VOA慢速英语2014 Have Your Heard of the Golden Rule? 词汇典故：你听过黄金法则吗?

 

Have Your Heard of the Golden Rule? 词汇典故：你听过黄金法则吗?

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。

Throughout history, gold has been a sign of purity, beauty and power. Calling something "golden" means it has great quality and value.

纵观历史，黄金一直是纯洁，美丽和力量的一个象征。称某种东西为"golden"（金质的）意味着它有着很高的质量和价值。

For example, the "golden rule" is possibly the world's most widespread moral rule. It says people should treat others the way they themselves would like to be treated. Every major religion has its own version of this idea.

例如，“golden rule”金科玉律可能是世界上最普遍的道德规则。它说人们应该待别人如待自己。每一个主流宗教都有关于这种思想的自身版本。

The "golden ratio" is found in art, architecture and nature. It describes a rectangle with a length about one and one-half times its width. Objects using this ratio in their design seem to please the eye more than others.

“golden ratio”（黄金比例）存在于艺术、建筑和自然当中。它描述的是一个长方形物体的长宽比大概为1:1.5。使用这个比例设计的物体似乎比其他比例更能取悦人的眼睛。

Philosophers have their own golden idea. The "golden mean" says moderation in all things is the best way to live one's life. It is an idea linked to the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. Similar thoughts exist in Buddhism¹ and Confucianism.

哲学家们有他们自己的“golden idea”（金点子）。“golden mean”（中庸思想）称，在所有的事物当中，中庸之道是生存的最好方式。这是一个和古希腊哲学家亚里士多德有关的想法。类似的想法也存在于佛教和儒教的思想当中。

Ancient Greek myths told of a time long ago when people lived in peace and happiness. Poets called it "The Golden Age." A golden age now describes a historical period of great artistic², scientific or economic progress. It can even recall a time of success and popularity for an industry. For example, the 1930s and 40s were called "The Golden Age of Radio."

古希腊神话讲述了很久以前，人们生活在和平且幸福的美好时代。诗人称它为“Golden Age”（黄金时代）。黄金年代现在用来描述艺术、科技或经济发展取得巨大成就的一段历史时期。它甚至可以使我们回想起一个行业取得成功和流行的时期。例如，20世纪三四十年代被称为“广播行业的黄金时代”。

You may have heard the proverb "silence is golden." This means silence is of great value -- it is sometimes better to say nothing than to speak.

您可能听说过一句谚语："silence is golden."沉默是金。这意味着沉默具有很好的价值--有时候沉默比说话更好。

You might say your child was "good as gold" when he behaved well at school. British writer Charles Dickens used this expression in 1843. He was describing the child Tiny Tim in the book "A Christmas Carol."

当你的孩子在学校表现得很好，你可能会说他“good as gold”（很乖）。英国作家Charles Dickens在1843年使用过这个表达。他在《圣诞颂歌》书中用这个表达形容书中的一个名为Tiny Tim的孩子。

In 1937, American playwright³ Clifford Odets wrote a play called "The Golden Boy." This expression describes a young man who has many good qualities and a bright future.

1937年，美国剧作家克利福德·奥德茨写下戏剧《金童》（The Golden Boy）。金童一词用来形容具有良好素质和光明未来的青年。

You might tell someone "you are golden" when that person does something very well.

当某人做某事很好的时候，你可能会告诉他“you are golden”（你很牛）。

"Gold-digger" is another description. But this does not say something nice about a person. A "gold-digger" is someone who seeks to marry a rich person because he or she is only interested in that person's money.

“Gold digger”（钓金龟婿一族或拜金族）是另外一种说法。但是这可不是形容一个人的什么好品质。“gold-digger” 钓金龟婿一族是寻求嫁个有钱人的人，因为他或者她只是对那个人的钱感兴趣。

Maybe you like old songs from the 1950s or 60s that are still well known and popular today. These are called "golden oldies."

也许你喜欢一些20世纪五、六十年代但至今仍被熟知且流行的老歌。这些歌曲被称为“golden oldies”（怀旧金曲）。

In the 1980s and 90s, an American television comedy series told about four older women living in Miami, Florida. "The Golden Girls" often dealt with social issues in a funny way.

在20世纪八、九十年代，一部美国的喜剧讲述了四个居住在佛罗里达州迈阿密的老年妇女。“Golden Girls”（黄金女郎）经常用一种有趣的方式处理社会问题。

Today, most older people look forward to reaching their "golden years." This is when hard-working people can retire to a life of ease and fulfillment.

今天，大多数的老年人希望“reaching their golden years”（安度晚年），这是指辛勤工作的人们能退休享受安逸满足的生活。

This program was written by Mario Ritter.

本文章的作者是Mario Ritter

I'm Faith Lapidus.

 

我是主持人Faith Lapidus。

1 Buddhism   

n.佛教（教义）

参考例句：

• Buddhism was introduced into China about 67 AD.佛教是在公元67年左右传入中国的。
• Many people willingly converted to Buddhism.很多人情愿皈依佛教。

2 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

3 playwright   

n.剧作家，编写剧本的人

参考例句：

• Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
• The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。