关于龙舟赛的SAT作文范文

　　The clear Colorado River flows straight through the center of Austin, splitting the city into northern and southern halves. Tall buildings rise from the sides of the river;trees green, sprout and sway; a dirt track several kilometers long edges around the bank. Under the blue sky and under the large trees, people jog unhurriedly, walk themselves and their dogs, bike nonstop. Small flocks of wild ducks float across the river; the wide, smooth surface of the water is broken by an occasional fish or turtle. It's also a great place for humans to boat.

　　In May of every year, the Austin Asian-American Cultural Center stages a Dragon Boat Festival. Seven or eight teams come from all over Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. Last year there was a record of ten teams, to the joy of the organizers.

　　The Great Wall Chinese School of Austin rents a boat every year, creating a team of students and their parents. Dad and I attended two of such events, and the latter time our team placed an honorable second.

　　A few weeks before the actual competition, the participants would gather in the weekends to drill. The families of students would come to cheer them on. Everyone helps to carry the large boat from a garage near the river; moms and other volunteers help take oars and life vests. The Asian-American Cultural Center would ask one or two trainers to teach us. They'd align the boat with the dock and wave for us to put on vests, grab oars, and carefully board our boat, which could hold up to sixteen people. The seating arrangement is particular: lighter persons would sit ahead in front of the heavier; furthermore the left and right sides had to be balanced. One of my classmates took the drum at the head of the boat because she was thin, while a strong, middle-aged man took up steering in the rear by himself. He wasn't very good though; the boat never seemed to go in the right direction. Rather than letting an instructor help, the man kept spinning us in circles in the middle of the river.

　　The basic training given to us by the trainer was to first dig our feet strongly into the boat bottom, then, with a hand at the top and one on the middle, to push the water back with our paddle. The stroke must be swift; lagging would mess up the rowers in front and behind. After a few examples, we rowed to the beat of the drummer. Intensely focused, our team loudly yelled “One, two! One, two!” , everyone dripping with sweat. At home, I asked Dad to massage me, because the work that day had made my body sore.

　　The time for competition finally came. Early on, we had all put on a white shirt with a printed dragon and the Chinese school's name on it. There were multitudes of people by the banks; some little kiosks had been set up to sell fried rice, dumplings, and other Chinese foodstuffs. A few event directors joined the fun, showing their tai chi chuan and tai chi fan on the grassy banks to many onlookers.

　　About 10: 00 a. m. , the directors announced from the makeshift stage the rules of the race. Representatives from each team drew lots to figure out the competing order. It was an eliminations contest that would result in one victor. Meanwhile a senator greeted the audience and made a speech, hoping to pick up a vote or two. As with Chinese tradition, the senator then took a brush and dotted dragons' eyes, the final touch, to the cheers of onlookers. The race could finally start now.

　　Three boats aligned on the water surface. A referee blew a whistle, and like arrows the ships surged forward. Cheers of support and encouragement rang from the watchers; some people ran along the bank with the boats; five hundred meters of the water “race track” were surpassed by the sleek ships.

　　Every year the UT students get first place. They're at the prime of their lives,strong and robust; in addition, the walk from their school （in the middle of Austin） to the lake river isn't very far, so they have many more practice opportunities than us. But our father-son army still proudly ranks highly in these competitions.

　　The dragon boat races increased our cooperation skills, helping me work with others better. This was the largest benefit from the competition; in addition I feel that it helped more Americans understand the Chinese culture better.