(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.
Many expressions in American English come from the world of religion. Some common idioms are based on high, religious ideals. But today we look at the bad or evil side of religion.
The Devil is the most powerful spirit of evil in Christianity, Islam and other religions. The devil is clearly at work in these idioms and expressions.
Speaking of the devil, to speak of the devil means to talk about someone at the same time the person appears. Here's an example,
"John and I are going to the movies tonight and ... hey, speak of the devil! Here comes John now.
"Hey John! We were just talking about you ... and speak of the devil you appear."
Keep in mind, this expression does not mean that you think the individual is bad or evil.
It's just an issue of timing. But there are many devil expressions that do refer to bad behavior.
And sometimes when we behave badly, we blame the devil. We say the devil made me do it.
Or we say something or someone brings out the devil in us. This means we blame someone else for our bad behavior. Let's use it in a sentence.
"Boy, you are like a different person when your old friend from college comes around."
"I know. I just can't behave when he's around. He really brings out the devil in me."
When we use this idiom, we really don't mean evil behavior –more like being mischievous or causing light-hearted trouble. This is different than having a devil-may-care attitude.
Having a devil-may-care way of thinking means you are willing to push the limits more than most people. And you really don't care what others think.
There is also the daredevil. A daredevil is a wild person who likes acting dangerously. A daredevil is, well, daring the devil – which can get you into trouble.
So, it's good to keep busy and out of trouble. And this is where the expression idle hands are the devil's workshop comes from. The word idle means inactive or not working. And some people believe that keeping busy keeps you out of trouble.
But there are some people who team up with the devil. They play devil's advocate. To play devil's advocate is a very useful expression. It has a lot of meaning in just two words.
When you play devil's advocate you say things you do not really believe just to start an argument or discussion. And, actually, this is often used in a good way.
Exactly. I could say, "Let me play devil's advocate for a minute so we can see the other side of this issue."
And teachers often play devil's advocate to create interesting discussions in the classroom.
But to make a deal with the devil is usually a bad idea. It means you want something so badly that you are willing to sacrifice something important for it – like your soul.
Often what you sacrifice is not really your soul but rather your morals or self-esteem. But you don't have to sell your soul or make a deal with the devil to improve your English. Simply listen to VOA Learning English.
I'm Jonathan Evans.
文本来自51voa，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.Christianity n. 基督教；基督教精神，基督教教义
He converted to Christianity that day.
那天他改信了基督教。
2.mischievous adj. 淘气的；（人、行为等）恶作剧的；有害的
She rocks back and forth on her chair like a mischievous child.
她在椅子上前后晃动，像个调皮的孩子。
3.light-hearted adj. 轻松的；无忧无虑的
I was amazingly light-hearted and peaceful.
我当时出奇地轻松和平静。
4.self-esteem n. 自尊；自负；自大
Poor self-esteem is at the centre of many of the difficulties we experience in our relationships.
缺乏自尊心是我们在社交中所经历的许多困难的核心所在。
内容解析
1.But there are some people who team up with the devil.
team up with 与…合作，与…协作
He didn't want to team up with anybody.
他不想与任何人合作。
It's a pleasure team up with such excellent workers.
和这样出色的工人一起干活真愉快。
参考译文
这里是美国之音慢速英语词汇典故。
美语中有很多表达来自宗教界，有些常见的习语都基于崇高的宗教信仰，但今天我们来看看宗教的不良或邪恶的一面。
魔鬼是基督教、伊斯兰教等宗教中最强大的魔灵，魔灵显然会出现在这些习语和表达中。
说到魔鬼，to speak of the devil意思是“说曹操到曹操就到”，这里有个例子：
“我和约翰准备今晚去看电影，说曹操到曹操就到，看约翰来了！”
“嗨，约翰，我们刚才还谈到你呢，真是说曹操到曹操就到。”
但要记住的是，这个表达并不意味着你认为某个人是坏人或邪恶的。
这只是个时机问题，但还有很多与魔鬼有关的表达，其意义与不好的行为有关。
有时候我们行为不端时，我们会归咎于魔鬼，我们会说是鬼迷心窍。
或者我们会说某物或某人给我们招来了魔鬼，意思是我们将自己的不良行为归咎于别人，看看下面的例子：
“小伙子，当你大学老朋友出现时你像是换了个人似的。”
“我知道，他一来我就不规矩，他把规模召唤过来了。”
当我们使用这个习语时，并不是真的指恶行，更像是恶作剧，或者小捣蛋。这和无所顾忌(devil-may-care attitude)是不同的。
无所顾忌的想法意味着你挑战大多数人的极限，你根本不在乎别人怎么想。
还有种说法是冒失鬼(daredevil)，冒失鬼就是行为不羁的狂人，冒失鬼敢于挑战魔鬼，他们会给你带来麻烦。
所以，忙碌得不惹麻烦最好，“游手好闲惹是生非”这种说法就是这么来的，idle的意思是无所事事，有的人认为忙碌能让人远离麻烦。
但也有会和魔鬼同行，他们故意唱反调，To play devil's advocate是个很实用的常用表达，短短两个词意义却很多。
当你唱反调的时候，你会说些并非真心的话，这样做只是为了引发争论或谈论。事实上这通常是褒义。
没错，我会说，“我故意唱反调是为了看到事情的另一面。”
教师们会经常在课堂上唱反调来引发有趣的讨论。
但和魔鬼做交易通常是个坏主意，这意味着你非常想要某样东西，甚至愿意去牺牲某些重要的东西来得到它，比如牺牲你的灵魂。
往往你牺牲的不是灵魂，而是道德或自尊。但要提高英语，你没有必要出卖灵魂或与魔鬼做交易，只要收听美国之音英语学习节目就行了。
我是乔纳森·伊万斯。
