，她还是决定跳进河里。陈女士说，她居住的冬天水域比哈尔滨温暖。 

She said the experience strengthened her confidence in winter swimming. She has been taking part in the activity for about 20 years. 

她说，这次经历增强了她对冬泳的信心。她参加这项活动已有约20年了。

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