VOA慢速英語:How to Be a Good Egg and the Salt of the Earth

Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. We present more expressions about food. They are from Elenir Scardueli, a listener in Brazil.

現(xiàn)在是美國之音慢速英語詞匯掌故節(jié)目。今天我們介紹更多由巴西聽眾Elenir Scardueli提供的和食品相關(guān)的表達。

My mother always told us there is no use crying over spilled milk. That means you should not get angry when something bad happens and cannot be changed. People said my mother was a good egg. She would always help anyone in need. We never had to walk on eggshells around her. We did not have to be careful about what we said or did because she never got angry at us. She also told us you have to break some eggs to make an omelet. This means you have to do what is necessary to move forward.

媽媽總是告訴我們there is no use crying over spilled milk(不要為打翻的牛奶哭泣)，意思是不要為已經(jīng)發(fā)生，并無法挽回的不好的事情而生氣。人們說我媽媽是a good egg(好人)，她總是在別人需要時給予幫助。我們從不需要在她周圍walk on eggshells(如履薄冰、小心翼翼地)，意思是我們在說話和做事時不用異常謹慎，因為她從來不生我們的氣。她還告訴我們you have to break some eggs to make an omelet(有所得必有所失)，意思是做人要向前看。

My mother believed you are what you eat. A good diet is important for good health. She would always give us nutritious food. She liked serving us meat and potatoes for dinner. Meat and potatoes can also mean the most important part of something. It describes someone who likes simple things. Here is another expression about meat: one man’s meat is another man’s poison. In other words, one person might like something very much while another person might hate the same thing.

我媽認為you are what you eat(食如其人)，良好的飲食習(xí)慣對健康很重要。她總是給我們營養(yǎng)豐富的食物。她喜歡晚餐時給我們吃肉和土豆。Meat and potatoes同時還代表事物最重要的部分?；蛐稳菀粋€喜歡簡單事物的人。還有另一個和肉有關(guān)的短語：one man’s meat is another man’s poison(甲之蜜糖，乙之砒霜)。換句話說，一個人可能非常喜歡某樣?xùn)|西，而另一個人卻非常討厭這種東西。

My father was also a good and honest person. People said he was the salt of the earth. He would never pour salt on a wound, or make someone feel worse about something that was already a painful experience. However, sometimes he told us a story that seemed bigger than life. So we had to take it with a grain of salt. That is, we could not believe everything he told us.

我的父親也是一個誠實善良的人。人們說他是the salt of the earth(好人，或社會中堅、棟梁)。他絕不會pour salt on a wound(在別人的傷口上撒鹽)。然而，有時他會給我們講一些脫離生活的故事。我們必須take it with a grain of salt(加以分析，對某事持懷疑態(tài)度)，也就是說，我們不能對他一味相信。

My husband has a good job. He makes enough money to support our family. So we say he brings home the bacon. He can cut the mustard, or do what is expected of him at work. It is easy to find my husband in a crowd. He stands almost two meters tall. He is a tall drink of water.

我的丈夫有份好工作。他賺了足夠的錢來養(yǎng)家。所以我們說他brings home the bacon(掙錢養(yǎng)家)。他可以cut the mustard，意思是他在工作上能達到期望。在人群中很容易找到我丈夫，他身高近2米。他是a tall drink of water(大個子，大塊頭)。

I take the train to work. It is not a pleasant ride because the train can be full of people. It is so crowded that we are packed like sardines – just like small fish in a can.

我坐火車去上班。這不是一個愉快的車程，因為火車里擠滿了人。它是如此的擁擠，我們都packed like sardines(擠得像沙丁魚) - 就像罐頭里的小魚。

My supervisor at work is sometimes out to lunch. She is out of touch and does not always know what is going on in our office. Yet she is right about one thing: there is no such thing as a free lunch. Something may appear to be free of charge, but there may be a hidden cost.

我上司有時會out to lunch(魂不守舍)。意思是她脫節(jié)了不知道我們辦公室里發(fā)生了什么。然而有件事她是對的：there is no such thing as a free lunch(天下沒有免費的午餐)。有些東西看上去不用掏錢，但總有些隱含費用。

When we fail to see problems at work, my supervisor tells us to wake up and smell the coffee. We need to pay more attention and fix the problem.

當我們看不到工作中的問題，我上司告訴我們wake up and smell the coffee(清醒點)。我們需要更加集中精力來解決這個問題。

I once made a big mistake at the office and felt foolish. I had egg on my face.

有一次我在辦公室犯了一件大錯，感到自己好笨。我 had egg on my face(好尷尬、狼狽不堪)。

Over the weekend, my friend invited me to watch a football game on television. But I do not like football. It is not my cup of tea.

上周末，我朋友邀請我看電視上的足球比賽直播。但我不喜歡足球。It is not my cup of tea.(非我所愛，不是我的咖)

We hope this program has given you food for thought, that is, something to think about.

我們希望這個節(jié)目給您提供 food for thought(精神食糧，讓人思考的事物)，也就是說，一些讓人思考的東西。