听力文本

Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.

Thanksgiving. Just as it sounds, Thanksgiving is a holiday when people give thanks for all the good in their lives.

Americans celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November. Family and friends gather around the dinner table, eat a big meal together and say what they are thankful for.

In other words, they count their blessings.

Here is Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby singing "Count Your Blessings" in the 1954 movie "White Christmas."

"If you're worried and cannot sleep, count your blessing instead of sheep. And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings"

To count your blessing is to be grateful for all your good fortune in life. But sometimes we use it as a warning to people who may forget to be thankful.

Here's is an example of how to use it that way:

I am so mad at my mother-in-law. She has invited the whole family on a Mediterranean cruise even though she knows that I get sea sick.

You know, you should really count your blessings. You have a great family who loves you and wants to spend money on you! Be thankful. Some people have it much worse.

Good point.

A blessing is something that helps you or brings you happiness.

The word "blessing" comes from Old English, meaning "blood." As the word evolved, it borrowed from the Latin word that means to praise or worship – literally, "to speak well of."

The verb "bless" is a word you hear often in American English. This is because "Bless you!" is a common response to someone when they sneeze.

Ah-choo!

Bless you.

Speaking in a non-religious way, "bless" means to make something lucky or happy. In a religious way, "bless" means to ask God to care for, protect, or make something or someone holy.

And if a person talks about a blessed event they are talking about expecting a child. This is slightly romantic, a little formal and a lot religious. So, use accordingly.

And please take note of the difference between "blessed" and "bles-sed." "Blessed" is the past tense of the verb "bless," but "blessed" is the adjective.

The word "bless" definitely has religious roots and meanings. But we use the word in other expressions as well.

If something is a mixed blessing, it is both good and bad. For example, being beautiful can be a mixed blessing. You may get positive attention for your beauty. But people may also be too shy to talk to you or look at you as being not very smart.

We might also express this same meaning by saying something is a blessing and a curse.

A blessing in disguise is something that seems to be bad or unlucky at first sight, but actually turns out to be good.

For example, my trip to New York City was canceled. However, the cancellation was a blessing in disguise. A big snow storm hit and shut down all the airports. I would have been stranded at the airport for days.

Now blessing someone may sound like a good thing, but sometimes it is not.

When someone, often a woman, says bless her heart about another, it means she feels sorry for that person. She is usually expressing pity more than concern. Truth be told, it is often a way of insulting someone indirectly without making yourself look bad for doing so.

"Bless her heart" is a common expression in the southern U.S. states. So, it sounds more natural when pronounced with a slight southern accent.

However, when someone says another person is blessed with a quality or talent, they really mean it. For example, "He is blessed with athletic abilities." Or "She is blessed with a beautiful singing voice."

And we at VOA Learning English are especially blessed with a great audience who loves learning English! I'm Anna Matteo.

重点解析

1.give thanks for 感谢...
When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength.
当你早上醒来时时候，感谢一下清晨的阳光吧，因为它给予了你生命和力量。

2.count blessings 知足常乐
Count your blessings every day.
每天都要知足常乐。

3.get sea sick 晕船
I get sea sick sometimes when the sea is rough.
海浪大时我有时会晕船。

4.blessed event 福事（指婴孩的诞生）
The birth of a live healthy baby is a truly blessed event.
一个健康活泼的婴儿的出生真是一件可喜的事情。

参考译文

现在是VOA学英语《词汇掌故》节目。

感恩节，就像它的读音一样，感恩节是人们感谢生活中一切美好事务的一个节日。

美国人在11月的第四个星期四庆祝感恩节。亲朋好友齐聚一堂，一起吃顿大餐，并且说说自己感恩的事情。

换句话说，他们知足常乐。

以下是罗斯玛丽·克鲁尼和宾·克罗斯比在1954年上映的电影《白色圣诞节》中演唱《Count Your Blessings》。

“如果你愁得睡不着觉，数数自己的幸福而不是数羊。你就会在知足中睡着。”

数数自己的幸福就是感谢生活中的所有好运。但是有时候我们用这句话来提醒那些忘记感恩的人们。

以下就是这样应用的一个例子：

我对我的婆婆很生气。她已经邀请了全家人乘坐地中海游轮，即使她知道我晕船。

你得感恩。你有个爱你的大家庭，他们舍得给你花钱。要心存感激。有些人比你更惨。

说得好。

祝福能帮助你或者为你带来快乐。

Blessing这个词来自古英语，意思是血液。随着这个单词的演变，它从拉丁语中借来了赞美和崇拜的语义，从字面上来说，就是说好话。

祝福作为动词在美式英语中也经常听到。这是因为“上帝保佑你”是对有人打喷嚏时的常用回应。

阿嚏！

上帝保佑你！

在非宗教方面，bless意思是让一些事情变得幸运或快乐。在宗教方面，bless意思是祈求上帝照顾、保护，或使得某事或某人圣洁（即祝圣）。

而如果有人谈论一件blessed event，他们是在说期待婴孩降生。这略显浪漫，有点正式并且极具宗教意味。所以要相应地使用。

提醒大家注意blessed和bles-sed之间的区别。Blessed是动词bless的过去式，但是blessed是形容词。

Bless这个单词肯定具有宗教根源和意义。但是我们也在其它表达中用到这个单词。

如果事情喜忧参半，也就是有利有弊。例如，漂亮就是喜忧参半。你可能会因为美丽受到积极关注，但是人们也可能羞于和你交谈，或者视你为不是很聪明。

我们还能说某件事既是幸事又是祸根，这表达的是同样的意思。

因祸得福意思是最初看似不幸，但实际被证明是好事。

例如，我去纽约的行程被取消了。然而这次取消是因祸得福，一场大暴雪袭来让所有机场都关闭了。要不然我会一直在机场滞留好几天。

祝福某人可能听起来像是一件好事，但有时候事实并非如此。

当有人，通常是女人，对另一个人说bless her heart，意思是她对那个人心怀抱歉。通常她更多表达的是表示怜悯而不是关心。说实话，这通常是间接侮辱别人，而又不让自己看上去做得很恶劣的一种方式。

“Bless her heart”在美国南部各州是一种常用表达。因此，当我们用轻微的南方口音说出来的时候，听上去就更加自然。

然而，当有人说另一个人有幸获得某种品质或才能时，这就是他们的本意。例如，“他具备得天独厚的运动能力”，又或者，“她具备得天独厚的美丽歌声”。

而我们美国之音英语频道尤为有幸获得这么多热爱学习英语的伟大听众。我是安娜·马特奥。