VOA慢速英语2020 装死保命的负鼠（在线收听）

Now, it's time for Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.

On this program, we talk about words and expressions in American English. And today we will talk about "defense mechanisms". These are different ways the body reacts to changing conditions to keep it safe.

To learn more about defense mechanisms, let's turn to the experts – animals! Many of them are experts at avoiding danger to stay alive. When animals are frightened or feel threatened, they take steps to protect themselves.

A monkey runs for the trees. Birds take flight. A turtle sticks its head back into its shell. An armadillo rolls up into a ball. And a skunk releases an unpleasant chemical.

The ostrich, not known for its brainpower, buries its head in the sand as if nothing else can see the rest of its huge body. In American English, we also hide our heads in the sand to avoid something unpleasant.

But another animal, the opossum, does something even more unusual. It stops moving and pretends to be dead.

An opossum is a somewhat small animal with a long pointed snout. Most have a white face and grayish body.

Opossums were one of the first wild animals encountered by white settlers in the English colony of Virginia. The name "opossum" entered the English language in the early 17th century. It means "white dog" in the Native American Powhatan, or Algonquian, language. Many people drop the first "o" in the name, and use the term "possum" instead.

A possum plays dead to trick other animals or the person hunting it. The possum hopes that its hunter is not interested in a dead possum, only a live one. Faking death suggests: "Nothing to eat here. Just a dead possum. You can go on your way."

An opossum playing dead can be, in a way, great theater. If the animal world gave awards for acting, the opossum might win the award for ‘Best Death Scene.'

However, before we give that acting award, science may want to weigh in.

Scientists explain that opossums are not acting at all. They can't help it! Playing dead is an involuntary reaction to a threat. It is simply the animal's way to protect itself against danger. When it feels threatened, its body plays dead.

But why let a few scientific facts change a good expression. We haven't! The fact that possums are not playing or acting at all has not changed the way we use the expression "playing possum." And you can use this expression in many different situations.

For example, we play possum when we lie to avoid something unpleasant.

Let's say you have a big test at school, but you did not prepare for it. You may pretend to be sick and stay home. Or you may want to avoid a difficult project at work. So, you call in sick. Both are examples of playing possum to avoid work or responsibility.

English has a great word that we can also use – feign. When you feign an illness, you are pretending to be sick. If you feign interest, you are pretending to be interested in something.

We also use the expression "play possum" when feigning ignorance. In other words, we pretend not to know something so that we seem in the dark. Again, this is a good way to avoid responsibility.

Or we can simply play possum when we want to hide away and avoid other people.

We have another expression for this form of playing possum. If I lay low, I don't respond to email; I don't answer my phone; I don't even open my door. I am avoiding the world. Singer Alan Jackson does the same thing in this song, "Just Playing Possum."

And just playin' possum

Laying low

I've got hundred watts of hurtin(g)

Coming through the speakers of my stereo

Don't want to see nobody

Nowhere I want to go

I'm just playin(g) possum

And laying low

Now, sometimes "playing possum" is the same as burying your head in the sand. But sometimes it is not. So, they are not interchangeable all the time.

Like our friend the ostrich, when you bury your head in the sand, you are avoiding a bad reality -- something you wish were different. You are not trying to lie or deceive anyone but yourself.

It's a way of tuning out life's unpleasant situations. If the daily news upsets you, you may choose to bury your head in the sand and not tune in to any news programs.

Another thing to note, we use "burying your head in the sand" for both serious and lighthearted issues. But we usually use "playing possum" in a lighthearted way.

I mean, you have to agree, it does sound much nicer than lying.

And that's Words and Their Stories. I'm Anna Matteo.

现在是VOA学英语《词汇掌故》节目时间。

在节目中，我们会探讨美式英语里的单词和表达。今天，我们将要聊聊“defense mechanisms（防卫机制）”。防卫机制是身体对不断变化的环境做出反应以保证安全的不同方式。

为了进一步了解“防御机制”，让我们向这方面的专家寻求帮助：动物！很多动物都是躲避危险寻求生存方面的专家。当动物受到了惊吓或者感觉受到威胁，它们会采取行动保护自己。

猴子会爬上树。鸟儿会飞向空中。乌龟会把头缩进壳里。犰狳会缩成一团。臭鼬释放一种令人不快的化学物质。

鸵鸟可不是以脑力著称的，它会将头埋在沙子里，好似这么做可以隐藏它的巨大身躯。在美语里，我们也会“把头埋进沙子里”来逃避一些不愉快的事情。

但另一种动物，“负鼠”，逃避危险的方式更与众不同。它会不动装死。

负鼠是一种体型稍小的动物，有一个长而尖的鼻子。它们大都长着白色的脸和浅灰色的身体。

负鼠是白人殖民者在英国殖民地弗吉尼亚最先遇到的野生动物之一。“负鼠”这个名字是在17世纪早期成为英语单词的。在美洲土著波瓦坦语或阿尔冈琴语中，“opossum”的意思是“白狗”。许多人会丢掉这个名字里的“o”，用“possum”来代替“opossum”。

负鼠会诈死来欺骗捕捉它的其他动物或者人类。负鼠希望狩猎者对死的负鼠不感兴趣，只喜欢活的。诈死就是暗示对方：”这里没什么吃的。只是一只死负鼠。你可以继续前进。

负鼠装死在某种程度上是一出很棒的戏剧。如果在动物世界里，动物们会给表演颁奖的话，负鼠也许会赢得“最佳死亡场景”奖。

然而，在我们颁这个奖之前，科学也许会想“发表见解”。

科学家们解释说负鼠压根不是在装死。它们是控制不住！装死是动物们在面对威胁时，身体的一种不自主的反应行为。这仅仅是动物们保护自己免受危险的一种方式。当动物感觉受到威胁时，它的身体就会装死。

可是为什么要让一些科学事实改变一个很好的表达呢。我们没有这样做！负鼠完全没有在表演装死的事实并没有改变我们使用“playing possum（装糊涂/装傻/装死/装睡）”这个表达。你可以在多种不同情境下使用这个表达。

例如，当我们撒谎，以避免不愉快的事情时，我们是在装糊涂。

假如你要在学校参加一场大型考试，但你还没有做好准备。你也许会装病待在家。或者也许你想躲掉工作上的一个很难的项目。所以，你打电话请病假。这两个都是逃避工作或者责任的假装的例子。

英语里还有一个我们也能使用的很棒的单词：feign（假装）。当你装病的时候，你是在假装生病。如果你假装感兴趣，那你是在假装对某事物感兴趣。

当我们假装无知时，我们也用“play possum”这个词。换句话说，我们假装不知道什么事情，这样我们好像毫不知情。这又是个逃避责任的好方法。

或者当我们想要躲起来，避开其他人的时候，我们可以假装。

我们有另一个表达来形容这种形式的假装行为。如果我要玩失踪（lay low），我不回邮件；不接电话；我甚至连门都不打开。我要逃避这个世界。歌手阿兰·杰克逊在《Just Playing Possum》这首歌里也做了同样的事情。

伪装

逃避

我音响的扬声器里传出

我数百瓦特的伤痛

不想见任何人

不想去任何地方

我只是想逃离

我只是想躲藏起来

有时候“playing possum”和“把头埋在沙子里（逃避现实）”是一个意思。但有时候不是。因此，它们不总是可以互换的。

就像我们的朋友鸵鸟一样，当你“把头埋进沙子里”，你是在逃避糟糕的现实，你希望现实不是这样。你不是在撒谎或欺骗别人，而是在欺骗你自己。

这是一种逃避人生中不愉快境况的方式。如果每天的新闻让你忧愁，你也许会选择逃避现实，不收听任何新闻节目。

另一点要注意，严肃和轻松的问题，我们都会用到“逃避现实”。但是我们通常以轻松的方式使用这个表达。

我意思是，你必须同意，这听起来确实比撒谎好得多。

这就是本期的《词汇掌故》。我是安娜·马特奥。