(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Now, the VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories.
Every week at this time, the Voice of America tells about popular words and expressions used in the United States. Some of these words and expressions are old. Some are new. Together, they form the living speech of the American people.
Our story today is very old. It goes back about 5,000 years. It is about a sign that is used to represent some words.
We see this sign on drug stores and whenever we visit a doctor to get an order for medicine. It also appears on bottles of pills and other medicines.
The sign is formed by a line across the right foot of the letter "R." It represents the word "prescription." It has come to mean "take this medicine."
The sign has its beginnings 5,000 years ago in Egypt. At that time, people prayed to Horus, the god of the Sun. It was said that when Horus was a child, he was attacked by Seth, the demon of evil.
The evil Seth put out the eye of the young Horus. The mother of Horus called for help. Her cry was answered by Thoth, the god of learning and magic. Thoth, with his wisdom and special powers, healed the eye of Horus. And the child was able to see again.
The ancient Egyptians used a drawing of the eye of Horus as a magic sign to protect themselves from disease, suffering and evil. They cut this sign in the stones they used for buildings. And it was painted on the papyrus rolls used for writing about medicine and doctors.
For thousands of years, the eye of Horus remained as a sign of the god's help to the suffering and sick.
Long after the fall of the ancient Egyptian civilization, doctors and alchemists in Europe continued the custom of showing a sign of the gods' help and protection. But over the years, the sign changed from the eye of Horus to the sign for Jupiter, the chief god of the Romans. Jupiter's sign looked much like the printed number "four."
That sign changed, also. Today, it is the easily-recognized capital "R" with a line across its foot.
The sign no longer offers heavenly assistance to the sick. It now means "take this medicine."
This VOA Special English program Words and Their Stories was written by Frank Beardsley. The narrator was Maurice Joyce. I'm Warren Sheer.
文本为51VOA听写整理
译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载
词汇解释
1.prescription n. 药方；指示；惯例
The druggist dispensed a prescription.
药剂师照药方配了药。
2.papyrus n. 纸莎草；纸莎草纸
The Egyptians wrote on papyrus.
埃及人书写用薄草纸。
3.heal vt. 治愈，痊愈；和解
He could heal you of your pneumonia, you'd better go to see him as soon as possible.
他可以治好你的肺炎，你最好尽快去找他给你医治。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语词汇典故。
每周这个时候，美国之音都会讲些美国使用的常见词汇和表达，有的词汇和表达很古老，有的是新的。所有这些构成了美国人的日常用语。
我们今天讲的表达很古老，可以追溯到5000年前，是关于一些词的标志。
我们会在药店看到这个标志，看医生开处方也会看到这个它，它也会在很多药瓶上也都会出现。
这个标志由右下角被一条线穿过的字母R组成，代表“处方”这个词，意思是“服用此药”。
这个标志可追溯到5000年前的埃及，当时人们向太阳神荷鲁斯祈祷，据说荷鲁斯孩童时遭受邪恶之魔赛特的袭击。
邪恶之魔赛特取出小荷鲁斯的眼睛，荷鲁斯的母亲请求帮助，她的哭声得到学问和魔法之神托特的回应，托特运用智慧和特殊的力量治愈了荷鲁斯的眼睛，他恢复了光明。
古埃及人使用荷鲁斯的眼睛图案作为神奇标志来保护自己不受疾病、痛苦和恶魔的困扰，他们在用于盖房子的石头上刻下这个标志，也画在记述药物和医生的莎草纸花名册上。
几千年来，荷鲁斯的眼睛成为神保佑免受痛苦和疾病的标志。
古埃及文明没落后很多年，欧洲的医生和方术士们仍保留了这个传统，仍在使用显示神的庇佑和保护的这个标志。但多年来，这个标志从荷鲁斯的眼睛演化为罗马主神朱庇特。朱庇特的标志看上去很像印刷体数字“four”。
这个标志也发生了变化，今天成为更容易识别的字母R，右下角穿过一条线。
这个标志不再表示向神请求免受疾病的意思，意思是“服用此药。”
这里是美国之音慢速英语词汇典故栏目，作者弗兰克·比尔兹利，叙述者是莫里斯·乔伊斯，我是沃伦·谢尔。
