"Hurry up, Kyle, " Dad called. "We need to leave for the swim-team tryouts!"

Kyle sat sadly on his bed. He liked swimming, but he was afraid he wouldn't be fast enough to impress the coach. And he didn't want to embarrass himself.

"I changed my mind, " he shouted back. "I've decided not to go. "

Now Kyle heard his father's footsteps on the staircase （楼梯）. Dad walked into Kyle's room. "Why not?" he asked. "I thought you enjoyed swimming. "

"I do, but. . . "

". . . but you're afraid you won't make the team, right?"

Kyle looked up. How had Dad guessed?

"Listen, " Dad said. "You're probably afraid, but why not at least have the coach time （计时） you? There's nothing to lose by trying, even if you don't make the team. And who knows? You might even surprise yourself. "

Kyle considered that for a short time. "Okay, I guess I'll go, " he finally said.

Half an hour later, Kyle was anxiously waiting with everyone else who wanted to try out. He hated the idea of disappointing his father, so when the coach called his name, he forced himself to the edge （边缘） of the swimming pool. The coach blew his whistle （哨子） and Kyle jumped in, swimming through the water as quickly as he could. When he reached the other side of the pool, he held his head up and took the steel part at the pool's edge, shaking his wet hair out of his eyes. He climbed out of the water and returned to where the coach was standing.

"How did I do?" he asked in a low voice.

The coach looked at his stopwatch and then smiled at Kyle. "You had a wonderful time! In fact, you got one of the fastest times I've seen today. You'll do a fantastic job on the swim team. "