Long distance swimmer Diana Nyad is nearly unstoppable. At the age of 64, she set a record for a swim she attempted four other times, beginning when she was 28 years old. Nyad wanted to show the world that you can always find a way to follow your dreams. She also wanted to send the message that you are never too old to reach your goals. Diana Nyad captured the attention and hearts of people around the world. People rooted her on, knowing that enormous personal strength and endurance (n. 耐力) allowed Nyad to keep going when other might have quit.

Nyad first caught the public\'s attention in 1975, when she swam around Manhattan Island, a distance of 28 miles (45,061.632 meters), in slightly under 8 hours. She first attempted the swim from Cuba to Florida, three years later, at the age of 28. During this attempt, she swam inside a steel shark cage. She completed 42 hours of the swim, but had to quit because large waved kept slamming her into the shark cage and were throwing her well off the course.

Although Nyad continued swimming, she did not attempt the Cuba/Key West crossing again for another 33 years. In 2011, Nyad attempted the swim, this time without a protective shark cage. Again, strong currents (n. 洋流) threw Nyad off course, but the main factor in her decision to quit this time was a flare-up (n. 突然发作) of asthma (n. 哮喘). Nyad had to continually flip onto her back to catch her breath. Eleven hours into her asthma attack, Nyad knew that she wasn\'t going to make it.

At this point, many people would have given up, but Nyad was determined to reach her goal and complete the 110-mile (177,027.84 meters) swim. Just about six weeks following her second attempt, Nyad tried again Although she completed about two-thirds of the total distance, she was unable to finish because of severe jellyfish and Portuguese man-of-war stings. Afterwards, Nyad reported that she had never been in so much pain. Her face was red and swollen (adj. 肿胀), and some of the man-of-war stings had temporarily paralyzed (v. 使...麻痹/瘫痪) muscles in her back.

Still determined to beat her greatest challenge, Nyad set out on her fourth attempt in August of 2012. Although she wore a nylon (n. 尼龙) body suit to protect her from jellyfish stings, she was stung repeatedly on her lips where the suit had an opening. Large sharks circles below her. Nyad was not swimming in a shark cage, and although her team was using an electronic shark repellant, there were no guarantees (n. 保证) that the system was foolproof (adj. 万无一失). Thunderstorms and lightning threatened Nyad\'s safety and that of her crew. She decided it wasn\'t worth putting everyone at risk of a lightning strike, and so Nyad\'s fourth attempt also ended without success.

In August 2013, Diana Nyad began her fifth and final attempt at swimming the Straits of Florida. Once again, she did not swim in a shark cage, but her team of 35 did keep a lookout for sharks, as well as use the electronic repellant. She wore a full body suit, a mask, gloves, and booties (n. 靴子) to protect her body from jellyfish stings. Fifty-three hours and 110 miles later, Nyad walked onto the shores of Florida, amid (prep. 之中) cheers of fans and well-wishers.

Nyad was 64 years old when she completed her swim--an age at which many people are retiring and starting to take it easy in life. Nyad battled wind and rough currents on her trip. She vomited from having too much salt water in her body. the night before the last leg (n. 最后一程) of her swim, Nyad\'s team didn\'t stop to feed her because she was so cold, they felt it was more important for her keep swimming to try to stay warm.

Today, Nyad uses her experiences to give inspirational talks. She hopes that in some way her journey will serve as an inspiration to others to persevere (v. 坚持), to follow their dreams, and to find a way.

问题:

1. What were Nyad\'s greatest problems during her attempted swims pf the Straits of Florida?

2. Nyad attempted to swim from _____ to _____ four times before she was successful. (填空题)

3. Why do you think Nyad chose not to use the shark cage after her first attempt?

4. What are two of the messages Nyad wanted to communicate to people through her swimming?

5. What three adjectives could you use to describe Diana Nyad?

6. What sort of protective equipment did Nyad use during her swims?

7. Do you think that athletic heroes like Nyad are a useful inspiration to everyday people?