VOA慢速英语2015 美国早期铁路塑造了现代语言

Early American Railroads² Shape Modern Language 美国早期铁路塑造了现代语言

Now, the VOA Learning³ English program Words and Their Stories.

Each week, we tell about American expressions and where they come from.

Today we talk about railroads. Railroads were important to the development of the United⁴ States. The first U.S. railroads were built in eastern states. Trains later connected the East Coast with the West Coast.

Train and railway expressions worked their way into American English over a century ago. Many of those terms are still being used today. 

Railroads changed the look of the United States. They cut through mountains, crossed through wide open prairies⁵ and joined together in cities. The railroads made transporting goods easier. They also gave many Americans the chance to move around the country.

Sometimes railroad¹ tracks⁷ would not join up in a town but divide it in two. One side of the tracks might be good, while the other side was ‘not-so-good.’ If you say someone is from the wrong side of the tracks, it means⁸ they are from the bad side of town.

For the train running down the track⁶ there is no right or wrong side. The track is simply the metal structure⁹ on which the train runs.

To go off track means to move away from one’s intended purpose or goal.

For example, you could say your career went way off track if you wanted to be a lawyer but became an actor instead. But if you go to law school and complete your studies, your career is back on track. Let’s say you finished law school very quickly because you took double the course load. You then could say you fast-tracked your way to becoming a lawyer. In the world of business, it is common to say a project has been fast-tracked or is on a fast track.          

To stay on track means to pay attention to your goal or purpose. But getting sidetracked is just the opposite. A train that is sidetracked gets sent to a different station or down a different line.  

Talking about train tracks, a rail is a single piece of steel that is part of the larger railway. Some rails are dangerous to touch. In some cities, a third rail provides power to a subway train, usually operating underground; electricity passes through the rail.

The third rail also is an issue¹⁰ which can fuel a heated debate. At a party, religion or politics¹¹ could be third rail topics. Talking about them could kill your social life!      

Many Americans say things get derailed when they go off track or away from a goal – or when they simply go wrong. For example, they might say something like this, “My travel plans got derailed by the bad weather.”

It usually is bad news when something gets derailed. When something goes off the rails, it is always a bad thing. To go off the rails means a person’s project or life is a wreck¹², or -- pardon the expression -- a train wreck.            

When a train reaches its final stop, we say it has reached the end of the line. If you reach the end of the line you have come to the end of something. Often in old films, this is what the bad guy says just before he kills someone.

“It’s the end of the line for your buddy¹³ boy.”

And we have reached the end of the line for this Words and Their Stories. In other words, the show is over.

1 railroad   

n.铁路；vi.由铁路运输

参考例句：

• The railroad connects two cities,namely,New York and Chicago.这条铁路连接两个城市，即纽约与芝加哥。
• My brother is working on the railroad.我兄弟在铁路系统工作。

2 railroads   

n.铁路，铁道( railroad的名词复数 )；铁路系统v.铁路，铁道( railroad的第三人称单数 )；铁路系统

参考例句：

• Water transportation was outmoded by railroads and good pikes. 水上运输已因铁路和良好的税道而变得过时了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A severe snowstorm blocked up railroads. 一场暴风雪使铁路中断。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

4 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

5 prairies   

（尤指北美的）大草原( prairie的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Broad prairies stretch out as far as the eye can see. 辽阔的草原一望无边。
• The Indian was emotionally attached to his moutains, valleys, or prairies. 印第安人非常热爱自己的高山、溪水和草原。

6 track   

n.轨道；足迹；痕迹；磁轨；途径；vt.循路而行；追踪；通过；用纤拉；vi.追踪

参考例句：

• The new race track is nearly six miles in extent.这条新跑道将近六英里长。
• The police are on his track.警察在跟踪他。

7 tracks   

n.小路( track的名词复数 )；跑道；路径；轨道v.跟踪( track的第三人称单数 )；跟踪摄影；留下（脏）足迹；追随（潮流等）

参考例句：

• Tracks led up the mountainside. 小径沿着山坡向上延伸。
• All the tracks have been digitally remastered from the original tapes. 所有的曲子都已经从原始录音带转录到了数码母带上。

8 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。

9 structure   

n.结构，构造，建筑物；v.构成；

参考例句：

• Doctors study the structure of the human body.医生研究人体构造。
• A flower has quite a complicated structure.一朵花的结构相当复杂。

10 issue   

n.出版，发行，（报刊等）期、号，论点，问题，结果， （水，血等的）流出；vt.使流出，放出，发行（钞票等），发布（命令），出版（书等）发给；vi.发行，流出，造成...结果，进行辩护，传下

参考例句：

• I bought the book the day after its issue.这书出版后的第一天，我就去买了它。
• I'll support her down the line on that issue.在那个问题上我将全力支持她。

11 politics   

n.政治，政治学；政纲，政见，策略

参考例句：

• They seldom talk on politics in those days.那时人们很少谈论政治。
• The two brothers differed about politics.这兄弟俩政见不同。

12 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

13 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！