voa英语谚语和典故

voa英语谚语和典故篇一

VOA慢速英语：与Hold有关的词汇表达

Now, Words and Their Stories, a VOA Special English program about American expressions.

I'm Rich Kleinfeldt with expressions made using the word "hold."

"Can't hold a candle to" is a popular expression. It is from the time before electricity, when people used candles for light. Someone who lived in a big house would have a servant light his way by holding a candle. The expression meant that the person who cannot hold a candle to you is not fit even to be your servant. Now, it means such a person cannot compare or compete. In the following song, singer Dolly Parton tells her new love that her old flames, her old lovers, cannot compare with him...

Another expression is "hold your tongue." It means to be still and not talk. "Hold your tongue" is not something you would tell a friend. But a parent or teacher might use the expression to quiet a noisy child.

"Hold out" is an expression one hears often in sports reports and labor news. It means to refuse to play or work. Professional football and baseball players "hold out" if their team refuses to pay them what they think they are worth. Members of labor unions "hold out" and refuse to work until they get the work agreement they want.

The expression "hold up" has several different meanings. One is a robbery. A man with a gun may say, "This is a hold up. Give me your money." Another meaning is to delay. A driver late for work may tell his boss, "I was held up by heavy traffic." Someone who was robbed on the way to work might say, "Sorry, boss, I was held up by a hold up."

Still another meaning of the expression is for a story to be considered true after an

investigation. The same driver late for work could say, "My boss did not believe a hold up held me up. But the police confirmed what I said, so my story held up."

"Hold on" is another expression. Often it means wait or stop. As you leave for school, your brother may say, "Hold on, you forgot your book."

Our final expression is "hold the line." That means to keep a problem or situation from

getting worse -- to hold steady. For example, the president may say he will "hold the line on taxes." He means there will be no increase in taxes.

Now, I must "hold the line" on this program -- I have no more time left today.

This VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories was written by Frank Beardsley.

I'm Rich Kleinfeldt.

这里是美国之音词汇栏目“成语典故”，我是丽诗·克莱因菲尔德，今天来讲讲有关hold的成语。

Can't hold a candle to（比不上，还不如）是个常用表达，来自尚未用电的时代，那时人们点蜡烛来照明。住在大宅子里的人会有仆人手持蜡烛引路，这个表达的意思是，连蜡烛都拿不好的人是不适合做仆人的。今天，这个成语是说某人无法与人比较或竞争。在下面的这首歌里，歌手多莉·帕顿告诉新欢，她的旧爱远比不上他。

另一个表达是hold your tongue，意思是安静别说话。hold your tongue这个词语不适合对朋友说。但父母或老师要求吵闹的孩子安静下来就会这么说。

Hold out是体育报道或劳工新闻中常见的表达，意思是罢工。如果职业足球或棒球球员认为球队给自己的薪水不值得，就会罢工。工会成员如果得不到想要的工作协议，也会罢工，拒绝工作。

hold up有好几种意思，一个是抢劫，持枪男子会说，“抢劫，拿钱来！”另一个意思是拖延，开车上班迟到的人会告诉老板，“路上堵车耽误了。”上班路上被劫的人会说，“我被抢劫了，所以路上耽误了。”

还有一个意思是调查后确认某件事属实，同样开车上班迟到的员工会说，“我老板不相信我因为遭抢劫而耽误，不过警察证实了，所以情况属实。”

Hold on是另一个表达，通常意思是等待或停止。你哥哥会在你要上学的时候说，“等下，你忘了带书本了。”

最后一个表达是hold the line，意思是不让问题或情况恶化，保持稳定。比如，总统会说保持税收稳定，意思是不会增税。

现在，我们的节目就到这里了，已经没有时间了。

这里是美国之音慢速英语词汇典故，作者弗兰克·比尔兹利。我是丽诗·克莱因菲尔德。

voa英语谚语和典故篇二

VOA英语{voa英语谚语和典故}.

VOA 英语：

More people are trying to learn English than any other language in the world. English is the language of _________ negotiation(政治洽谈) and _____________ business. It _______ ________(become) the ____________ language of ___________(科学) and medicine. ______________ treaties say ___________ airplane pilots must speak English. English is the ______ foreign language ________(teach) in most schools in South America and ________(欧洲). School children in the Philippines and Japan begin learning English at an early age. English is the ______ languages(官方语言) of more than seventy-five countries_______(include) Britain, Canada, the United States, _______ and South _____. I countries _______ many different languages are ______(speak), English is often used as an ______ language to help people __________(交流). India is good example. English is the ______ language in this country where ____ _____(至少)twenty –four languages are spoken by more than one ______ people.

voa英语谚语和典故篇三

VOA慢速英语英汉对照

Memorial Day:Arlington Nationgal Cemetery

Memorial Day is a national holiday observed in the United States on the last Monday in May.

It is the day when Americans honor the women and men who have served in the military.The Memorial Day holiday was firet observed in 1868. The holiday was called Decoeation Day. The observance was at what was known as the National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington,D.C. It is now known as Arlington National Cemetery.

More than 4 million people visit the cemetery every year. It is most famous national burial place in the United States. It includes about 250 hectares of rolling hills, and trees that were planted hundreds of years ago. There are more than 8,000 trees of 300 species in the cemetery.

Up and down the hills are lines of simple white headstones marking the graves. About 400 of the markers have gold letters on them. These are the burial places of those who have been awarded the Medal of Honor,the nation’s highest military honor. Among those buried at the cemetery are political leaders, cabinet officers and Supreme Court justices. Astronauts, explorers and athletes are also buried there. So are chaplains, nurses, slaves and even war correspondents. Arilington is the land that once belonged to George Washington Parke Custis ,a step-grandson of George Washington. The cemetery holds the graves of soldiers who died in every war in American history. Some who fought and died in the Revolutionary War in the 1700s were moved there from a nearby cememtery. The first military burial was on May 13,1864 for Private William Christman, who died in the civil war. On May 15,1864, two unknown Union Soldiers were buried at Arlington. They were the first of almost 5,000 unknown who are now buried at the cemetery. On March 4,1921,Congress approved the burial of an unidentified American soldie rfrom World War I.

It is now the site of the famed Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Two American presidents are buried at Arilington National Cemetery. Willam Howard Taft was president in the early 1900s. John F.Kennedy was president in the 1960s. More people have visited his grave than any other in the United States. Other famous people buried at the cemetery include Joe Louis. He was an Army sergeant in world War II. He was a world champion boxer. Robert E.Peary discovered the North Pole. Dr.Anita Newcomb McGee founded the Army Nurse Corps. And the remains of the seven astronauts who died when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded are buried in Section 46. Sixty-five foreigners are also buried at Arilington National Cemetery. Britain has the most ,with

26. South Vietnam has 10,including nine unknown soldiers.{voa英语谚语和典故}.

阵亡将士纪念日：阿灵顿国家公墓

每年5月最后一个星期一为美国阵亡将士纪念日，是美国的法定节假日。这一天美国举国上下纪念战争中阵亡的美国将士。阵亡将士纪念日设于1868年，当时称之为扫墓日。纪念仪式在弗吉尼亚阿灵顿市的国家公墓举行，隔着波托马克河与华盛顿遥遥相望。这也就是如今闻名于世的阿灵顿国家公墓。每年有超过四百万人参观此公墓。这是美国著名的国家公墓。250公顷连绵的山脉，几百年的参天大树巍然挺立。公墓内8000株树木，一共有300多个品种。山脉上下井然有序地竖立着白色墓石。400多个墓碑上用金色字体书写着墓志铭。这里埋葬的是那些被授予荣誉勋章的烈士，那是美国最高的军事荣誉。除此之外，安葬在这里的有军事和政治领袖、内阁官员及最高院法官。宇航员、探险家、运动员也长眠于此。牧师、护士、奴隶甚至战地记者也在这里安眠。

阿灵顿的这片土地曾经属于乔治华盛顿的继孙，乔治华盛顿帕克卡斯蒂斯。美国历史上每次战争牺牲的士兵都被安葬在此。十八世纪在独立战争中牺牲的烈士也从附近的公墓移至阿灵

顿公墓。1864年5月13日这里举行了第一次军事葬礼，悼念在内战中牺牲的二等兵威廉克里斯特曼。1864年5月15日，两名无名联军士兵的遗体被安葬于阿灵顿。他们是那5000名未知身份的士兵中第一批埋葬于此的烈士。1921年3月4日，国会正式批准安葬一战中牺牲的身份未知的美国士兵。这也就是著名的无名战士纪念碑。阿灵顿国家公墓安葬着两位美国总统。20世纪初任职的威廉霍华德塔夫脱，以及二十世纪六十年代任职的约翰肯尼迪。两位总统的墓地也是参观人数最多的墓地。

安眠于此的名人还有乔路易斯。他是二战中的一名陆军中士，也是世界级拳击冠军，发现北极的罗伯特培利，组建陆军护理队的安妮塔纽康麦基医生，他们都安葬于阿灵顿公墓。 死于挑战者号爆炸事故的七名宇航员遗体安葬于46号墓地。阿灵顿国家公墓中还安葬了65名外国人。英国人居多，有26名。越南共和国10名，其中9名身份未知。

Vietnam Slow To Start Up Renewable Energy

Vietnam might seem like a good candinate for renewable energy project. With plenty of sunshine and ocean winds, Vietnam seems like the right place to capture energy from the sun and wind. But there are only three big wind considerable solar investment. That puts Vietnam far behind Indonesia, Thailand and other Asian countries in the development of renewable energy.

Critics say the reason is easy to recognize : price controls. Vietnam keeps a ceiling ,an upper limit ,on electricity prices. On averagy that is about seven cents per kilowatt hour. Investors say they need a feed-in tariff that is at least two times that amount. Feed-in tariffs are policies that give money to renewable energy producters. Renewable energies can be costly to start up and the tariffs would help with the price of production. People working in the power market have suggested other ways to support renewable. These include a reduction in taxes for energy-related training and education. But when talking about electricity in Vietnam , it often comes to the same criticism. “There ’s nothing that can make up for a feed-in tariff that’s in the single digits,” said Daniel Potash, Chief of Party for the Private Finance Advisory Network for Asia Program. The program is part of the United States government’s Agency for international Dvelopment. Mr.Potash spoke earlier this month at the U.S.-Vietnam Clean Energy Conference in Ho Chi Minh City. Most people at the conference pushed for Vietnam to develop alternative energy sources, like solar and wind power. But doing so would mean the atate power company, Electricity Vietnam(EVN),would raise its prices. This could cause political problems. It might invite criticism from Vietnamese consumers who want low prices and do not trust the state-owned EVN. Nguyen Anh Tuan is chief editor of the Vietnam Investment Review. His newspaper organized the conference with the U.S.Commercial Service. He said policymakers are trying to find a balance, so Vietnam can have reasonably priced, yet sustainable energy. Based on talks with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, which owns his newspaper, he said, price increases would have to be made slowly. “If we increase the unit price in different areas, it will cause a negative reaction from society,”said Nguyen Anh Tuan. “So that will affect our policy.” In addition to wind and sunlight, Vietnam is working on rules to support energy produced from other sources. These include waste, biomass(such as rice and corn husks),and water currents.

Officials are considering the possibility of cutting or suspending taxes temporarly for energy peoducers, and permitting duty-free imports of machinery. Another idea is promissing to buy electricity from companies. It is all part of an official “Green Growth Strategy” that combines economic develeopment with low carbon emissions, or less pollution.

Words in This Story

Renewable energy-----n. energy from something that is not used up when used , such as wind or solar power. 可再生能源

Kilowatt hour--------n. a way to measure electrical energy . One kliowatt hour equals power use of 1,000 watts for 1 hour. 千瓦时

Comsumer ------n. a person who gets goods and services; someone who uses something 消费者 Sustainable------adj.can be kept at a set rate 可持续的

越南可再生能源项目进展缓慢

在可再生能源方面，越南可谓是享尽“天时地利”。有如此充足的光照和海风，越南轻而易举就能获得太阳能和风能。但是越南全国只有三所电力发电厂，在太阳能方面没有足够的投资。这使得在可再生能源开发方面，越南远落后于印度尼西亚、泰国以及其他亚洲国家。评论家认为，原因很简单：价格控制。在电价方面，越南设定了一个上限，最高限制。平均每千瓦时七分钱。投资者说，他们需要这个价格的两倍的能源补贴。能源补助政策是给予可再生能源生产方一定补贴数额。可再生能源启动价格昂贵，补助有利于生产价格的控制。电力市场工作的人们提出了几点支持可再生能源的建议。其中包括减少能源相关培训和教育的税收。 但是，谈及越南的电力，有一点一直备受指责。“没有能填补能源补贴的资金，补贴一直都是个位数”丹尼尔波塔什说，他是私人财务顾问网络亚洲项目的财务主任。这个项目归属于美国政府国际开发署。这个月初波塔什在胡志明市美国—越南清洁会议上发表讲话。会上大多数人奋力推动越南发展替代能源，如太阳能和风能。但是这么做的话，意味着国家电力公司——越南电力会提升价格。这会造成严重的政治问题。会引来呼吁低价的越南消费者的非议，从而不再信任国有的越南电力。阮俊英是《越南投资评论》的主编。他的报社组织了一次与美国商业服务的会议。他说政策制定者正在努力找寻一种平衡，既可以合理控制价格，又可以开发可持续能源。基于与越南计划与投资部（报社的所有者）的谈话，他说最终可能会以缓慢的形式实现价格增幅。“如果我们提高不同地区的单价，会引发社会的负面反应，”阮俊英说，“从而最终影响我们的政策。”除了风力和太阳能，越南正致力于开发其他能源。包括废物利用、生物质能（如稻谷和玉米苞叶）和水流。官员正在考虑是否暂时削减或不收能源生产者的税收，允许无关税进口相关机械。另一个想法是从公司买电。这些都是绿色战略发展的一部分，试图将经济发展与低碳排放、减少污染结合起来。

voa英语谚语和典故篇四

VOA短文汇总

A- Community-Helps-Burmese-Refugees-Learn-English

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

About eighteen thousand refugees from Burma have come to the United States each year since two thousand seven. Some have settled in Howard County, Maryland, between Baltimore and Washington. A local school began teaching English to the children of the refugees.

But while the children learned the language, their parents did not. That makes communication with teachers difficult.

Burmese children in class in Howard County, MarylandCurrently almost fifty Burmese youngsters attend Bollman Bridge Elementary School. Laurel Conran is a teacher there.{voa英语谚语和典故}.

LAUREL CONRAN: "The main idea is the global idea."

She teaches English to speakers of other languages.

LAUREL CONRAN: "Today we were doing text structures. I wanted them to know the vocabulary, the language of text structures, so when they go back into the classroom and work with their peers, they can do this successfully in the classroom."

One of her students is Tha Neih Ciang. Another student is Tha Neih's mother, Tin Iang. Ms. Conran practices English with Tin Iang at the mother's workplace. Many Burmese refugees work at Coastal Sunbelt Produce, a supplier of fruits and vegetables to restaurants and other businesses.

Laurel Conran started classes at the company to help refugees from the country also known as Myanmar learn English.

LAUREL CONRAN: "The program is a six-week session. It's once a week, on every Wednesday, from twelve to one o'clock. So every Wednesday I go to Coastal Sunbelt."

As the Burmese workers eat lunch, they also practice their new language skills. They sit in small groups with an English-speaking volunteer.

Lisa Chertok has a child at Bollman Bridge. She is also a manager at Coastal Sunbelt. She helped Ms. Conran develop the lessons, which she says have really helped.

LISA CHERTOK: "Well, when the Burmese employees got here, they were very, very shy. Now I find that they are more responsive as employees. They're more communicative. They're also, as parents, they are more involved in their children's school."

Jonathan Davis is the principal of Bollman Bridge Elementary School.

JONATHAN DAVIS: "I really see it as the beginning of a great partnership between a business and a school, and we've just begun to scratch the surface with how that could benefit, really, the greater community."

Mr. Davis hopes the lessons will help Burmese parents feel better about communicating with the school.

JONATHAN DAVIS: "Even as simply as making a phone call to say that their son or daughter is sick, even if that's the amount of English that they have gotten from the program, that truly will help us."

SPEAKER: "Please welcome Laurel Conran and Lisa Chertok."

For their work, the two women received a Community Builders Award from Howard County.

LAUREL CONRAN: "I love this program. As a community we want to work together, collaboratively, because when everybody works together it is a win-win situation."

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report. You can read, listen and learn English and much more with our programs and activities at tingvoa.com. You can watch a video about the Howard County program on our website. And you can find captioned videos at the VOA Learning English channel on YouTube. I'm Steve Ember.

Contributing: June Soh

Death-in-the-Family-May-Cause-Real-Heart-Break

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm SHIRLEY Griffith.

MARIO RITTER: And I'm Mario Ritter. Today, we tell about an American study of heart attack survivors. We tell about a scientist recognized for his work in plate tectonics. And we tell how modern-day musicians rated some of the most famous instruments ever made.

(MUSIC)

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Learning about the death of a loved one can be among life's most stressful events. A recent study showed that the risk of heart attack increases in the days and hours after getting news of such a death. Researchers studied nearly two thousand heart attack survivors. The subjects were asked whether someone close to them had died in the six months before their heart attack.

Elizabeth Mostofsky is with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

ELIZABETH MOSTOFSKY: "We found that the risk of having a heart attack was twenty-one times higher in the day following the loss of a loved one, compared to other times. And that risk remained elevated in the subsequent days and weeks."

MARIO RITTER: Elizabeth Mostofsky says earlier research explored the risk of dying from any cause over a year or more after the death of a husband, wife or child. The earlier research did not include the death of other close family members or friends.

Ms. Mostofsky and her team studied information from the days immediately after receiving the news. She says several things could explain why the intense feelings after the death of a loved one could lead to a heart attack.

ELIZABETH MOSTOFSKY: "Grief causes feeling of depression, anger, and anxiety, and several studies have shown that these emotions can cause increased heart rate, higher blood pressure, and blood clotting. And those in turn, can increase the chances of having a heart attack.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Ms. Mostofsky says the family and friends of those mourning for a loved one should know about the increased risk of heart attack.{voa英语谚语和典故}.

ELIZABETH MOSTOFSKY: "People should be making sure that the bereaved person is taking care of himself or herself, including taking regular medications, because they are at that heightened level of vulnerability at this time in their life."

Her research paper was published in "Circulation," the journal of the American Heart Association.{voa英语谚语和典故}.

(MUSIC)

MARIO RITTER: A few weeks ago, we talked about the science of plate tectonics. Plate tectonics explains why the Earth's surface moves. It also tells how?those changes cause earthquakes and volcanic activity.?Today, we tell about a scientist who helped

prove the theory of continental drift. Walter C. Pitman, the third, is an adjunct professor of geophysics at Columbia University. Now in his eighties, he works at Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: When Walter Pitman was a teenager, he enjoyed visiting his father's workplace at Bell Labs research center. He remembers asking the researchers about their work.

WALTER PITMAN: "I worked there in the summertime sweeping floors but I was in amongst all these people. It was wonderful."

Walter PitmanWalter Pitman studied electrical engineering and physics in college. He then went to work for an electronics company. He was not excited about the work, until one project – doing research on submarines – fueled a love for oceanography.

Mister Pitman returned to school. For his doctoral studies, he went back to sea on a research vessel. He hoped to gather evidence that all the continents had once been joined. He thought they had been moving apart on large plates for hundreds of millions of years.

MARIO RITTER: Walter Pitman helped prove the idea that Earth's continents move. He did this by recording and studying magnetic patterns at the bottom of the ocean.

WALTER PITMAN: "It was electrifying. I didn't imagine ever being involved in anything so astonishing and so very, very important to the geologic sciences at such a young age in my career. I was very fortunate to be there when it all happened."

The science of plate tectonics explains how the continents move around the oceans. It also explains how continents can strike each other and break apart, creating earthquakes and mountain chains.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Later, Mr. Pitman turned his attention to the surface of the ocean, and sea level changes. He and William Ryan, another Columbia University geophysicist, proposed what is known as the Black Sea Deluge Theory. They suggested that the Black Sea was once a landlocked freshwater lake. Then about seven thousand five hundred years ago, melting ice from glaciers raised water levels in the Mediterranean Sea.

WALTER PITMAN: "You're talking about a huge mass of water coming in to fill a very small basin. And that water as it would come through the Bosporus is going to cut the Bosporus deeper. The deeper it cuts, the faster it flows. The faster it flows, the faster it cuts. There is a feedback mechanism. So soon you start with a trickle and within a very short period of time, it's a roaring, raging flume of water and we're very sure that's what it (the Biblical flood) was, you know."

MARIO RITTER: Mr. Pitman and other researchers are currently studying the climate of the Arctic Ocean. And they are exploring its effects on water cycles over the past two million years. Their research could help scientists predict the effects of climate change, which is causing sea levels to rise.

WALTER PITMAN: "I've had an incredible, incredibly good time at this kind of endeavor. There are bad spots, of course there are bad spots. But the science is always fascinating. You might, you know, stop reading for the day or something like that and say, ‘Wow, that was so great. I learned something about how the Earth works.' That is really pure pleasure."

(MUSIC)

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: This is the sound of the greatest violin ever made. (violin music #1 in full then fade gently out completely)

Or maybe it is this one. (violin music #2 in full then fade)

It could be a Stradivarius, or an Amati, or a Guarneri made hundreds of years ago. But it might also have been made just last year by someone whose name is not nearly so famous. And that leads us to ask the following. Can you tell, just by listening, which is the best violin? If so, what makes it great?

MARIO RITTER: It all began over three hundred years ago in the town of Cremona in northern Italy. If you wanted to buy a really good musical instrument, you probably visited Antonio Stradivari, Girolamo Amati, or Andrea Guarneri. Many people said they made the best violins that money could buy. Today, many still think of those violins as the greatest of all time. Those that still exist can sell for millions of dollars.

Itzhak Perlman playing a Stradivarius violin from the year 1714For years, scientists and musicians have sought to discover the secrets of the master violin makers. They know that most of the time, spruce, willow or maple wood was used. Some people have thought that chemicals like borax were added to the wooden parts. Others have said that honey, or even the white of an egg was painted on the parts before they were put together.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Still other researchers say that a special kind of glue was used to connect the parts. Some think the secret is in the varnish, the nearly clear liquid that was used as a final cover to protect the wood. Or maybe the wood was special because it grew at a time when the weather was colder than it is today. In the end, no one knows for sure.

And some people say we should not spend a lot of time thinking about the materials and processes used long ago. They instead think that some modern violins sound just as good and cost a lot less. Claudia Fritz at the University of Paris is one of those people. She led a study that was published in "The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

At a musical competition in Indiana, she asked twenty-one really good violin players to test six different instruments. She did not tell them that only three of the violins were very old and costly. Together, the three were worth about ten million dollars. The other three were made by modern luthiers, or instrument makers, and cost a hundred times less.

MARIO RITTER: Ms. Fritz asked each of the players to wear welders' goggles, thick, dark eyeglasses, so they could not see the instruments very well while holding them. She thought that some people might be able to identify an old violin by its smell. So she put a little sweet-smelling perfume on the part of the instrument that fits under a player's chin.

The test began in a hotel room. All the subjects in the experiment were permitted to play all six violins, and then say which one they would like to own. Then each player was given only two violins to test. One was very old. The other was modern. They were asked which of the two sounded better. The results of the test led Ms. Fritz to believe that there is no secret to how the old, great violins were made.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Of the twenty-one players, only eight chose an old violin as the

best. Even a recently made violin was judged to be much better sounding than the world famous Stradivarius. Ms. Fritz says the difference between the old and new instruments is only in the mind of the player. Modern luthiers were happy that she found what they believed.

But some professional musicians think the test had little value. One noted that violins are meant to be heard in a concert hall, not a hotel room.

MARIO RITTER: Researchers have performed tests like this many times in the past. But Ms. Fritz says those tests asked average listeners to try to predict which violin was made by a master. Her test was given to concert violinists who play at the highest level. They are the ones you would expect to have the best "ear" for great sound.

There is an old saying that, "beauty lies in the eye of the beholder." If that is true, then perhaps your opinion of how an instrument sounds to your ear is really what matters.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Brianna Blake and Jim Tedder. June Simms was our producer. I'm SHIRLEY Griffith.

MARIO RITTER: And I'm Mario Ritter. Listen again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America.

A- Goal-for-2012-Learning-English

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道。

Did you make a New Year's resolution? Some of you shared your goals at the VOA Learning English page on Facebook. And, no surprise, many of you said at least one of your goals for twenty-twelve is to speak English better. Daniel Kwon even went so far as to declare: I'm definitely going to try to study English at least an hour a day.

你下新年决心了吗？一些听众在美国之音Facebook页面上分享了自己的目标。而且毫无疑问，很多听众都表示，至少2012年的目标之一是把英语说得更好。 Daniel Kwon甚至宣布：我一定要试着每天至少学一小时的英语。

Jose Antonio Velarde says: My first resolution is to speak English as fluently as my Spanish. And Tuti Riel says: My New Year's resolution is to be able to speak English and Mandarin fluently, and be a better person.

Jose Antonio Velarde说：我的第一个决心是把英语讲得像我的西班牙语一样流利。而Tuti Riel则说：我的新年决心是能讲一口流利的英语和普通话，成为一个更优秀的人。

Juwita Zulmi says she wants to improve her English and get a scholarship to study overseas. Another goal for twenty-twelve: a new boyfriend.

Juwita Zulmi表示她想要提高自己的英语水平，并获得一份奖学金去国外留学。另一个2012年的目标是认识一个新男友。

Derly Johanna Barreto has these two resolutions: to speak English fluently and to get a job. Jiseon Kim also has two goals: to lose weight and improve speaking English. And Katie Chekalina has these resolutions: Don't eat meat. I'll take it easy. Then, to learn Spanish or Italian, and find my real love. The last ones will be the most difficult, she thinks.

Derly Johanna Barreto有这么两个决心：讲好英语，找到一份好工作。Jiseon Kim也有两个目标：减肥和提高英语口语。而Katie Chekalina有三个决心：不吃肉，这事我会放轻松的。然后，学英语或意大利语，并且找到我的真爱。她认为最后一点将是最困难

voa英语谚语和典故篇五

BBC 与VOA 中的英语词语差别

BBC 与VOA 中的英语词语差别

中文 英式 美式

1. 我想要一个… May I have a… Can I get a…

2. 最佳选择 the best option least worst option

3. 两倍,三倍 double, triple two-time, three time

4. 整天, 每天 all day, every day 24 / 7

5. 下飞机 disembark deplane

6. 等待 wait for wait on

7. 腰包

8. 联系

9. 交通工具

10. 过20岁生日

11. 购物手推车

12. get的过去分词

13. 我很好。

14. 外卖

15. 荒谬

16. 半小时

17. 提醒

18. 火车站

19. 我错了。

20. 正常状态

21. 盗窃

22. 经常

23. 饭店

24. 两周

25. 候选人，替代人

26. 提高价格

27. 今后

28. 150万

29. 询问

30. 你来算。

31. 中杯咖啡

32. 苏格兰-爱尔兰后裔

33. 这会让你得到教训的。

34. 它在哪儿？

35. 最大赢家

36. 问题

37. 赢得奖牌

38. 我免费拿到的。

39. 现在

40. 我最关心。 bum bag / hip pack meet / talk to transport celebrate the 20th birthday shopping trolley got I’m well. takeaway ridiculousness half an hour give notice / inform railway station I’m sorry for my mistake. normality burgle often restaurant fortnightly alternative increase a price in future one and a half million ask You do the maths. a medium sized coffee Scot-Irish That’ll teach you. Where is it? the best / most successful problem to win a medal I got it free. now I couldn’t care less. fanny pack touch base transportation turn 20 shopping cart gotten I’m good. take-out ridiculously a half hour heads up train station My bad. normalcy burglarize oftentimes eatery biweekly alternate hike a price going forward a million and a half reach out to You do the math. a regular coffee Scotch-Irish That’ll learn you. Where’s it at? the winningest issue to medal I got it for free. already I could care less.

voa英语谚语和典故篇六

VOA的美国习惯用语

VOA的美国习惯用语

「美国习惯用语」第五讲 英语里有好些习惯用语都和“水”关系。有hot water；还有：cold water or deep water。这些词汇组成的习惯用语就和水一样普遍。但是，它们都有一个共同的特点，那就是它们一般都含有贬意。今天我们要向大家介绍两个用water 这个字组成的习惯用语。第一个是： in hot water ，In hot water的意思并不是“在热水中”，它的确切意思是指某人或某人遇到非常麻烦的问题了。举个例子： "Joe is really in hot water now -- his girl friend just found out he's seeing another woman."意思是：“乔伊在可是难办了，因为他的女朋友最近发现他另外还有一个女朋友。”再举一个例"That movie actor tried to cheat on his income tax, but he got caught and now he's in hot water with the government." 这是说：“那个电影演员想在缴所得税的时候弄虚作假，可是给税务局发现了。现在，他可麻烦了。”另一个和water有关的习惯用语是： to throw cold water on something ，To throw cold water on something和中文里说的“泼冷水”意思完全一样。下面的例子一个人在说他办公室里发生的事： "Everybody else in the office thought my idea was great, but the boss threw cold water on it." 他说：“办公室里所有的人都认为我的主意很好，就是我们的老板给我泼冷水。”一个儿子在说他的爸爸： "I've been planning to go to medical school but my dad threw cold water on this idea the other day when he told me he wasn't sure he had the money to pay my tuition for so long." 他说：“我一直想上医学院。可是，那天我爸爸给我泼冷水，说他不一定有能力替我付那第六讲 To hold water 按字面解释当然可以说是“不让水漏出来”。但是，它的另外一个意思是指某一个人找的借口、提出的理由、或说的话是确实的，站得住脚的。美国人经常说："That excuse simply doesn't hold water."意思是：那个借口根本站不住脚。我们来举个例子： "The accused man claimed that he'd been in another city the night of the murder. But his story didn't hold water after three differnet witnesses testified in court that they had seen him running from the scene of the crime."意思是：“这个被控告的人说，发生谋杀案的那天晚上他出门去了，不在当地。但是，有三个不同的证人都出庭作证说，他们看见他从作案的地点逃跑。因此，他说出事那天他不在当地的说法根本是靠不住的。”另外一个和water这个字有关的习惯用语是 water off a duck's back。 鸭子身上的毛就像雨衣一样，水在上面呆不住，一下全滑掉了。因此，water off a duck's back 是指毫无作用。就像下面这句句子所说的：："I keep telling my friend it's foolish to gamble all his pay, but it's like water off a duck's back." 这是说：“我一直告诉我的朋友，不要那么傻，把所有的工资都用在赌博上。可是，我的话对他全然不起作用。” 另外：The doctors tell us it`s dangerous to smoke, but such good advice rolls off some people like water off a duck's back." 这是说：“医生都告诉我们抽烟对身体是有害的。可是，这种劝告对于有些人来说就像耳边风一样，毫无作用。” 水对人的身体来说是非常重要的。可是,在英语里，这些和water有关的成语都含贬意好像有点奇怪。不过，至少有一个和water有关的习惯用语是让人高兴的。那就是：to make my mouth water 顾名思义，这个说法的意思是“让我流口水”。 "The roast duck that restaurant serves is my favorate dish. Every time I think about it, it makes my mouth water." 这个人说：“我最喜欢吃那个饭馆的烤鸭。每当我想起它我就会流口水。” 第七讲 对于学英语的人来说,英语的基本词汇和语法也许并不是最困难的。难的是许多英语字和词汇有好几种不同的意思。就拿blow这个字来说吧，它初看起来似乎很简单，不就是“吹气”的意思吗？是的，但是这个字还有其他好些意思呐。它可以指用拳头打某一样东西，可以指爆炸，突然发生的灾难，吹喇叭或其他乐器等等。在美国大学生经常用的一本字典里，

blow这个字作为动词和名词加在一起总共有二十九种解释。我们今天来看一看两个和blow这个字有关的常用词汇。第一个是blow up。Blow up这个词根据不同上下文可以作四种解释。最普通的意思是：用炸药炸毁什么东西。"The retreating German army tried to blow up all the bridges across the Rhine river to stop the Allied troops from crossing into Germany." 这句话的意思是：“正在撤退的德国军队设法炸毁莱茵河上所有的桥梁来阻挡联军越过莱茵河进入德国。” 另外blow up也可以指一个人发脾气或发火。我们来举一个例子： "I really blew up when I learned my girl friend was going out with another man." 这是说：“当我知道我的女朋友还跟另外一个男朋友出去玩的时候，我可真火了。”Blow up有的时候还可以解释成给气球吹气，给排球和汽车轮胎打气。比如一个人说： 3："I have to stop at the gas station to blow up my front tires." 他说：“我得到加油站去给汽车的前轮打气。” 最后，放大照片也可以用blow up这个词。你可以到印照片的店里对售货员说： 4："I 'd like 8 by 10 blow ups of these negatives, please." 这是说：“请你把这些底片放大成8X10那么大的照片。”今天要讲的第二个和blow这个字有关的词汇是blow out。 Blow out和blow up 一样至少也有四个不同的意思。汽车轮胎炸了可以用blow out这个词。比如有一个人说： -5："My car smashed into a tree when I had a blow-out." 他说：“当我的轮胎炸了的时候，我的车就撞到一棵树上去了。 Blow-out还可以解释为把火灭掉。比如，一个母亲对孩子说： -6："You'd better blow out that candle before it sets fire to the tablecloth." 这位母亲说：“你最好还是把那蜡烛灭了吧，否则台布都要烧着了。” 在另外一种情况下，blow-out可以指电灯的保险丝断了： -7："All the lights went off in the building and the elevators stopped when the master fuse blew out." 他说：“大楼的总保险丝一断，楼里所有的灯都灭了，电梯也停了。” Blow out也可以指那种规模很大，排场很讲究的聚会。下面这句话就是一个很好的例子： 8："When the Lees celebrated their 25th anniversary, they invited all their friends to a big blow-out at the best hotel in town." 他说：“当李家夫妇庆祝他们结婚二十五周年的时候，他们在当地最高级的旅馆里举行了一个规模盛大的聚会,把所有的朋友都请去了第八讲 在这次节目里,我们要介绍另外两个和鼻子有关的习惯用语。第一个是 to be led by the nose。To be led by the nose是一种很不愉快的经历。它的意思就是一个人全部在别人的控制之下，就像一头牲口被人用绳子牵着鼻子走一样。那末to be led by the nose在一般情况下的用法是怎么样的呢？ "Ed's wife is a strong-minded woman and leads him around by the nose."这句话的意思是：“埃德的太太是一个个性很强的人，埃德简直就是被她牵着鼻子走。”下面我们再来举一个例子。这是一个爸爸在给他的儿子提供一些忠告： "Remember, Son, don`t let other people lead you around by the nose. You'll get along a lot better in life if you use your own judgment and do what you yourself think is the right thing." 这位爸爸说：“儿子，你可千万要记住不要让别人牵着你的鼻子走。要是你能用你自己的判断力，做你认为是对的事，那你的日子会过得好得多。”下面我们要讲的一个词汇是 under your nose。举个例子来说吧：有一个人突然发现自己的眼镜找不着了，他到处找，楼上、楼下，找遍了家里每个角落还是找不到。最后，他的太太给他找到了。那眼镜就在他坐着看书的椅子旁边。他太太就会说：："See, they were right under you nose all the time."她说：“瞧，你的眼镜一直在你的鼻子底下。” Under your nose的意思也就是一样东西离你很近，但是，你就是没有看到。我们再举个例子来说明under your nose的用法：："Did you read in the paper how bold that robber was at the art museum . he cut three paintings from their frameds and walked out with them right under the nose of the guards." 这个人说：“你有没有在报上看到关于那个去博物馆偷东西的贼有多么大胆的消息吗？他把三幅画从镜框里割了下来，然后就竟然在警卫的鼻

子底下带出了博物馆。” 好，第九讲,许多美国成语或者习惯用语都是以各种衣服的名称来组成的,比如,“衬衫”--shirts；“裤子”--pants；“领”--collars。在今天的「美国习惯用语」时间里,我们要向大家介绍两个由socks，也就是“袜子”这个字组成的习惯用语。1987年在美国开始竞选总统的前夕，民主党候选人哈特说，民主党的党员们应该：："Pull their socks up and get back in the game." 把袜子拉起来，这是什么意思？他的意思是民主党的党员应该振作起精神，投入竞选总统的运动中去。另外再举一个例子。比如说有一个篮球队正在参加比赛。比赛已经进入下半场，可是他们一直在失分，队员们也都一个个情绪低落，疲乏不堪，脚上的袜子也已经从膝盖滑到了脚跟。这时候，他们的教练就要求暂停，把队员们叫在一起，然后对他们说： "Pull your socks up." 也就是说，你们要振作起来，回到场地去加油干下面的一个例子是一个大公司的推销部经理在对手下的推销员讲话： ："I have bad news: our sales were off 18 % for the last quarter. So I'm telling you guys -- you have to pull your socks up and get out and sell more stuff, or you'll be looking for new jobs this summer.” 他说：“我有个不好的消息：我们上一季度的销售量下降了18%。所以我告诉你们，你们赶快振作起来到外面去加紧推销。否则，你们今年夏天就要另外找工作了。另外一个由socks组成的习惯用语是： knock your socks off的意思和pull your socks up完全不同。它的意思是：使人感到非常震惊。下面这个例子是一个老板在对他的推销员说话："Wait until you hear my new marketing plan -- it'll knock you socks off!" 他说：“等你们听到我的推销计划时，你们都会大吃一惊的。”也就是说，他的推销计划简直好极了，那些推销员听了会十分惊讶的。下面是一个大学生在对他的同学说关于他见到的一个女孩： "Have you seen Jack's sister, who's visiting here from California? She'll knock your socks off: she's the most gorgeous-looking woman I've seen for a long time." 他说：“你见到了杰克那个从加州来的妹妹吗？我好久没有见到过这样漂亮的女孩了，她简直是美得惊人。，第十讲 玩扑克牌是美国人的一种传统性消遣。最普遍的一种扑克牌游戏就叫poker。中文里的「扑克牌」也许就是从poker这个游戏的名字得来的。玩poker这种游戏需要有技巧，还要碰运气，另外你还得有点冒险精神。由于poker在美国人当中十分流行，因此有许多牌桌上的说法也就逐渐地成了人们日常的用语了。今天我们要介绍两个和poker这个游戏有关的词汇。。。。第一个是 poker face。Poker face的意思就是脸上毫无表情，不露声色。这对于玩牌的人来说是很重要的，因为每个人都想猜测谁手里的牌好，谁手里的牌次。可是，要是你摆出一付poker face的话，谁也猜不出究竟你手里的牌怎么样。我们来举一个例子，看看poker face在日常生活中的用法。例如，你的同事对你说： "I never know whether my boss likes my work or not -- he is a real poker face!" 他说：“我从来也不知道我的老板到底喜不喜欢我的工作。他脸上可真是一点表情都没有。还有的人去看牙大夫的时候心里非常紧张，可是脸上却装得若无其事。下面这个人说的也是同样的情况： ："I tried to keep a poker face even though I was scared to death when I went back to my doctor to hear the results of my lab tests. But I admit I gave him the biggest smile of my life when he told me the tests were negative and there was nothing wrong with me.” 他说：“当我去医生那里去看试验结果的时候，我害怕得要死。可是我尽量装得若无其事。不过，当大夫告诉我化验结果是阴性、我没有问题的时候，我对他笑了，我大概一辈子也没有笑得那么高兴的。玩牌的时候脸上不露表情的人往往都很谨慎，把牌放在靠胸口的地方，免得给别人偷看。这在英文里就是 close to the vest。Close to the vest用在一般情况下就是指一个人非常小心不让别人知道他在干什么。我们先来听听一位记者的讲话： "Two other governors have already announced that they will run for president in the next election but the governor of our state is still keeping his plans close to his vest -- nobody is sure what he will do."

这是说：“另外又有两位州长宣布他们决定参加下一届的总统竞选。可是我们的州长还是对他的计划保密，谁也不知道他究竟参不参加。”一个大公司的总裁在告诉一位同事一个机密的消息，但是要他不要说出去： "John, keep this close to your vest but I want to tell you our company is going to merge with a big New York Corporation -- they'll announce it sometime next week." 他说：“约翰，我要告诉你，我们的公司要和纽约的一家大公司合并了，他们下星期内就要宣布。不过你知道就行了，不要往外说。”二十五笑是人类表达喜怒哀乐各种不同感情的一个不可缺少的形式。笑这个字，也就是英文里的laugh经常出现在美国的成语或俗语里。人们经常会做一些事，纯属为了高兴。这在英文里就是：Just for laughs。Just for laughs这个俗语在不同情况下，它的意思也就不同。首先，它可以解释为：做某件事纯属为了高兴，就像我们上面讲的那样。我们来举个例子吧。 "Come on and get your jacket -- let's go out and have a couple of beers just for laughs." 这个人说：“来吧，穿上你的外套，我们到外面去喝两杯啤酒高兴高兴。” 可是，Just for laughs有时也可以指做愚蠢的事，或有害的事。下面的情形就是一个例子： "Just for laughs they tossed Mary in the swimming pool with all her clothes on. Then they found out she didn't know how to swim."这个人说：“就是为了开玩笑，他们把玛丽连衣服带鞋的整个扔进了游泳池，结果他们发现，玛丽根本不会游泳。”开这种恶作剧的玩笑实在是不应该。我们再来举一个高兴一点的例子吧： "I really enjoyed that movie last night. It won't win any prizes, but it has two funny guys in it that are worth watching just for laughs." 这个人说：“我很喜欢昨晚看的那个电影。这个电影不见得会得什么奖，但是那两个滑稽的角色值得一看，非常好玩。下面要讲的一个和laugh这个字有关的习惯用语不一定会使当事人高兴。To laugh up one's sleeve。Sleeve就是衣服袖子。To laugh up one's sleeve从字面上来看是在袖子里笑，实际上也就是偷偷地笑。To laugh up one's sleeve的真正意思就是偷偷地笑话某人，因为这个人有些可笑的地方，而他本人还没有发现。例如： "We were all laughing up our sleeves at the teacher when he was up at the blackboard explaining the math problem. He had a rip in the back of his pants and didn't know it." 这句话翻成中文就是：“当老师在黑板前讲解数学题的时候，我们都偷偷地笑，因为他裤子后面有个裂缝，他自己还不知道。 其实，这种情况是经常发生的。下面又是一个例子： "We were all laughing up our sleeves at our brother when he sat down at the dinner table. He'd seen his girl off at the airport and had lipstick on his face and didn't know it." 这个人说：“当我们的哥哥坐下吃晚饭的时候，我们都在偷偷地笑他，因为他刚去机场送他的女朋友，脸上留下了口红，他还不知道。第一个是：Just for laughs，这是纯属为了取乐的意思。第二个是：To laugh up one's sleeve，这是指暗暗发笑的意思。第二十五讲就到里。一二十六笑是最好的药品。不管这句话对不对，美国大众读物「读者文摘」的一个笑话拦就是用这句话来做标题的。但是，笑并不一定总是显示高兴或快乐。笑这个字，也就是英文里的laugh，在一般情况下都含有褒意，可有的时候却包含一种贬意，类似耻笑、讥笑、冷笑等，这些当然不会是好的药品。今天我们要讲两个由laugh这个字组成的习惯用语，一个是 a horse laugh，另一个是 the last laugh。从这两个词汇中，我们就可以看到laugh这个字在英文里和中文一样具有正反两面的含义。现在，我们先来讲 a horse laugh。Horse就是一头马。A horse laugh在英文里并不是指马在笑。作为一个俗语，a horse laugh是一种表示不信任的嘲笑。下面这个例子是说一些人对某个竞选议员的候选人表示不信任： "When this guy running for Congres told us how much money he'd save us taxpayers, we all gave him the horse laugh. We knew when he was in the state legislature he always voted for higher taxes." 这句话翻成中文就是说：“当这个竞选国会议员席位的人对我们说，他会为我们这些缴税的人省多少钱的时候，我们大家都哄堂大笑。我们知道，

在他担任州议员的期间，他老是投票赞成提高税收的。我们再来举个例子，看看 a horse laugh 在句子里是怎么用的： Harry thinks he's God's gift to women: that none of them can resist his charm. So we all gave him the horse laugh when he asked the new girl in class to go to a movie and she told him to get lost."这句话是说：“哈里总是以为自己具有莫大的魅力，女人们都被他倾倒，他就像上帝恩赐给女人的礼物一样。所以，当他请班里新来的那个女孩去看电影，而被那女孩毫不客气地拒绝了以后，我们都禁不住地嘲笑他。 下面我们要讲的一个和 laugh 这个字有关的俗语是 the last laugh。The last laugh的意思就是，在某人开始做一件事情的时候，许多人都说他不会成功。但是最后他还是成功了。这时候，他的心里很高兴，也许还很得意，这就是the last laugh。发明飞行的赖特兄弟两人就是一个例子。当他们在1903年十二月宣布他们将实现人类飞行的梦想的时候，有的报纸写文章讥笑他们。可正是那一天，他们开创了人类进入飞行的新时代。The last laugh可以说是最令人满意的笑了。我们来举个例子吧： I used to laugh at my roommate in