VOA慢速英语2012 Words and Their Stories: The Cold, Hard Truth

Words and Their Stories: The Cold, Hard Truth

词汇典故：和cold相关的短语
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
现在是美国之音慢速英语词汇典故节目。
(MUSIC)
Cold weather has a great effect on how our minds and our bodies work. Maybe that is why there are so many expressions that use the word cold.
寒冷天气会对我们的头脑和身体产生很大影响。可能这就是许多短语使用cold这个单词的原因。
For centuries, the body's blood has been linked closely¹ with the emotions. People who show no human emotions or feelings, for example, are said to be cold-blooded. Cold-blooded people act in cruel ways. They may do brutal² things to others, and not by accident.
数百年来人体血液都和情感紧密相连。例如，没有任何人类情感或感受的人被称作冷血（cold-blooded)。冷血的人行事残酷，他们可能对其他人做出非常残暴的事情，而且并非出自偶然。
For example, a newspaper says the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer³. The killer murdered someone, not in self-defense, or because he was reacting to anger or fear. He seemed to kill for no reason, and with no emotion, as if taking someone's life meant nothing.
例如报纸上说，警察正在搜捕一位冷血杀手。这名杀手谋杀了某个人，不是出自自卫，也不是因为他对愤怒或恐惧做出的反应。他杀人貌似没有任何理由，没有任何感情，似乎夺走别人生命对他来说不意味着任何东西。
Cold can affect other parts of the body. The feet, for example. Heavy socks can warm your feet, if your feet are really cold. But there is an expression -- to get cold feet -- that has nothing to do with cold or your feet.
寒冷也会影响到身体其他部位。例如，脚。如果你双脚冰冷，厚袜子可以温暖它。但to get cold feet这个短语和寒冷以及你的双脚没有任何关系。
The expression means being afraid to do something you had decided⁴ to do. For example, you agree to be president of an organization. But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned. All the work of the organization will be your responsibility. You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation.
这个短语的意思是临阵退缩。例如，你同意担任某个组织的总裁。但随后你获悉其他所有人员都已经辞职。该组织所有工作都落到你身上。当你了解到这一形势后，你可能会在做总裁这事上临阵退缩。
Cold can also affect your shoulder.
寒冷也会影响到你的肩膀。
You give someone the cold shoulder when you refuse to speak to them. You treat them in a distant, cold way. The expression probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward⁵ someone, instead of speaking to him face-to-face. You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you. Or, to someone who has lied about you to others.
当你拒绝和某人说话时，你就冷落了某人（give someone the cold shoulder）。你对待他们非常疏远、冷淡。这个短语可能出自这样一种举动，你不想和某人面对面讲话时，你会转过去背对着他。当朋友未能遵守承诺时，你可能会冷落他。或者你可能会冷落对他人编造关于你的谎言的人。
A cold fish is not a fish. It is a person. But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth. A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone.
Cold fish（冷漠的人，冷血动物）不是指鱼，而是指不友好、没感情、没爱心或热情的人。这种人不会给他人提供太多帮助。
Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted. Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy. Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feeling, broke the hearts of their lovers⁶.
这种人可能非常无情（cold-hearted）。无情的人是指没有同情心的人。今年来一些脍炙人口的歌曲唱的就是这种毫无感情的无情男女伤害了他们爱人的心。
Out in the cold is an expression often heard. It means not getting something that everybody else got. A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise, that he was left out in the cold. And it is not a pleasant place to be.
Out in the cold（被忽视）是经常听到的一个短语，意思是指没有得到其他人获得的东西。一个人可能会说，除了他之外，所有人都加薪了。他被忽视了。处于这种境地不是很愉快。
(MUSIC)
This VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, was written by Marilyn Rice Christiano. Maurice Joyce was the narrator. I'm Shirley Griffith.

1 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。

2 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

3 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

6 lovers   

爱好者( lover的名词复数 )； 情人； 情夫； 情侣

参考例句：

• They were off-screen lovers. 他们是真实生活中的情侣。
• Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet 罗密欧和朱丽叶这一对莎士比亚笔下命运多舛的恋人