VOA慢速英語:It's Not Worth a Hill of Beans!

Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

這里是美國(guó)之音慢速英詞匯掌故節(jié)目。

In the early days of human history, people survived by hunting wild animals, or gathering wild grains and plants for food. Then, some people learned to grow crops and raise animals for food. They were the first farmers.

在人類歷史早期，人們依靠捕食野生動(dòng)物，或者采集野果或野生植物生存下來。后來，一些人學(xué)會(huì)種植作物和養(yǎng)殖動(dòng)物為食。他們就是最早的農(nóng)民。

Since the sixteenth century, the word farm has meant agricultural land. But a much older meaning of the word farm is linked to economics. The word farm comes from the Latin word, firma, which means an unchanging payment.

自16世紀(jì)開始，farm這個(gè)詞的意思是農(nóng)田。但是farm這個(gè)詞更早的意思與經(jīng)濟(jì)有關(guān)。farm這個(gè)詞來自拉丁語firma，意思是固定費(fèi)用。

Experts say the earliest meaning of the English word farm was a yearly payment made as a tax or rent.

專家稱，farm這個(gè)詞最早的意思是作為租金或稅收的年費(fèi)。

Farmers in early England did not own their land. They paid every year to use agricultural lands.

英格蘭早期的農(nóng)民沒有自己的土地。他們使用土地需要每年繳納費(fèi)用。

In England, farmers used hawthorn trees along the edges of property. They called this row of hawthorns a hedge.

在英格蘭，農(nóng)民們沿著土地邊緣種植一排山楂樹，并稱其為籬笆。

Hedging fields was how careful farmers marked and protected them.

將農(nóng)田用籬笆圍起來表明了農(nóng)民如何認(rèn)真地標(biāo)記或保護(hù)自己的土地。

Soon, people began to use the word hedging to describe steps that could be taken to protect against financial loss.

很快，人們開始用Hedging這個(gè)詞來描述為防止經(jīng)濟(jì)損失所采取的措施。

Hedging is common among gamblers who make large bets. A gambler bets a lot of money on one team. But, to be on the safe side, he also places a smaller bet on the other team, to reduce a possible loss.

在巨額押注的賭徒中，兩面下注非常普遍。賭徒在一隊(duì)身上押了大注，但為防萬一，還會(huì)在另一隊(duì)身上押上稍小的注碼以減少可能的損失。

You might say that someone is hedging his bet when he invests in several different kinds of businesses. One business may fail, but likely not all.

如果某人在多門不同類型的生意上分別投資，你可能會(huì)說他是在雙面投機(jī)(hedging his bet)。生意可能會(huì)虧損，但不可能全部都虧損。

Farmers know that it is necessary to make hay while the sun shines.

農(nóng)民們都知道，把握時(shí)機(jī)(make hay while the sun shines)是非常必要的。

Hay has to be cut and gathered when it is dry. So a wise farmer never postpones gathering his hay when the sun is shining. Rain may soon appear.

干草必須在干燥的時(shí)候收割。所以，聰明的農(nóng)民從來不會(huì)在陽光正好時(shí)拖延收集干草的時(shí)間，因?yàn)榭赡芎芸炀蜁?huì)下雨。

A wise person copies the farmer. He works when conditions are right.

聰明人會(huì)效仿農(nóng)民，在條件合適時(shí)抓緊行事。

A new mother, for example, quickly learns to try to sleep when her baby is quiet, even in the middle of the day. If the mother delays, she may lose her chance to sleep. So, the mother learns to make hay while the sun shines.

例如，一個(gè)新生兒媽媽很快學(xué)會(huì)在孩子安靜下來時(shí)盡量睡覺，即使是在大中午。如果耽誤時(shí)間，她可能就會(huì)喪失睡覺的機(jī)會(huì)。因此，這個(gè)媽媽學(xué)會(huì)了把握時(shí)機(jī)。

Beans are a popular farm crop. But beans are used to describe something of very little value in the expression, not worth a hill of beans. The expression is often used today.

豆類是一種常見的農(nóng)作物。但是beans在not worth a hill of beans這個(gè)短語中常用于描述沒什么價(jià)值的東西。這個(gè)短語在今天還經(jīng)常用到。

You could say, for example, that a bad idea is not worth a hill of beans.

例如你可以說，那個(gè)爛主意一文不值(not worth a hill of beans)。

Language expert Charles Earle Funk said the expression was first used almost seven hundred years ago. He said Robert of Gloucester described a message from the King of Germany to King John of England as altogether not worth a bean.

語言專家查爾斯·芬克( Charles Earle Funk)表示，這個(gè)短語最早見于700多年前。格洛斯特市的羅伯特稱德國(guó)國(guó)王帶給英國(guó)約翰王的消息完全一文不值。