(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Now, the weekly program Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.
On this program, we explore the history and usage of common expressions in American English. And we give examples so that you can learn to use them yourself.
Sometimes we talk about a very simple term – like the word "take."
But "take" is not as simple as it sounds. In fact, the Oxford English Dictionary calls it one of the "elemental words of the (English) language."
Many expressions using the word "take" first appeared in American English years ago and have not changed at all. For example, the website Etymology Online says the saying take it or leave it was first used in the late 19th century. But you can find this phrase commonly used and in many different situations.
The phrase to take it out on someone or something means to express anger at someone or something. It is a sign of misplaced anger. One website says this expression was first used in 1840. Today you can often hear it in conversational speech.
Let's say your friend lost his job. He is angry and shouts at you for something unrelated. You can say to him, "Look I know you're upset. But don't take it out on me. I didn't fire you!"
Taking it out on someone is very different from having a give-and-take with someone. Give-and-take is the process opposing sides go through to reach an agreement. It's a compromise. Both sides give up something they want but also take something they want. Give-and-take can also mean the act of exchanging ideas or comments.
If you take after someone, it means you seem to be like them in some way. If Felix is very much like his father, you could say he takes after his father.
If you are simply taken by someone, you either show complete respect for or are totally in love with the person. For example, "She is really taken with the new man in the office. He is all she talks about!"
"Take" can also be used as a noun. And it has several meanings.
Take can be money collected during a performance of something. If you are a criminal, your take is your share of what was stolen.
But when using the word "take," the situation is very important. If I ask you what your take is, I am asking for your opinion about something. For example, "give me your take on this year's election."
Combining the verb "take" with any number of prepositions is where the fun really starts.
Let's start with the term take away. Take away when used as a combination noun is what you learned from something. For example, "What was your take away from the meeting today?"
Take off means something really progressed quickly. You could say, "Her career in politics really took off when she moved to Washington, D.C."
Yet the adjective take-out is very different. "Take-out" describes the food you buy from a restaurant and bring home to eat. Chinese take-out meals are very popular in the United States.
However, if are tired of spending money on Chinese take-out, you can take up Chinese cooking. This means you are learning how to do it. You can also take up an instrument or take up a hobby like painting.
Change the order of those two words and you have "uptake." Uptake is the process by which something is taken in by the body or a plant. But that is not the way we often use it in every day speech. "Uptake" also means the ability to learn new things, to understand what is happening or being said – as in this example:
Hello, miss. Fill out this form and give me your health insurance card. The doctor will see you shortly.
You want me to fill out my health insurance and give it to the doctor?
No. Just complete this insurance form and give ME the form.
Sorry, I'm a little slow on the uptake. I don't know what is wrong with my brain today.
You can also use the expression "uptake," like this: "He's kind of slow on the up-take." This means he is slow to understand a situation.
If all this information is too much, you might want to take five, or take a break.
Take five is what actors, dancers and musicians say when they want to take a break. But these days anyone can say "take five" if they need a little rest from work. Word historians say this expression was first used in the late 1920s. It may have come from the fact that smoking a cigarette takes about five minutes.
But please do not think that we are expressing support for smoking. If we did that, we would have to take on anti-smoking health activists around the world.
To take on has several meanings.
In our example, it means to deal with someone or something as an opponent. You can also take on new responsibilities. Then the phrase means to begin performing or to deal with something, such as she took on the job of manager after Steve resigned.
But to take on can also mean to get control of or to become like something, as in this example: "On the day of the celebration, the boring city's town center took on the air of a happy carnival."
You can add the word "take" to word combinations and create new expressions.
For example, if people take something for granted, they do not place much value on it. Or you believe it to be true, real or expected. This is a very common expression. For example, if you take your friends for granted, you may not have friends for very long. It's better to let your friends know that you value them.
Unless that friend takes you for a ride. If you are taken for a ride, you are fooled by someone.
If you take a plunge, you act bravely and with determination. This expression began in the late 1800s. And if you take a back seat to someone or something you have assumed the secondary position of importance to them.
The criminal world of the 1930s is responsible for at least two "take" expressions.
To take the rap means to accept punishment for something you didn't do. And to be on the take means to take money from criminals.
And if you take the money and run, you are a criminal.
To take into account means to consider something. For example, when the man planned his trip to Hawaii, he did not take into account the cost of fuel. He went over-budget by several hundreds of dollars.
If someone tells you to take it easy, they want you to calm down. Taking it easy can also mean to simply relax and do nothing.
So, do you see what we mean? The word "take" has so many uses. You can take our word for it. That means you can trust us.
I'm Jonathan Evans.
And I'm Anna Matteo.
重点解析
1.take up 拿起；开始从事；占据(时间,地方)
He did not particularly want to take up a competitive sport.
他并没有特别想要开始从事竞技性运动项目。
2.Chinese cooking 中国式烹饪;中餐烹饪;中国烹饪;中国烹调
I like Chinese food very much and I think Chinese cooking is the best in the world.
我非常喜欢中国饭菜，并且我认为中国的烹饪是世界上最好的。
3.health insurance card 医疗保险卡;健保卡
ome areas can directly use the Health insurance card to buy drugs, while other areas must hold an invoice back to health insurance reimbursement.
有些地区可以直接在医保药店刷卡买药，有些地区则必须拿着发票回到医保所在地报销。
4.fill out 填，填写（表格等）;（很瘦的人）发胖，长胖
Actually we do have a position in mind. Why don't you fill out our application?
实际上我们的确在考虑一个职位，你先填一下我们的求职表好吗？
参考译文
这里是每周的VOA学英语《词汇掌故》节目。
我们的节目探索美语常见表达的渊源和用法。我们会给出例子这样你也能学会使用它们。
有时我们会聊一个很长简单的词——比如，单词“take”。
但是“take”并不像它听起来那么简单。实际上，牛津英文辞典把它列为“（英语）基本词汇”之一。
美语里首次大量出现带“take”的表达是在几年前，这些表达也一直没变。例如，《词源在线》网站声称“take it or leave it（要么接受要么放弃）”是在19世纪晚期首次使用。但你会发现这个短语在不同情境下都有使用。
短语“拿某人或某事出气（to take it out on someone or something）”意思是对某人或者某事表达愤怒的情绪。这是乱发脾气的表现。一个网站称这个表达在1840年第一次使用。今天你能经常在谈话中听到这个短语。
比方说你的朋友丢了工作。他因为一些无关紧要的事情对你生气或者大喊大叫。你可以对他说，“听着，我知道你很烦恼。但是不要拿我出气。不是我把你开除的！”
“拿某人出气（Taking it out on someone）”和“与某人妥协（having a give-and-take with someone）”有很大区别。“与某人妥协”是指对立双方为达成协议所经历的过程。这是一种妥协。双方都放弃部分自己想要的，同时也得到部分自己想要的。“Give-and-take（互让）”也能指双方交换想法或者意见的行为。
如果你与某人相像（take after someone），它的意思是你和他们在某方面很像。如果菲力克斯和他的父亲很像，你可以说他长得像他父亲。
如果你完全被某人迷住（taken by someone），你要么就是特别尊敬某人，要么就是彻底爱上某人了。例如，“她完全被办公室新来的男同事迷住了。她说的全是关于他的事情！”
“Take”也可以被用作名词。它有几种意思。
“Take”可以指表演挣来的钱。如果你是一个罪犯，那么“take”就代表你的那份盗窃款。
但是当使用“take”这个词时，情境是非常重要的。如果我问你你的“take”是什么，我是在询问你对于某事的意见。例如，“告诉我你对于今年选举的意见。”
将动词“take”和任何数量的介词组合起来才是真正有趣的开始。
让我们从词组“take away”开始。当“Take away”用作组合名词时是指你从某事中学到的东西。例如，“今天的会议你有什么收获？”
“Take off”意思是某事的进程突飞猛进。你可以说，“她的政治生涯在她搬到华盛顿之后真得突飞猛进啊！”
形容词的“take-out”很特别。“take-out”是指你从餐馆买食物带回家去吃。中式外带餐在美国非常受欢迎。
但是如果你厌倦了花钱买外带中餐，你可以开始学习（take up）中式烹饪。这意思是你开始学习怎么做中餐。你也可以开始学习一种乐器或者你可以培养一种爱好，比如画画。
改变下这两个单词的位置你可以得到“uptake（吸收）”。“Uptake”是指人体或者植物吸收某物的过程。但是我们平时日常交际里不是它的这种用法。“Uptake”也可以指学习新事物的能力，理解发生的事情或者说的内容——正如这个例子：
你好，女士。填一下这张表，给我你的医保卡。医生很快就会给你看的。
你要我填好我的医疗保险然后把它交给医生？
不是的。只需要填好这张保险表格，然后把表格给我，不是医生。
不好意思，我反应有点慢。我也不知道我今天脑子怎么了。
你也可以这样用“uptake”这个表达，“他反应有点慢。”这意味着他对情境的理解很慢。
如果信息量有点大，你也许想休息五分钟（take five），或者休息一下（take a break）。
“Take five”是演员，舞蹈家，音乐家想要休息时候说的话。但如今当谁想休息一会不工作的时候，都可以说“Take five”。文字学家说这个表达最早使用是在20世纪20年代晚期。它也许源自于抽烟需要大约五分钟的事实吧。
但请不要误会我们不是在表达我们支持抽烟。如果我们那样做了，我们将不得不与世界各地的反吸烟健康活动家较量（take on）了。
“take on”有好几种意思。
在我们的例子里，它的意思是作为对手与某人或某物打交道。你也可以承担新的责任（take on new responsibilities）。然后这个短语还指开始着手或者处理某事，比如，她在史蒂夫辞职后开始接手经理的工作。
但“take on”也可以表达控制或者变得像某事物，正如这个例子：“在庆贺那天，这个无聊城市的市中心呈现出欢乐的狂欢节气氛”。
你可以把单词“take”和其他词组合形成新的表达。
例如，如果人们认为某事理所当然（take something for granted），人们便不会多重视它。或者你相信它是对的，真的或者只是你期盼的。这是一个非常常见的表达。例如，如果你不把朋友当回事，那你也许不会有长久的友情。最好是让你的朋友知道你很看重他们。
除非那个朋友欺骗你（takes you for a ride）。如果你被骗了，你就是被某人愚弄了。
如果你决定冒险一试（take a plunge），你表现得勇敢决绝。这个表达始于19世纪末。如果你让位于某人或者针对某事退居二线（take a back seat to someone or something），那么你对他们来说就处于次要地位了。
20世纪30年代的犯罪世界至少和两个“take”的表达有很大关系。
“take the rap（受处罚）”意思为你没有做的事情接受惩罚。“be on the take（受贿）”意思是从罪犯那儿拿钱。
如果你拿了钱且跑了，你就是一个罪犯。
“take into account”意思是考虑某事。例如，当一个男人计划他的夏威夷之旅，他不会考虑到燃料的费用。他的花费超支了几百美元。
如果某人告诉你放轻松（take it easy），他们是想让你放轻松，“take it easy”也可以指放松放松，什么事也不干。
所以，你明白我们要说什么了吗？单词“take”有如此多的用法。这点你可以相信我们（take one's word）。那意思是你可以信任我们。
我是乔纳森·埃文斯。
我是安娜·马特奥。
