英语词汇实用小百科 星座astrology（在线收听）

Xiaohua: Hello and welcome to Round Table’s Word of the Week. This week, we are talking about one of my favorite topics, astrology, 星座！

Mark: Oh, you are interested in astrology, are you?

Xiaohua: Yeah!

Mark: Not to be confused with astronomy, although of course they are linked, because astrology seeks to determine human characteristics from analysis of star patterns or constellations.

Xiaohua:其实在早期的时候，英语里面的astrology和astronomy的意思都是一样的。Do you know that astrology actually used to mean astronomy? It’s only later that they got to mean different things.

Mark: I didn’t know that. But we just explained that there is obviously a link between the constellations.

Xiaohua: So let’s go through these twelve horoscopes, shall we?

Mark: Yep, let’s go through them. There are twelve of them. So there is Capricorn, that’s the goat.

Xiaohua: Capricorn是摩羯座。

Mark: This comes from the Latin, Capricornus, which means "horned like a goat."

Xiaohua: 带角的山羊就是Capricorn的意思。

Mark: Then we have the Aquarius, the water carrier, again from the latin meaning "water carrier." Quite straightforward.

Xiaohua: 水瓶座拉丁文里面的意思就是水瓶。

Mark: Then there is the Pisces the fish. Actually, it’s from the Latin for "fish" .

Xiaohua: Pisces , 双鱼座，在拉丁文里面是”鱼”的复数形式。

Mark: We have Aries the "ram", another horned animal.

Xiaohua: 白羊座是Aries。

Mark: Taurus is the "bull".

Xiaohua: Taurus金牛座。

Mark: And then Gemini the "twins"

Xiaohua: 双子座是一对孪生子。

Mark: After that is Cancer, the "crab".

Xiaohua: Cancer是巨蟹座的意思，因为Cancer在拉丁语里面就是螃蟹。

Mark: And then Leo, the "lion".

Xiaohua: Leo,狮子座。

Mark: Then there is Virgo, "the virgin".

Xiaohua: Virgo，处女座。

Mark: And Libra. Libra is interesting, it’s the scales. And this comes from the Latin libra, meaning "pound” or “balance".

Xiaohua: Libra在拉丁语里面就是”平衡”和”称”的意思，所以它是天秤座的名称。

Mark: That’s quite interesting, ‘cause lb, which is short-form of libra, is still used in some countries like the United States and Great Britain, for the weight measurement of pounds, lb. Then there is Scropio, the "scorpion".

Xiaohua: 天蝎座。

Mark: Finally Sagittarius, which is the "archer."

Xiaohua: Sagittarius是拉丁语里的"archer"“射手”的意思。

Mark: Now my question is, which one are you, Xiaohua?

Xiaohua: Ok, I am a Cancer. And I used to hate this word so much because it also means “malignant tumor”! I always thought “why is it that they have to be the same?”

Mark: Well, that’s right. Originally it meant the crab, and later it gained this medical reasoning. I must agree with you. I am quite pleased not to be Cancer as the stars, ‘cause people just don’t like that word these days of course for obvious reasons.

Xiaohua: But I have say cancer people are very popular, because people love them.

Mark: That’s right. Cancer people are supposed to be complicated and home-loving. And people with the sign love to be in familiar surroundings and nurture relationships. Is that true of you?

Xiaohua: Very true, I’m a very typical Cancer. 巨蟹座据说是比较爱家，非常喜欢在熟悉的环境中培养人际关系。That’s who we are. But then Mark, what is your sign?

Mark: My star sign is Pisces. And Pisces is the fish. It’s usually depicted as one fish swimming one way and the other fish the other way. In other words, sometimes we can get a little bit scatterbrained, a little bit emotional, and very creative and imaginative people. And I think I do fit the characteristics of a typical Pisces.

Xiaohua: I see. 所以双鱼座非常浪漫、非常喜欢想象，有时候有点小分裂的特性，是马克的特质。I agree with that. I always see you with this dreamy look, as if you mind is wandering somewhere else.

Mark: I think it’s important to have a good imagination, which is something that Pisces are blessed with. One of the other stars that I must mention…because I must say I don’t believe in any of this, except with one star sign which is Virgo. It does seem that there seems to be some truth. Now I speak as somebody who grew up in a family of Virgos, all of them! These people, the Virgo people, have the characteristics of being very neat and tidy, obsessed with time keeping and punctuality and so forth, and quite picky about their food. Can you imagine someone like me, a Pisces, with my sort of free-spirited ways and never wearing a watch even when people used to wear watches, living with a family of Virgos?

Xiaohua: 好吧，像马克这样浪漫又不守时的双鱼座住在一个全部是处女座的家庭里的确是有点奇怪。But although Virgo people like to keep time and are incredibly neat, they are a little bit introverted and shy as well, right?

Mark: Yes. But I think it’s true if you went around an office or something like that, and you saw a particularly neat desk, there is a one-in-twelve chance that person is a Virgo!

Xiaohua: Hahhah..that’s true. Unfortunately we don’t have all the time to go through the problems of each and every astrological sign.

Mark: No. And if there is one thing that astrology proves, it’s that there is one born every minute.

Xiaohua: Yes.