(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
And now, it's time for the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.
In some parts of the world, April is a time of thunderstorms and lots of rain. In the U.S. we even have a rhyme to describe it: April showers bring May flowers.
This rhyme does not simply describe a weather event. It reminds us that even something bad or inconvenient -- in this case, rain -- can bring something good -- in this case, flowers!
We will talk about flowers expressions another time. Today, let's talk about rain.
Even though rain is necessary for nature, many expressions use rain to represent troubles, loneliness or hard times.
To rain on someone's parade is to question their positive attitude or to ruin their good time. Someone who rains on another person's "parade" is usually trying to introduce a note of caution or practical advice. This person may not mean to make the other person feel bad, but raining on someone's parade can really kill a good mood.
By the way, this is a fixed expression. So, you shouldn't say, "Don't rain on my picnic!" or "Don't rain on my baseball game!" People will have no idea what you're talking about.
In the musical "Funny Girl," Barbara Streisand's character just wants to live her life in her way. She doesn't want others to stop her from trying to achieve her dreams. So, she warns people, "Don't rain on my parade."
"Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade. Don't tell me not to fly. I've simply got to. If someone takes a spill it's me not you. Who told you you're allowed to rain on my parade!"
No one has a perfectly happy life all the time. A poetic way to express that thought is to say into each life a little rain must fall.
Here is singer Ella Fitzgerald complaining that she is not getting more than her fair share of suffering.
"Into each life some rain must fall. But too much is falling in mine."
When it rains, it pours is another popular expression. This means when one bad thing happens, many other things often follow. Now, there isn't any science to support this. Perhaps it just feels that way when it's happening to you.
This is too good of an expression not to be in a country song. Merle Haggard uses it this way:
"When it rains it pours. It all seems so sad. Before it's over, it will wash away all I had."
Some people are so happy, so excited or so in love that they don't let anything -- including the weather -- stop them from doing something.
Come rain or come shine means you are not going to let anything stop you. Many people have sang the Johnny Mercer song "Come Rain or Come Shine." Here, it is Ray Charles who tells his love that he will love her no matter what.
"I'm gonna (going to) love ya (you), like no one's loved you, come rain or come shine. High as a mountain, deep as a river, come rain or come shine."
Sometimes, though, you can't do what you want come rain or shine. Sometimes rain does affect your plans.
Let's say you plan a big outdoor party for all your friends. Unfortunately, on the day of the party, it rains cats and dogs – in other words, it rains really heavily. You will have to reschedule. Your guests can take a rain check and come back another time.
"Rain check" comes from the early days of baseball. If a baseball game was canceled because of rain, attendees were given a piece of paper -- a rain check -- allowing them to come back on a different day to see the game.
So, when you take a rain check on something you will have to wait before you can do it.
In comparison, when you save something for a rainy day, you choose to put it safely away for future use. Usually we use this expression for saving money. But you can save anything for a rainy day.
Up until now, all these rain expressions use the wet weather as a hardship, sadness, inconvenience or difficulty that a person must overcome.
One exception is the expression right as rain. If something is "right as rain" it is perfectly fine.
For example, let's say you hurt your back playing sports. You could tell your friends not too worry and that you'll be right as rain in a week or two. Some word experts say that "rain" is used in this expression simply for its "r" sound. "Right" and "rain" sound good together.
And that brings us to the end of this program. But come rain or shine, we will be back next week with another Words and Their Stories.
Let us know if you have any rain expressions in your language in the Comments Section.
I'm Anna Matteo.
重点解析
1.a note of caution 注意事项
Others consider the move premature and have sounded a note of caution.
其他人认为采取这个行动为时尚早，对此提出了警告。
2.more than your fair share of （超过）你公平分享的东西
I know you've already seen more than your fair share of hard times.
我知道你们已经经历了太多艰难时日。
3.take a rain check 改天;改期进行;延期;改天吧
I was planning to ask you in for a brandy, but if you want to take a rain check, that's fine.
我本打算请你到家里喝杯白兰地，但如果你想改天，那也可以。
参考译文
现在是VOA学英语《词汇掌故》时间。
在世界的一些地方，四月是一个雷暴和多雨水的季节。在美国，我们甚至有句顺口溜讲的就是这个：四月雨带来五月花（April showers bring May flowers）。
这句顺口溜并不简单地描述天气。它是警醒我们即使一些不好的或者麻烦的事物——这里指的是雨——也能带来好的事物——例子里的就是指花！
我们下次再聊关于花的表达。今天，让我们聊聊雨（rain）。
尽管雨水对于自然是有必要的，但是许多表达用雨来代表麻烦，孤独或是困难时期。
“rain on someone's parade（使某人扫兴）”指的是质疑人们的积极态度或者毁掉人们的开心时刻。某人使另一个人扫兴通常会试图提出一个注意事项或实际的建议。这个人也许并不是故意要让另一个人感觉不好，但是扫兴真得会让人心情不好。
顺便提下，这是个固定表达。所以，你不能说“别影响我对野炊的兴致”（Don't rain on my picnic）或是“别影响我对棒球比赛的兴致”（Don't rain on my baseball game），人们会不知道你在说什么。
在音乐剧《妙女郎》里，芭芭拉·史翠珊饰演的角色只想以自己的方式过自己的生活。她不愿别人阻碍她追寻梦想。所以，她警告那些人，“不要扫兴。”
“不要带给我麻烦，使我扫兴。不要和我说不要飞翔。我必须这样做。如果有人跌倒，摔的也是我，不是你。谁准许你扫我的兴的！”
没有人一直过着完美幸福的生活。诗意一点的方式说这句话就是“人生总有失意时（into each life a little rain must fall）”。
下面是歌手艾拉·费兹杰拉的幽怨。她承受了太多的痛苦。
“人生总有失意时。但我的一生，太多太多不如意。”
“When it rains, it pours（祸不单行）”是另一个很受欢迎的表达。这句话的意思是当一件坏事发生时，许多其他坏事也会跟着一起来。现在没有任何科学依据证明这种说法。也许只是当你遇到这些事情的时候，会感觉是那样。
这个表达用在乡村音乐里再合适不过了。梅尔·哈格德是这样应用它的：
“屋漏偏逢连夜雨。一切似乎都如此糟糕。等这一切结束，我将失去所有。”
有些人太开心，太兴奋或是太喜欢，他们不会让任何事情（包括天气）阻止他们做一些事情。
“风雨无阻（Come rain or come shine）”意思是没有任何事情能阻拦你。许多人唱过强尼·莫瑟的《风雨无阻》。这里的这首是雷·查尔斯的，歌中他告诉他的爱人，无论发生了什么，他都会爱着她。
“我要给你，独一无二的爱，不论发生什么。不管山多高，水多深，风雨无阻。”
有时候，你不能风雨无阻地去做你想做的事情。因为有时下雨确实会影响你的计划。
比如，你和你的朋友们计划开一个户外派对。不幸地是，派对那天，大雨倾盆（it rains cats and dogs），也就是说，雨下得很大。你需要改日期。客人们可以改天（take a rain check）再聚。
“可延期使用的票（Rain check）”源自早期的棒球比赛。如果一场比赛因为下雨的缘故取消了，观众会拿到一张纸，一张可延期使用的票，这张票能让他们在别的日子来看比赛。
那么，当你某事改天了，你就要等等才能去做这件事情了。
相较而言，当你为了以防不时之需（save something for a rainy day），你会选择把它安全地放在一边以备将来使用。通常情况下，这个表达被用来表示存钱。但你可以储备任何事物以备不时之需。
直到现在，所有这些“雨”的表达用阴雨天来表示一个人必须克服的困难，悲伤，麻烦或者困境。
有一个例外的表达就是“一切正常（right as rain）”。如果某物一切正常，那它就是非常好。
例如，假设你在运动的时候伤了背。你可以告诉你的朋友不要太担心，你一两周内就会好了。一些文字学专家说“rain”用在这个表达里只是因为它“r”的发音。“right”和“rain”在一起读起来听着挺好听。
到了我们的节目尾声了。但是风雨无阻，我们下周会带着新的一期《词汇掌故》回来的。
如果你的语言里有和“雨（rain）”相关的表达，在评论区留言给我们。
我是安娜·马特奥。
