VOA慢速英语2014 这真的不重要

 

It's Not Worth a Hill of Beans 这真的不重要

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

In the early days of human history, people survived by hunting wild animals, or gathering¹ wild grains and plants for food. Then, some people learned to grow crops and raise animals for food. They were the first farmers.

Since the 16th century, the word "farm" has meant agricultural land. But a much older meaning of the word farm is linked to economics. The word farm comes from the Latin word "firma," which means an unchanging payment.

Experts say the earliest meaning of the English word farm was "a yearly payment made as a tax or rent."

Farmers in early England did not own their land. They paid every year to use agricultural lands.

In England, farmers used hawthorn² trees along the edges of property. They called this row of hawthorns³ a "hedge."

Hedging fields was how careful farmers marked and protected them.

Soon, people began to use the word "hedging" to describe steps that could be taken to protect against financial loss.

Hedging is common among gamblers who make large bets. A gambler bets a lot of money on one team. But, to be on the safe side, he also places a smaller bet on the other team to reduce a possible loss.

You might say that someone is "hedging his bet" when he invests in several different kinds of businesses. One business may fail -- but likely not all.

Farmers know that it is necessary to "make hay while the sun shines."

Hay has to be cut and gathered when it is dry. So a wise farmer never postpones⁴ gathering his hay when the sun is shining. Rain may soon appear.

A wise person copies the farmer. He works when conditions are right.

A new mother, for example, quickly learns to try to sleep when her baby is quiet, even in the middle of the day. If the mother delays, she may lose her chance to sleep. So, the mother learns to "make hay while the sun shines."

Beans are a popular farm crop. But beans are used to describe something of very little value in the expression "not worth a hill of beans." The expression is often used today.

You could say, for example, that a bad idea "is not worth a hill of beans."

Language expert Charles Earle Funk said the expression was first used almost 700 years ago. He said Robert of Gloucester described a message from the King of Germany to King John of England as "altogether not worth a bean."

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 hawthorn   

山楂

参考例句：

• A cuckoo began calling from a hawthorn tree.一只布谷鸟开始在一株山楂树里咕咕地呼叫。
• Much of the track had become overgrown with hawthorn.小路上很多地方都长满了山楂树。

3 hawthorns   

n.山楂树( hawthorn的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• With beating hearts, they descended through the hawthorns. 于是他们怀着忐忑不安的心情，穿过山楂丛，走下山坡。 来自辞典例句
• Some trees, such as junipers, cherries, and hawthorns, produce fruits that are eaten by birds. 有些树种如桧柏、樱桃和山楂结出能被鸟类吞食的浆果。 来自辞典例句

4 postpones   

v.延期，推迟( postpone的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• So it at least postpones the amount of taxes on due. 因此它至少推延了税金的交纳。 来自互联网
• Even if it does, this just postpones the day of reckoning. 但即便如此，也只是推迟了不得不解决根本问题的日子而已。 来自互联网