2022年10月22日 VOA慢速英語：它是無意義的還是徒勞的？

Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "pointless" and "futile."
你好！本周在Ask a Teacher上，我們將回答一個(gè)關(guān)于“無意義”和“徒勞”的區(qū)別的問題。
 
Question:
問題：
 
Dear teacher,
親愛的老師，
 
I am Aiping from California.
我是來自加利福尼亞的愛平。
 
I read the article "Who Brings Sand to the Beach?" I wondered what is the difference between the words "pointless" and "futile?"
我讀過文章“誰把沙子帶到海灘上？” 我想知道“無意義”和“徒勞”這兩個(gè)詞有什么區(qū)別？
 
Thank you! I wish you all the best!
謝謝！祝你一切順利！
 
Aiping, your loyal reader.
愛萍，您的忠實(shí)讀者。
 
Answer
回答
 
Dear Aiping,
親愛的愛平，
 
These two words are often used as synonyms or words that can be used to mean the same thing.
這兩個(gè)詞通常用作同義詞或可用于表示同一事物的詞。
 
But there are slight differences in usage.
但在用法上有細(xì)微差別。
 
Let's start with "pointless."
讓我們從“無意義”開始。
 
Pointless
無意義
 
"Pointless" is an adjective that means having no point, sense or purpose. To be "pointless" is to be without meaning or aim.
“毫無意義”是一個(gè)形容詞，表示沒有意義、意義或目的。“無意義”就是沒有意義或目標(biāo)。
 
For example, we can say:
例如，我們可以說：
 
It is pointless trying to talk to her… She will not listen.
跟她說話是沒有意義的……她不聽。
 
Driving home right now is pointless because traffic is so heavy.
現(xiàn)在開車回家是沒有意義的，因?yàn)榻煌ㄌ珦頂D了。
 
In a game or competition, "pointless" can also mean without a point scored.
在游戲或比賽中，“無意義”也可能意味著沒有得分。
 
The game remained pointless at the end of the first half.
比賽在上半場結(jié)束時(shí)仍然毫無意義。
 
Futile
徒勞的
 
"Futile" is also an adjective. It means not able to produce a desired result. It can mean ineffective or useless.
“徒勞”也是一個(gè)形容詞。這意味著無法產(chǎn)生預(yù)期的結(jié)果。它可能意味著無效或無用。
 
We worked on the project for hours, but failed to fix the problem. All of our attempts were futile.
我們在這個(gè)項(xiàng)目上工作了幾個(gè)小時(shí)，但未能解決問題。我們所有的嘗試都是徒勞的。
 
Voting for that candidate would be futile as he did not win the nominating election.
投票給該候選人將是徒勞的，因?yàn)樗麤]有贏得提名選舉。
 
Summary
概括
 
The main difference between these two words, is that with "futile" there is a goal or aim that can not be reached by the methods attempted. With "pointless" there is no goal or aim.
這兩個(gè)詞之間的主要區(qū)別在于，“徒勞”是指嘗試的方法無法達(dá)到的目標(biāo)或目的。“無意義”沒有目標(biāo)或目的。
 
Please let us know if these explanations have helped you, Aiping!
請讓我們知道這些解釋是否對您有所幫助， 愛平！
 
And that's Ask a Teacher.
那就是問老師。