Problems at the Lincoln Memorial Pool
林肯紀念館水池的問題
Introduction
Workers are fixing the Lincoln Memorial pool. The pool had a big repair project, but it failed.
工人們正在修理林肯紀念館的水池。該水池曾進行過一次大型維修工程，但失敗了。
Main Body
The government spent 14.7 million dollars to paint the pool blue. Now the paint is coming off. The water is also green because of small plants called algae. Experts say the dark blue paint made the water too hot.
政府花費 1,470 萬美元將水池漆成藍色。現在油漆正在脫落。水質也因為一種稱為藻類的小型植物而變綠。專家表示，深藍色的油漆導致水溫過高。
President Trump says people broke the pool on purpose. He says someone put bad chemicals in the water. He also says someone cut a big hole in the pool floor. Police arrested five people. One man is a former athlete. He says he did nothing wrong.
川普總統表示有人故意破壞水池。他說有人在水中加入了有害化學物質。他還說有人在水池底部切了一個大洞。警方逮捕了五個人。其中一名男子是前運動員，他聲稱自己沒有做錯任何事。
Some people are angry about the money. The government gave the work to friends of the President. Other groups are also angry. They want to protect the old buildings in Washington, D.C. They are taking the government to court.
有些人對這筆資金感到憤怒。政府將工程交給了總統的朋友。其他團體也感到憤怒，他們希望保護華盛頓特區的古蹟，因此正將政府告上法庭。
Conclusion
The pool is empty now. Workers are fixing it and police are looking for the people who broke it.
水池現在是空的。工人們正在修理，而警方則在尋找破壞水池的人。
Vocabulary Learning
🟢 The 'Action' Pattern
Look at these words from the text:
- fixing (Workers are fixing the pool)
- coming off (Paint is coming off)
- looking for (Police are looking for people)
The Secret: When you see am/is/are + a word ending in -ing, it means the action is happening right now.
Quick Examples:
- I am learning → (Now!)
- The paint is falling → (Now!)
🔵 Who did what? (Past vs. Present)
Notice how the story jumps in time:
- Past (Finished):
- The government spent money.
- Police arrested people.
- Someone cut a hole.
- Present (Ongoing):
- The pool is empty.
- People are angry.
Pattern Tip: If the word ends in -ed (like arrested), it is a finished action. If it uses is/are, it describes the current situation.
🟡 Useful 'People' Words
- Workers → People who do a job.
- Experts → People who know a lot about one thing.
- Athlete → A person who is good at sports.
- Former → Someone who used to be something (e.g., former athlete = he is not an athlete now).