VOA慢速英语2012 Words and Their Stories: Green Expressions

 

Words and Their Stories: Green Expressions

词汇典故：和绿色相关的词汇

Now, the VOA Special English program, Words and Their Stories.

这里是美国之音慢速英语词汇典故节目。

Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.

绿色是自然界中一种重要的颜色。它是青草和树叶的颜色，也是大多数生长中的植物的颜色。

Sometimes, the word green means¹ young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet ripe or finished.

有时，绿色意味着年轻、新鲜和成长中。有时，它用于描述一些尚未成熟或完成的东西。

For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no expereince, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns² had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today - a person who is new in a job.

例如，greenhorn是指没有经验的新手。在15世纪，greehorn是指小母牛或角尚未长出来的公牛。一个世纪左右之后，greenhorn是指尚未有任何战斗经验的士兵。到了18世纪，greenhorn就有了今天这种意思，它是指新手。

About one hundred years ago, greenhorn was a popular expression in the American west. Old-timers used it to describe a man who had just arrived from one of the big cities back east. The greenhorn lacked the skills he would need to live in the hard, rough³ country.

大约一百年前，greenhorn在美国西部是一个常用的表达。老一辈们用它来形容刚从美国东部大城市回来的一类人。这类人缺乏在这片艰难、崎岖的土地上生活所需的技能。

Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early nineteen hundreds.

拥有让植物长势良好的能力的人被称为精于园艺。这一表达来自20世纪早期。

A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.

园艺好手似乎拥有一种魔力，能够让植物长势既快又好。如果在你花园中的植物死了很久之后，隔壁女人花园中的植物还在继续生长，你可能就会说她是一个园艺好手。

The Green Revolution⁴ is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural⁵ scientists who had green thumbs.

绿色革命（Green Revolution）是指若干年前新型大米和其它谷物的大发展。这些新作物产量更高。绿色革命是擅长种植的农业科学家辛勤工作的结果。

Green is also the color used to describe the powerful⁶ emotion, jealousy⁷. The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare⁸ in his play "Othello."

绿色还用于描述强烈的情感和妒忌。green-eyed monster（妒忌）不是指来自外太空的可怕生物，它是大约400年前英国作家莎士比亚在其剧本《奥赛罗》中用到的一种表达。

It describes the unplesant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay raise and she does not.

它描述了一个人当别人有他想要的东西时的不愉快感觉。一位年轻男子的女友如果跟别人走了，他可能就会遭受嫉妒的折磨。或者，如果你加薪了，而你朋友没有，嫉妒就会影响到你朋友。

In most places in the world, a green light is a signal⁹ to move ahead. A green light on a traffic signal means your car can continue on. In everyday speech, a green light means approval¹⁰ to continue with a project. We want you to know we have a green light to continue this series¹¹ next week.

在世界上大多数地方，绿灯（green light)是前进的信号。交通信号的绿灯意味着你的车可以继续往前开。在日常用语中，绿灯是指项目被批准继续进行。我们希望你知道，我们被开了绿灯，下周可以继续这个系列的节目。

(MUSIC)

This VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, was written by Marilyn Christiano. I'm Warren Scheer.

1 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

2 horns   

n.角( horn的名词复数 )；号；角质；（蜗牛等的）触角

参考例句：

• The young goat was just beginning to grow horns. 这只小山羊刚开始长角。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The blare of horns could be heard in the distance. 可以听到远处传来的号角声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 rough   

adj.粗糙的；粗略的，大致的；粗野的，粗暴的

参考例句：

• It's just a very rough translation.这只是一篇非常粗糙的译稿。
• His reply was a bit rough.他的答复过于粗鲁了一点。

4 revolution   

n.革命，大变革；旋转；周期，循环

参考例句：

• The earth makes a yearly revolution around the sun.地球每年绕太阳一周。
• This volume records the history of the country's revolution.这卷书记载了这个国家的革命历史。

5 agricultural   

adj.农业的；农艺的

参考例句：

• He was trained for gardening at the Agricultural College.他在农业大学学园艺。
• France once was an agricultural country.法国曾是个农业国。

6 powerful   

adj.有力的，有权力的，强大的

参考例句：

• The UN began to get more and more powerful.联合国开始变得越来越强大了。
• Such are the most powerful voices of our times!这些就是我们时代的最有力的声音！

7 jealousy   

n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌

参考例句：

• Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
• I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。

8 Shakespeare   

n.莎士比亚(16世纪英国剧作家、诗人)

参考例句：

• Shakespeare is a giant among writers.莎士比亚是作家中的巨擘.
• He read Shakespeare to help his English.他阅读莎士比亚的作品以提高自己的英语水平。

9 signal   

n.信号，暗号

参考例句：

• This is a signal failure.这是明显的失败。
• A train must not pass a signal that is at danger.火车切不可越过危险信号。

10 approval   

n.赞成，同意；批准，认可

参考例句：

• The audience has expressed its approval.观众已经认可。
• The teacher signed his approval.老师做了手势表示同意。

11 series   

n.连续；系列

参考例句：

• The students have put forward a series of questions.学生们提出了一系列问题。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。