VOA慢速英语2021--与猴子相关的成语

And now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.

欢迎收听VOA慢速英语《词汇掌故》节目。

On this program we will explore English expressions.

在本期节目中，我们来探索一下英语短语。

On today's program we talk about animal expressions!

在今天的节目中，我们谈论有关动物的短语！

English has many animal expressions—too many to name.

英语中有很多有关动物的短语，数不胜数。

Also, in English, as in many other languages, some animals have come to have certain reputations.

此外，在英语中，就像在许多其他语言中一样，一些动物已经有了一定的名声。

That is to say, they are known for certain behaviors.

也就是说，它们因某些行为而闻名。

For example, dogs are loyal.

例如，狗是忠诚的。

We often call them "man's best friend."

我们常称它们为“人类最好的朋友”。

Cats are independent and mysterious.

猫是独立的、神秘的。

In old stories, snakes and foxes are not to be trusted.

在古老的故事中，蛇和狐狸是不可信的。

Turtles do things slowly. While rabbits are full of energy.

乌龟做事很慢。而兔子则精力充沛。

Then there are monkeys. Monkeys have a reputation for being silly and causing trouble.

还有猴子。猴子以愚蠢和惹麻烦而闻名。

Good words for that are naughty and mischievous¹.

说得好听点，就是调皮捣蛋。

Monkeys are especially known for being fun.

猴子尤其以有趣著称。

And if one monkey is fun, just think how much fun many monkeys would be!

如果一只猴子很有趣，想想多只猴子该多有趣啊!

If an activity or event is super fun, we can say it is "as fun as a barrel of monkeys."

如果一项活动或事件是超级有趣的，我们可以说它是“as fun as a barrel of monkeys”。

Even a fun person can be described as a barrel of monkeys.

即使是一个有趣的人也可以被形容为“a barrel of monkeys”。

Now, a barrel is a large wooden container.

“a barrel”是指一个大的木制容器。

I'm not sure how to get monkeys into a barrel.

我不知道怎么把猴子放进桶里。

But I'm guessing it would be fun.

但我猜这会很有趣。

While we are on the subject, keep in mind that fun and funny are used differently.

当我们谈到这个话题时，请记住“fun”和“funny”的用法是不同的。

If something is funny it makes you laugh.

如果某件事很好笑，它会让你发笑。

If something is fun it is simply enjoyable.

如果某件事很有趣，那它就只是有乐趣的。

For example, last weekend I went to a party and it was really fun.

例如，上周末我去参加了一个聚会，真的很有趣。

At the party, my friend told me a funny story, and I laughed out loud.

在聚会上，我的朋友给我讲了一个有趣的故事，我大声笑了起来

Some word historians² think that the expression "barrel of monkeys" was first recorded in 1895.

一些词汇历史学家认为，“barrel of monkeys”这个表达最早记录于1895年。

It describes the playful behavior of these primates³.

它描述了这些灵长类动物的嬉戏行为。

We use it to describe any type of fun of activity or person.

我们用这个短语来形容任何类型的活动或人的乐趣。

To call something a barrel of monkeys is definitely informal.

称某事是“a barrel of monkeys”绝对是非正式的。

You could call a really fun event a riot⁴.

你可以把一个真正有趣的事件称为“a riot”。

Where I grew up in West Virginia, people might call something really fun a hoot⁵.

我在西弗吉尼亚州长大，那里的人们可能会把一些真正有趣的事情称为“a hoot”。

That is also informal and a bit rural.

这也是非正式的，有点乡村风味。

Now, monkeys do more than have fun.

猴子做的不仅仅是娱乐。

Because they are also smart, they are known for causing trouble.

因为它们也很聪明，所以它们以制造麻烦而闻名。

So, it is not surprising that we have monkey expressions that describe causing trouble.

所以，我们用有关猴子的短语来描述制造麻烦也就不足为奇了。

The first is to simply "monkey around."

第一个就是“monkey around”。

To monkey around means to goof⁶ around or cause harmless trouble.

“monkey around”的意思是到处闲逛或制造无害的麻烦。

But it could lead to more serious trouble.

但这可能会导致更严重的麻烦。

So, a parent may warn a child, "If you monkey around someone could get hurt. So, stop it!"

因此，父母可能会警告孩子：“如果你胡闹，可能会有人受伤。所以，别闹了！”

If I make a funny joke at a work meeting, someone could tell me to stop "monkeying around and get serious."

如果我在工作会议上讲了一个有趣的笑话，有人可能会告诉我别“胡闹了，认真点”。

Our last expression is "monkey business."

我们最后的一个短语是“monkey business”。

Monkey business usually means dishonest activities.

“monkey business”通常指不诚实的活动。

For example, most people expect a little monkey business in politics.

例如，大多数人都希望在政治活动中搞点骗人的小把戏。

It just seems to come with the territory, as we like to say.

就像我们喜欢说的那样，这似乎是自然而然的。

Here at VOA Learning English, we don't monkey around with English.

在VOA慢速英语，我们不会玩弄英语。

We take it very seriously. We are all business.

我们对此非常重视。这是我们的职责所在。

But not, you know, monkey business—that would be bad.

但是，你知道，这不是胡闹，那样会很糟糕的。

And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.

以上就是本期《词汇掌故》节目的全部内容。下次见……我是安娜·马特奥。

1 mischievous   

adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的

参考例句：

• He is a mischievous but lovable boy.他是一个淘气但可爱的小孩。
• A mischievous cur must be tied short.恶狗必须拴得短。

2 historians   

n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。

3 primates   

primate的复数

参考例句：

• Primates are alert, inquisitive animals. 灵长目动物是机灵、好奇的动物。
• Consciousness or cerebration has been said to have emerged in the evolution of higher primates. 据说意识或思考在较高级灵长类的进化中已出现。

4 riot   

n.暴（骚）乱，（色彩等）极度丰富；vi.聚众闹事

参考例句：

• They had to call the police in order to put down the riot.他们只得叫来警察以平定骚乱。
• Flowers of all sorts are blooming in a riot of colour.百花盛开，万紫千红。

5 hoot   

n.鸟叫声，汽车的喇叭声； v.使汽车鸣喇叭

参考例句：

• The sudden hoot of a whistle broke into my thoughts.突然响起的汽笛声打断了我的思路。
• In a string of shrill hoot of the horn sound,he quickly ran to her.在一串尖声鸣叫的喇叭声中，他快速地跑向她。

6 goof   

v.弄糟；闲混；n.呆瓜

参考例句：

• We goofed last week at the end of our interview with singer Annie Ross.上周我们采访歌手安妮·罗斯，结果到快结束时犯了个愚蠢的错误。
• You will never be good students so long as you goof around.如果你们成天游手好闲，就永远也成不了好学生。