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Expressions to Bring Out the Kid in You!

时间:2018-05-13 08:40:16

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(单词翻译)

 

Now, it’s time for Words and Their Stories, a program from VOA Learning1 English. On this program we explore common expressions in American English.

Every year in the United States, we celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May. So, in honor2 of mothers and mothering, today we are talking about expressions that use the words “baby,” “child” or “kid.”

Ah, babies!

Babies need lots of love, care and attention. Most new parents spend every waking moment caring for, worrying over and thinking about their baby.

This applies to other things too! In American English, anything that you have focused and worked on for long periods of time can become your “baby.”

Let's say your friend Sam is opening a new coffee shop. He has invested3 his own money into it. For months he spends all day every day getting the shop ready for customers. In the evenings, he works4 on hiring, advertising5 and menu options. And at night, as he tries to sleep, he worries about it. He really wants it to be a success.

So when Sam’s friend asks about the progress of the business, she could say, "So, how’s your baby coming along?” Yes, using “baby” in this way is slightly informal. But it is very common and okay to use in just about any situation.

The opposite of caring for a baby would be throwing it out with its bathwater. What?! “That is terrible!” you might be saying.

Yes, it is terrible except -- when we do it in conversation. Then it is a useful expression.

Throwing the baby out with the bathwater means to get rid of all of something, (like the baby and the water it was bathing in) even though some parts of it were valuable and definitely6 worth keeping (like the baby)!

We often use this expression when we advise people to not act rashly7 or go to extremes.

For example, let's say a married couple has been working with a designer for months on redecorating their home. They choose furniture, carpeting and wall color. But then suddenly, the designer pulls out of the project. The husband and wife are upset.

The husband does not want to start from the beginning. He didn’t enjoy doing it the first time!

But the wife says, "Look, there's no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Let's keep all things we have already chosen. We can hire a new designer just to help us put them in the house."

Problem solved!

Now, not all expressions related8 to children are actually about children. Some of them are about adults.

If a grown-up is a babe in the woods, he is defenseless and naive9. He is easily fooled, and nobody expects much from him. The opposite of a babe in the woods is a veteran10, someone who is seasoned or experienced11.

For example, the law office had mostly seasoned, professional lawyers. But one young man was just out of school. He did not even know the most basic rules for the courtroom. As a result, he lost his first case. The judge called him a “babe in the woods.”

Such a person is different than a new kid on the block. A new kid on the block is simply a newcomer to a group of people who know each other well. Here, “block” means part of a neighborhood.

When you are the new kid on the block, you do not know yet how things operate in a new environment. Your ignorance12 can be good or bad. Maybe you bring new energy, skills, or talent to the group. Or maybe you spend a lot of time wandering around looking for the bathroom.

Whether you are a teenager in a new high school or a grown-up starting a new job, being the new kid on the block is often uncomfortable.

Do you know what is not uncomfortable? Playing. Children do it naturally and effortlessly. So when we say a job is child's play, we mean it is very easy to do.

Note that this expression can be a little bit mean, because it suggests that the work is so simple even a child could do it (which is actually its own expression.)

Let’s say in a meeting one of your co-workers says that she finds creating a spreadsheet really difficult. You say loudly to everyone, “Really? I finished mine in a few minutes. It was child’s play! You just input13 the information.”

This makes your co-worker angry. She is so angry with you that she looks for a way to get you back. In other words, she might do something mean in return. At lunchtime she finds her chance!

When you step outside for something to eat, you leave all your notes about an important, top-secret meeting on your desk. When you return, your co-worker is telling everyone else about the details of the meeting – details that no one was supposed to know.

You say to her, “Where did you get that information?”

She looks at you coldly. “On your desk,” she says. “It was like taking candy from a baby.”

Of course, babies should not be eating candy. But if a baby were eating candy, and an adult took it away, the baby could not fight back. He might cry and be upset, but he is helpless14 compared to the adult.

And that is the situation with your co-worker. She just walked in and picked up your notes. She is the adult. The notes are the candy. And, unfortunately, you are the baby.

Now, if someone takes candy away from a baby, the parents might demand that the person replace it. This isn’t so bad. Going to a candy store is fun!

For many kids, being in a candy store is pure joy. Wide-eyed and smiling from ear to ear, they run from sweet to sweet, imagining how everything will taste and trying to decide what to choose.

So, if someone is very excited about all the possibilities in front of her, we say she is like a kid in a candy store.

For example, whenever I go into a library, I feel like a kid in a candy store. There are so many books I haven’t read and I don’t know where to start first!

And that’s the end of this Words and Their Stories. I’m Anna Matteo. And I'm Bryan Lynn.

Have you ever felt like a babe in the woods, a new kid on the block or a kid in a candy store? Tell us about it. Or simply practice with the language you heard here. You can do both…in the Comments Section!

"It’s just like taking candy from a baby ‘cause I couldn’t resist you from the very start. You had me around your little finger. No trouble at all for you to tiptoe in my heart. It was the first time I lost my head completely. Oh, you swept me off my feet ..”

Words in This Story

nurture15 – v. to help (something or someone) to grow, develop, or succeed

informal – adj. having a friendly and relaxed quality

negative– adj. harmful or bad : not wanted

naive – adj. having or showing a lack of experience or knowledge : innocent16 or simple

opposite – adj. completely different

veteran – n. someone who has a lot of experience in a particular activity, job, etc.

seasoned – adj. always used before a noun17 : having a lot of experience doing something

newcomer – n. a person who has recently arrived somewhere or who has recently started a new activity : often + to

talent – n. a special ability that allows someone to do something well

wander – v. to move around or go to different places usually without having a particular purpose or direction

spreadsheet – n. a computer program that calculates18 numbers and organizes information in columns19 and rows

joy – n. a feeling of great happiness


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 learning wpSzFe     
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 honor IQDzL     
n.光荣;敬意;荣幸;vt.给…以荣誉;尊敬
参考例句:
  • I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
  • It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。
3 invested 9a25ac4ea8d8a9b7bac3a3ed96702a06     
v.投资,花费( invest的过去式和过去分词 );授予;(把资金)投入;投入(时间、精力等)
参考例句:
  • The money will be invested in managed funds. 这笔钱将投资于管理基金。
  • He invested his lawyer with complete power to act for him. 他让律师全权代办。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 works ieuzIh     
n.作品,著作;工厂,活动部件,机件
参考例句:
  • We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
  • The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。
5 advertising 1zjzi3     
n.广告业;广告活动 a.广告的;广告业务的
参考例句:
  • Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
  • The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。
6 definitely RuJzx0     
adv.一定地,肯定地;明确地,确切地
参考例句:
  • The team will definitely lose if he doesn't play.如果他不参加比赛,这个队肯定会输。
  • I shall definitely be home before six o'clock.6点以前,我一定回家。
7 rashly UklzCa     
ad.too hastily;recklessly
参考例句:
  • Some people jumped rashly to the conclusion that something must be wrong. 有些人轻率地得出结论说一定是出了什么问题。
  • They had acted rashly, without thought. 他们未加考虑就轻率行动了。
8 related vkGzSv     
adj.有关系的,有关联的,叙述的,讲述的
参考例句:
  • I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
  • We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。
9 naive yFVxO     
adj.幼稚的,轻信的;天真的
参考例句:
  • It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致,你未免太单纯了。
  • Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。
10 veteran 3i3wX     
n.老兵;经验丰富的人,老手
参考例句:
  • My grandfather is a veteran of the Second World War.我祖父是二战时的老兵。
  • We often asked the veteran workers for advice.我们常常向老工人求教。
11 experienced ntPz2t     
adj.有经验的;经验丰富的,熟练的
参考例句:
  • Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
  • Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好,你比我更有经验。
12 ignorance Mc4z9     
n.无知,愚昧,不了解,(of,about)不知道
参考例句:
  • The relation of disease to poverty and ignorance is easy to see.疾病与贫穷、无知之间的关系是显而易见的。
  • Maybe it is all due to my own ignorance.也许是我少见多怪。
13 input X6lxm     
n.输入(物);投入;vt.把(数据等)输入计算机
参考例句:
  • I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
  • All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。
14 helpless FdAxb     
adj.无助的,无依无靠的;不能自力的
参考例句:
  • The other team was helpless and we had a real field day.对方队很弱,我们轻易取胜。
  • They felt helpless to do anything about it.他们对这事感到无能为力。
15 nurture K5sz3     
n.养育,照顾,教育;滋养,营养品;vt.养育,给与营养物,教养,扶持
参考例句:
  • The tree grows well in his nurture.在他的培育下这棵树长得很好。
  • The two sisters had received very different nurture.这俩个姊妹接受过极不同的教育。
16 innocent J68xs     
adj.无罪的,清白的;无害的;天真的,单纯的
参考例句:
  • I'm not quite so innocent as to believe that.我还不至于简单到相信那种事的地步。
  • I was very young,and very innocent.我那时非常年轻,幼稚无知。
17 noun JHux3     
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。
18 calculates 91acf53680f56ef345299703f7bef000     
v.计算( calculate的第三人称单数 );估计;打算;旨在
参考例句:
  • A computer calculates by switching currents on or off. 计算机通过电路的开合来进行运算。 来自辞典例句
  • However, after the performance starts, the stage effect also calculates can pass. 不过,演出开始后,舞台效果还算过得去。 来自互联网
19 columns columns     
n.柱( column的名词复数 );纵队;栏;(舰队的)纵列
参考例句:
  • The temple is supported by marble columns. 这座庙宇由大理石柱支撑。
  • There are two columns on each page of this dictionary. 这本词典每一页有两栏。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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