VOA慢速英語:父親節(jié)快樂！

這里是美國之音節(jié)目詞匯故事。

On the third Sunday in June, Americans take time to recognize and thank a special person in the family – fathers! Father's Day celebrates the importance of fathers, young and old, and the men thought of as father figures.

六月份的第三個(gè)周日是父親節(jié)。父親節(jié)當(dāng)天對(duì)父親來講，無論是年輕的爸爸還是年長的父親來講都是非常重要的一天。

"Like father, like son" is probably the most common father expression. It means a boy is very much like his father, and sons often do what their fathers did before them. This can be a good thing or a bad thing.

“like father，like son”這一短語可能是形容父親最常見的短語了。這個(gè)短語的意思是兒子非常像他的父親，兒子經(jīng)常會(huì)模仿著父親平常的言行舉止。所以這種現(xiàn)象亦好亦壞。

Harry Chapin's song, "Cat's in the Cradle," was popular in the 1970s. He sings about a father who did not spend time with his son. His son grew up to be a man who did not have time for his aging father. Like father, like son.

Harry Chapin的歌"Cat's in the Cradle,"在1970年代非常流行。他的這首歌講述的是一位父親沒有太多時(shí)間陪伴自己的兒子，然后兒子長大之后沒有時(shí)間陪伴自己的父親的故事。有其父必有其子。

"...And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me, he'd grown up just like me. My boy was just like me."

The words "the child is father of the man" come from the William Wordsworth poem "My Heart Leaps Up." It means people's personalities form when they are children. They will most likely have the same qualities as an adult that they had as a child.

"the child is father of the man"這一短語來自華茲華茲的詩"My Heart Leaps Up."意思是說一個(gè)人所擁有的個(gè)性都是兒時(shí)塑造的。小時(shí)候什么樣長大了就會(huì)什么樣，可以理解為“三歲看大”。

Used in everyday speech, one could say, "In his case, the child was father of the man; he loved nature as a child and now works as a botanist."

在平常說話的時(shí)候可以這么說，從他身上可以看出三歲看大這個(gè)理論，在他小的時(shí)候非常喜歡觀察自然，長大了之后他就成了一名植物學(xué)家。

Let's say you want to tell a child a story about something that happened long before they were born. You could say it happened when they "were just a twinkle in their father's eyes." This expression has a humorous and dreamy feel. Here, the word "twinkle" suggests the interest your father had in your mother.

當(dāng)你想要給孩子講一個(gè)故事，這個(gè)故事很久遠(yuǎn)，遠(yuǎn)到他們出生之前。你就可以說這個(gè)故事發(fā)生在”they were just a twinkle in their father's eyes."這種表達(dá)非常幽默也非常夢幻。"twinkle"這個(gè)詞在這里表達(dá)的是你的爸爸對(duì)你媽媽的傾慕。

When a much older man is interested in a much younger woman and supports her with his money, he is called her "sugar daddy." The money part is very important – that's the sugar.

當(dāng)一位年老的人看上了一位年輕女子，并且給她錢花，這種男人就叫做"sugar daddy."錢這部分非常重要，錢就是sugar。

Sometimes fathers are not a good influence or active in the lives of their children. In that case, a person may look for a father figure, a man who is not actually the person's father but who acts like one.

有些時(shí)候爸爸們?cè)谏钪胁]有給孩子們樹立良好榜樣。這種情況你可能就會(huì)找一個(gè)“father figure”，一個(gè)不是親老爸但是卻有老爸風(fēng)范的人。

The relationship between a man and his son can be complex.

兒子和父親之間的關(guān)系可能會(huì)非常復(fù)雜。

There is a time when the son wants to grow into his own man – something described often in literature. Author Tom Wolfe wrote about a father and son relationship in his 1987 book, "The Bonfire of the Vanities."

有一段時(shí)期文學(xué)作品中經(jīng)常會(huì)描寫一些兒子想要盡快成人的故事。作家Tom Wolfe就曾經(jīng)在1987年"The Bonfire of the Vanities."作品中寫過一個(gè)父親和兒子的故事。

"Sherman made the terrible discovery that men make about their fathers sooner or later... that the man before him was not an aging father but a boy, a boy much like himself, a boy who grew up and had a child of his own and, as best he could, out of a sense of duty and, perhaps love, adopted a role called Being a Father."

Rarely are father and son relationships as complex as they are in the film series "Star Wars." Luke Skywalker, the hero, fights against the evil Darth Vader. Then, Vader gives Luke the shock of his life.

很少有父子關(guān)系能像《星球大戰(zhàn)》中那樣復(fù)雜了。英雄Luke Skywalker與魔鬼Darth Vader爭斗。隨后Darth Vader向Luke說出了驚人的秘密。

The words "I am your father" are now part of American pop culture. And it's more fun if you say it like Darth Vader.

"I am your father"這句話現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)成為美國流行文化中的一部分。如果你像Darth Vader那樣說出這句話的時(shí)候會(huì)更加搞笑。

The relationship between a father and daughter is often simpler. The expression "daddy's little girl" is understood to mean that, in a father's eyes, his daughter can do no wrong.

而父親跟女兒之間的關(guān)系看起來會(huì)簡單一些。"daddy's little girl"這種表達(dá)是說在父親的眼里，他的女兒永遠(yuǎn)是最好的。

There is usually not a dry eye at any wedding during the traditional father-and-daughter dance, especially if they are dancing to a song like Michael Buble's "Daddy's Little Girl."

通常在婚禮上父親和女兒跳舞的時(shí)候很少有不哭的時(shí)候。尤其是像當(dāng)舞曲選擇Michael Buble的"Daddy's Little Girl."的時(shí)候。

I'm Anna Matteo.

To all the fathers out there – Happy Father's Day!

"You're the spirit of Christmas – the star on the tree. You're the Easter Bunny for mommy and me. You're sugar. You're spice. You're everything nice. And you're daddy's little girl."

Anna Matteo wrote this "Words and Their Stories." Jim Tedder voiced the part from "The Bonfire of the Vanities." George Grow was the editor.