VOA慢速英语2016--Will: Do You Have It?

Will: Do You Have It?

Hello! Welcome to the VOA Learning¹ English program Words and Their Stories. Each week, we explain how to use common words and expressions in American English.

Today we talk about a seemingly² simple four-letter word: will. But do not be fooled. The word will is a strong noun³ and a powerful verb.

As a verb, will requires you to do something. If you say you will take action, you have promised to do it with no excuses -- no ifs, ands or buts.

As a noun, will is the determination to do something, demonstrating⁴ a strength or firmness of purpose. Someone who has a strong will does not give up.

Americans often say someone who is determined⁵ has an iron will. On the opposite side, someone who has lost their will has given up. It is a very serious situation when a person has lost their will to live. These people need lots of love and support.

Will can also be a person’s choice or desire to do something. For example, do you have the will to learn the English language? If you are listening to this show, I hope your answer would be “yes, I do.”

But perhaps you are being forced to learn a foreign language. In this case, you can say you are studying against your will. This will make learning much more difficult.

In a perfect world, you would think that all governments represent the will of the people. But sadly, some do not. They may reflect the will of the people with the most money, power or influence.

To do something at will means to do what you want, when you want. For example, a woman could say this about a former boyfriend. “He thought he could walk in and out of my life at will. The nerve⁶!”

As a noun, the word will can mean a legal document. In a will, a person states who should receive their possessions after he or she dies.

There is also a document called a living will. This is a written statement. It explains a person's wishes concerning⁷ their medical treatment should they not be able to state this information themselves.

For example, a person may write in a living will that they do not wish to be kept alive with life support machinery⁸. Such equipment can keep a person breathing and their heart beating even when they are unable to communicate.

The next word is willpower.

Willpower is the personal strength you have that enables⁹ you to do something difficult. Willpower is the ability to control oneself. For example, it takes great willpower to give up cigarettes.

To have willpower in life is important because life can be difficult.

But if you do find yourself in a difficult situation, do not give up. As they say, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” This saying means that having inner¹⁰ strength will help you overcome any problem life throws at you.

Even with willpower, life can present you with many difficult situations. For example, being in a battle of wills can be difficult. A battle of wills is when two people or groups are equally determined to get what they want. A battle of wills can get very heated.

But if you find yourself in a battle of wills, remember you have the free will to walk away.

Free will is a person’s freedom to choose for themselves. It is the power of acting¹¹ without the help of God or luck. A common word we use for this concept¹² is self-determination.

In a popular song, titled “Freewill,” the hard-rocking band Rush sings that if you choose not to choose, you still have made a choice.  

“If you chose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

I’m Anna Matteo and I will be back with another Words and Their Stories.

“I will choose a path that's clear, I will choose freewill...”

1 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。

2 seemingly   

adv.从表面上看起来，似乎是

参考例句：

• Seemingly,we can do nothing to prevent this from happening.我们似乎没有什么办法阻止这件事发生。
• For several seemingly interminable seconds no one spoke.有几秒钟没有人讲话，这几秒钟似乎十分漫长。

3 noun   

n.名词

参考例句：

• What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词？
• This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。

4 demonstrating   

举行示威游行（或集会）( demonstrate的现在分词 )； 示范。展示； 显示； 论证

参考例句：

• The reactionary police made a baton charge on the demonstrating crowd. 反动警察用警棍驱散示威的人群。
• I'm having a hell of a wild time demonstrating this car. 为展示这种车子，把我搞得狼狈不堪。

5 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

6 nerve   

n.神经；勇气，胆量，沉着，果断

参考例句：

• Did he have the nerve to say that?他竟有脸说这话吗？
• He never got up enough nerve to meet me.他从没有足够的胆量来见我。

7 concerning   

prep.关于，论及

参考例句：

• What do you know concerning this?关于这事你知道些什么？
• Some senior students wrote in asking for information concerning postgraduate studies.一些四年级学生写信询问有关研究生课程的信息。

8 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

9 enables   

v.使能够，提供做…的权利[措施]( enable的第三人称单数 )；使可能

参考例句：

• The software enables you to access the Internet in seconds. 这种软件使你在几秒钟内便可访问互联网。
• This pass enables me to travel half-price on trains. 我用这张通行证可以半价乘火车。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 inner   

adj.内部的，里面的；内在的，内心的；精神的

参考例句：

• The label is on the inner side of the box.标签贴在盒子内侧。
• Other people seek the mountains for renewal of their inner lives.另一些人到深山中去，寻求新的精神生活。

11 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

12 concept   

n.概念，观念，思想

参考例句：

• A small baby has no concept of right and wrong.婴儿没有是非概念。
• He was asked to define his concept of cool.他被要求说明自己关于“酷”的定义。