VOA慢速英語:Hey Greenhorn!
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By Marilyn Christiano
19 October, 2013
Now, the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.
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| First Lady Michelle Obama joins New Jersey school children to harvest the summer crop from the kitchen garden at the White House in Washington. |
Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.
Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing.
Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet ripe or finished. For example, a “greenhorn” is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the 15th century, a “greenhorn” was a young cow or ox whose horns had not yet developed. A century or so later, a “greenhorn” was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the 18thcentury, a “greenhorn” had the meaning it has today -- a person who is new in a job.
About 100 years ago, “greenhorn” was a popular expression in the American West. Old-timers used it to describe a man who had just arrived from one of the big cities back east. The “greenhorn” lacked the skills he would need to live in the hard, rough country.
Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have “a green thumb.” The expression comes from the early 1900s.
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| The famed Martin Droeshout engraving of William Shakespeare, printed on the cover of Shakespeare's first Folio, or first complete collection of his plays, printed in 1623. |
A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door "has a green thumb" if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.
"The Green Revolution" is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. "The Green Revolution" was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had "green thumbs."
Green is also the color used to describe the powerful emotion, jealousy. The "green-eyed monster" is not a frightening creature from outer space; it is an expression used about 400 years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play "Othello."
It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the "green-eyed monster" if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that "green-eyed monster" may affect your friend if you get a pay raise and she does not.
In most places in the world, a "green light" is a signal to move ahead. A "green light" on a traffic signal means your car can continue on. In everyday speech, a "green light" means "approval to continue with a project." We want you to know we have "a green light" to continue this series next week.
This VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories was written by Marilyn Christiano. I'm Warren Scheer.
Now, the VOA Special English program, Words and Their Stories.
這里是美國之音慢速英語詞匯掌故節(jié)目。
Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.
綠色是自然界中一種重要的顏色。它是青草和樹葉的顏色，也是大多數(shù)生長中的植物的顏色。
Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet ripe or finished.
有時，綠色意味著年輕、新鮮和成長中。有時，它用于描述一些尚未成熟或完成的東西。
For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no expereince, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today - a person who is new in a job.
例如，greenhorn是指沒有經(jīng)驗的新手。在15世紀，greehorn是指小母牛或角尚未長出來的公牛。一個世紀左右之后，greenhorn是指尚未有任何戰(zhàn)斗經(jīng)驗的士兵。到了18世紀，greenhorn就有了今天這種意思，它是指新手。
About one hundred years ago, greenhorn was a popular expression in the American west. Old-timers used it to describe a man who had just arrived from one of the big cities back east. The greenhorn lacked the skills he would need to live in the hard, rough country.
大約一百年前，greenhorn在美國西部是一個常用的表達。老一輩們用它來形容剛從美國東部大城市回來的一類人。這類人缺乏在這片艱難、崎嶇的土地上生活所需的技能。
Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early nineteen hundreds.
擁有讓植物長勢良好的能力的人被稱為精于園藝。這一表達來自20世紀早期。
A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.
園藝好手似乎擁有一種魔力，能夠讓植物長勢既快又好。如果在你花園中的植物死了很久之后，隔壁女人花園中的植物還在繼續(xù)生長，你可能就會說她是一個園藝好手。
The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.
綠色革命(Green Revolution)是指若干年前新型大米和其它谷物的大發(fā)展。這些新作物產(chǎn)量更高。綠色革命是擅長種植的農(nóng)業(yè)科學家辛勤工作的結(jié)果。
Green is also the color used to describe the powerful emotion, jealousy. The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play "Othello."
綠色還用于描述強烈的情感和妒忌。green-eyed monster(妒忌)不是指來自外太空的可怕生物，它是大約400年前英國作家莎士比亞在其劇本《奧賽羅》中用到的一種表達。
It describes the unplesant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay raise and she does not.
它描述了一個人當別人有他想要的東西時的不愉快感覺。一位年輕男子的女友如果跟別人走了，他可能就會遭受嫉妒的折磨?；蛘撸绻慵有搅?，而你朋友沒有，嫉妒就會影響到你朋友。
In most places in the world, a green light is a signal to move ahead. A green light on a traffic signal means your car can continue on. In everyday speech, a green light means approval to continue with a project. We want you to know we have a green light to continue this series next week.
在世界上大多數(shù)地方，綠燈(green light)是前進的信號。交通信號的綠燈意味著你的車可以繼續(xù)往前開。在日常用語中，綠燈是指項目被批準繼續(xù)進行。我們希望你知道，我們被開了綠燈，下周可以繼續(xù)這個系列的節(jié)目。
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