听力文本

From VOA Learning English, this is Words and Their Stories.

In English, some people like to say that "Love makes the world go 'round." This means that of the many things we experience, love is the most important. And Valentine's Day is a time to celebrate love.

Let's start at the beginning.

Step 1: Meet someone

To be in love, you first have to meet someone special. When two people meet and really hit it off, they get along from the start. This is an informal expression -- something used in everyday speech. To hit it off does not mean that you and the other person are in love. At least not yet!

But let's say you meet someone and from the very first moment you set eyes on them, they seem to have a strange power over you. That is not simply hitting it off. That is what we call love at first sight.

Another informal saying is to have a crush on someone. Not only is crushing on someone informal, it is more likely to involve young people. So, you might hear a teenager say they have a crush on someone. A crush is usually not serious. A crush can also be called puppy love.

Again, these are all informal expressions. So it is better not to use these expressions in a formal way to talk about a love interest that is serious.

If you are nervous about getting closer to the object of your affections, you can say you admire them or love them from afar. This is something an adult might say.

When you are smitten with someone, you think of that person all the time. You hang on every word they say. They are your one and only. And you only have eyes for them, which means everyone else seems to just disappear.

If you meet someone and fall head over heels in love, you fall in love ... hard. True love can sweep you off your feet. Love can take your breath away. Love can make your heart beat faster and give you other physical symptoms that are similar to feeling sick.

Step 2: Become a couple

After you and that special someone are in a serious relationship, people might call you a match made in heaven. This does not mean that the two of you should be making plans for spending the afterlife together. And it doesn't mean that you met in a house of worship. A match made in heaven simply means two people have much in common or that each person makes the other better.

Another expression that means the same thing is soul mate. This is one way to describe a really close friend who understands you. If you love someone completely, you can say you love them with all your heart and soul.

"Heart and soul. I fell in love in with you heart and soul,

The way a fool would do -- madly, because you held me tight ..."

Step 3: Marry or break-up?

If your love relationship is going well, that special someone may pop the question. That is, "Will you marry me?

But sometimes love does not make it down the aisle. In other words, problems arise in the relationship before you get married.

If your relationship hits a difficult period, you can say it is on the rocks. This saying comes from boating. When a boat or ship is on the rocks, it runs aground and breaks apart. The expression "on the rocks" has been used to mean disasters since the late 1800s.

Neil Diamond sings about a relationship in trouble in his hit song, "Love on the Rocks."

"Love on the rocks ain't no surprise. Pour me a drink.

And I'll tell you some lies, Got nothing to lose, So you just sing the blues, all the time..."

Many relationships that are on the rocks end in a break-up.

But if your relationship ends, do not be sad for long. We have another expression in English: "It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

From VOA Learning English, I'm Anna Matteo. Happy Valentine's Day!

重点解析

1.hit it off 合得来；一见如故
But he wasn't obnoxious and I liked the volunteer work he did. We hit it off.
他并不讨人厌，而且我也喜欢他的志愿性工作。我们很合得来。

2.love at first sight 一见钟情
I think you can find out if there is a possibility of romance within the first second of meeting someone, so-called love at first sight.
我想你就能知道是否有可能和某个人相见一两次就恋爱，也就是所谓的一见钟情。

3.have a crush on sb 迷上某人
I sure do have a crush on her.
我确定我是是迷上她了。

4.puppy love 早恋
Xiao Chen, a Guanzhou high school student, believes "puppy love" can be divided into two kinds, corresponding to the school levels of students.
就读于广州某知名中学的小陈看来，早恋至少可以分为小学和中学两个阶段，家长的处理方式也应有所区别。

参考译文

这里是VOA学英语《词汇掌故》节目。

在英语中，有人喜欢说爱让世界转动。这意味着在我们经历的许多事情中爱情最为重要。而情人节就是庆祝爱情的时刻。

让我们从最开始讲起。

第一步：遇见某人

陷入爱情，你首先得遇见特别的人。当两人见面后一见如故，他们开始相处。这是一种非正式表达，只能应用于日常口语中。一见如故并不意味着两人陷入爱情，至少现在还没有。

但是假设你遇到一个人，从你看到她的那一刻起，她似乎就对你有一种魔力。这不是简单的一见如故，这就是我们所谓的一见钟情。

另一种非正式说法是对某人有好感。对某人有好感不但是一种非正式用法，而且它更多涉及的是年轻人。所以你可能听到一个少年说他对某人有好感。这种迷恋通常并不严重，它也可称之为早恋。

同样，这些也都是非正式表达。所以最好不要把这些表达用于正式地谈论一场认真的恋情。

如果你对越来越接近自己的爱慕对象感到紧张，你可以说，你仰慕她们或者远远地爱着她们。这是成年人可能说的话。

当你为某人着迷，你时刻想起她。你认真听她说的每句话。而且你的眼里只有她，意思是其他人似乎都消失了。

如果你遇见某个人，并且爱得死心塌地，也就是说你深深地陷入爱情。真爱会让你神魂颠倒。爱会让你无法呼吸。爱能让你心跳加速并且感觉到类似于生病这样的身体不适症状。

第二步：成为情侣

当你和那个特别的她开始认真恋爱，人们会称你们是天造地设的一对。这并不意味着你俩应该计划下辈子还在一起，这也并不意味着走入婚姻殿堂。天作之合只是意味着两人有很多共同点，两人能互相成就彼此。

另一种意思相同的表达就是灵魂伴侣。这用于描述一位非常了解你的密友。如果你彻底爱上某个人，你可以说你全身心地爱着她。

第三步：结婚或是分手

如果你们的恋爱关系进展顺利，那位特别的他可能会求婚，他会说，“你愿意嫁给我吗？”

但是有时候爱情并不能走向婚姻殿堂。换句话说，在你们结婚前，两人的关系就出现问题。

如果你们的关系陷入艰难时期，你可以说关系触礁。这种说法来自于划船运动。当一艘船触礁就会搁浅并且解体。触礁这种表达从19世纪后期以来一直用于指代灾难。

尼尔·戴蒙德在他的畅销歌曲《Love on the Rocks》中唱到了这种陷入麻烦的关系。

许多触礁的恋爱关系都以分手告终。

但是如果你们的恋爱关系结束了，不要难过太久。英语中还有一句表达：“爱过后失去，也胜于从未爱过。”

以上内容出自VOA学英语，我是安娜·马特奥。祝大家情人节快乐！