(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Now, the VOA Special English program, Words and Their Stories.
Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.
Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet ripe or finished.
For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no expereince, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today - a person who is new in a job.
About one hundred years ago, greenhorn was a popular expression in the American west. Old-timers used it to describe a man who had just arrived from one of the big cities back east. The greenhorn lacked the skills he would need to live in the hard,rough country.
Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early nineteen hundreds.
A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.
The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.
Green is also the color used to describe the powerful emotion, jealousy. The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play "Othello."
It describes the unplesant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay raise and she does not.
In most places in the world, a green light is a signal to move ahead. A green light on a traffic signal means your car can continue on. In everyday speech, a green light means approval to continue with a project. We want you to know we have a green light to continue this series next week.
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This VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, was written by Marilyn Christiano. I'm Warren Scheer.
VOA英文文本来自51VOA，译文由可可原创，未经许可请勿转载。
词汇学习
1.ripe adj. 熟的，成熟的；时机成熟的
The ripe apples throw out a sweet,intense smell.
成熟苹果放出浓郁的香味。
2.greenhorn n. 生手；不懂世故的人；易受骗的人
He is a greenhorn in this field.
他在这个领域还是个新手。
3.green thumb 有特殊园艺才能
Mrs. Smith has a green thumb. Her garden is beautiful.
史密斯太太精于园艺，她的花园很漂亮。
4.pay raise 加薪；涨薪
The trade unions bargained away their rights in exchange for a small pay raise.
工会不惜牺牲自己的权利以换取微薄的加薪。
5.signal n. 暗号；预兆
Signals are made with flags or lamps.
用旗或灯传递暗号。
内容解析
1.A young man may suffer from the "green-eyed monster" if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else.
suffer from 忍受，遭受；患…病；受…之苦
How long have you been suffering from a headache?
你头痛有多久了?
Your son suffers from your excessive shielding.
你的过分袒护，反而害了你的儿子。
go out with 和…出去；与某人约会
Instant romance could be yours if you go out with friends.
如果和朋友聚会，可能会有一见钟情的浪漫情缘。
You could meet potential new mates if you go out with friends or take pleasure trips.
如果你和朋友聚会或是外出游览，你可能会交到新的恋人。
2.The new plants produced much larger crops.
much larger大得多
修饰比较是副词much的常见用法，“much + 比较级”的意思是“更……”“……得多”。如：
It’s much colder today than it was yesterday. 今天比昨天冷得多。
It was much worse than I thought. 它比我想像的还要糟得多。
We will be a much better football team next year. 明年我们将会成为一支更好的足球队。
参考译文
美国之音慢速学英语节目，这里是词语典故。
绿色是大自然中很重要的一种色彩，草地和树叶都是绿色的，大多数成长期的植物也都是绿色。
有时，绿色意思是年轻的、新鲜的、成长的。有时候，它指代那些不成熟或未完成的东西。
比如，greenhorn（初学者）是指没有经验的新手。在15世纪，greenhorn是指小母牛，或牛角尚未长出的公牛,Y24D)m%ni(nwonJ。大约一个世纪后，greenhorn是指还没有战场经验的士兵。到了18世纪，greenhorn就有了如今的含义，工作中的新手。
大约100年前，greenhorn在美国西部是一种流行的表达。老一辈用它来表示那些刚从东部大城市回来的人，这些人缺少在这样艰难、辛苦的土地上生活的技能。
能把植物种好的人被称为green thumb（精通园艺），这个表达起于19世纪早期。
园艺好手似乎有一种魔力，能使植物长得又快又好。如果你的植物都死了，而邻居家的花园还在成长，你就可以说邻家女子精通园艺。
绿色革命是指多年前水稻等谷物新品种带来的发展，这些新作物产量更高，绿色革命是那些精通园艺的农业科学家们辛苦工作的成果。
绿色还可用来表示一种强烈的感情：嫉妒。green-eyed monster（嫉妒）不是一种来自外太空的可怕生物。这个表达是大约400年前英国作家莎士比亚在剧本《奥赛罗》中用到的。
当别人有自己想要的东西时，就可表达这种不快的感觉。如果一个年轻人的女朋友和别人约会，他就会嫉妒。或者，如果你涨薪水了，而你朋友没有，她就可能会嫉妒。
在世界上的大多数地方，绿灯都表示可以通行。绿色的交通信号灯意味着汽车可以继续前行。在日常对话中，绿灯表示批准继续进行一个项目。我们希望你知道，下周我们会继续这个系列的节目。
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这就是今天的美国之音慢速学英语节目词语典故，由Marilyn Christiano编辑。我是Warren Scheer。
