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物，或者采集野果或野生植物生存下來。后來，一些人學會種植作物和養(yǎng)殖動物為食。他們就是最早的農民。

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世紀開始，farm這個詞的意思是農田。但是farm這個詞更早的意思與經濟有關。farm這個詞來自拉丁語firma，意思是固定費用。

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

專家稱，farm這個詞最早的意思是作為租金或稅收的年費。

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

英格蘭早期的農民沒有自己的土地。他們使用土地需要每年繳納費用。

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.

將農田用籬笆圍起來表明了農民如何認真地標記或保護自己的土地。

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這個詞來描述為防止經濟損失所采取的措施。

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。賭徒在一隊身上押了大注，但為防萬一，還會在另一隊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，你可能會說他是在雙面投機(hedging his bet)。生意可能會虧損，但不可能全部都虧損。

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

農民們都知道，把握時機(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候收割。所以，聰明的農民從來不會在陽光正好時拖延收集干草的時間，因為可能很快就會下雨。

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

聰明人會效仿農民，在條件合適時抓緊行事。

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，一個新生兒媽媽很快學會在孩子安靜下來時盡量睡覺，即使是在大中午。如果耽誤時間，她可能就會喪失睡覺的機會。因此，這個媽媽學會了把握時機。

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作物。但是beans在not worth a hill of beans這個短語中常用于描述沒什么價值的東西。這個短語在今天還經常用到。

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，這個短語最早見于700多年前。格洛斯特市的羅伯特稱德國國王帶給英國約翰王的消息完全一文不值。