(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Now, the VOA Learning English program, Words and Their Stories.
The cross is an ancient symbol in many cultures and religions. It is closely linked, of course, with the Christian church. The cross was also a sacred symbol to the Egyptians and to the Aztecs in Mexico. Scandinavian cultures also used crosses to mark the edges of their territory.
Today, we use the word "cross" in many expressions that seem to have little direct connection to religious beliefs.
For example, one way of wishing good luck to a friend is to tell them that you will keep your fingers crossed for whatever they are trying to do.
Sometime we don't say anything. We often just cross two of our fingers to wish them luck. But, more often, just saying the expression is believed to be enough to help bring success.
Crossing the fingers when making a wish may be a tradition many hundreds of years old. It probably has its roots in the ancient Christian belief that making the sign of the cross would keep away evil spirits and bad luck.
Years ago, children would cross their fingers when they were telling a small lie. It is an old belief that if you cross your fingers while you tell a lie, you won't get caught lying and, therefore, won't be punished.
However, over the years, children most likely have unhappily discovered that crossing their fingers offers no such protection. Perhaps that explains why most children these days do not cross their fingers for luck.
Now, some children may use another old expression -- cross my heart. Children might say this when they want to prove that they are really and truly telling the truth about something.
A child may make an "X" over their heart with their finger while saying it. Language expert Charles Earle Funk says "cross my heart," and crossing the heart with the finger, probably come from the Roman Catholic Church tradition of making the sign of the cross.
Funk also says that many years ago, children in the United States often said this: "Cross my heart and hope to die and hope the cat will spit in your eye."
They don't say this anymore. No one does. In fact, this is the first time that I have heard of this expression.
But I have heard it said this way: "Cross my heart and hope to die and stick a needle in my eye." This means that, in order to convince others that they are telling the truth, a child is willing to die and have a needle painfully stuck into the eye.
Now, besides children protesting their innocence -- we use the word "cross" in many other ways.
To double cross does not mean to cross yourself twice. This means to betray someone, especially someone who trusts you. "Double-crosser" is not a name you want. Nobody trusts a double-crosser.
To have your wires crossed is different. This simply means two people fail to understand each other. There is no purposeful or planned attempt to betray one another.
Merriam Webster's dictionary says that this expression is used between two people. This is because the origin of this expression comes from the early days of using the telephone. When two wires came in contact with each other, phone conversations could be mixed up.
However, we also use this common expression to mean someone simply made a mistake -- all on their own. For example, "I must have gotten my wires crossed. I thought the party was on Saturday, not Sunday."
Now, there is no case of mistaken information if you are at cross purposes with someone. This expression began in the 1660s. It means that different goals are working against each other.
To understand how to better use these (and other) expressions, let's hear them used in a short story.
Let's say you work at a large book publishing company as an editor. Your job as an editor is to make sure the texts in the books are accurate and that the writer is happy with the end product. You and the writer want to sell many books.
The goal of the company is the same – publish good books and sell as many as possible.
But recently, conditions in the book publishing world have not been great – far from it. Book sales have been down. Each department has been feeling the pressure and each has its own idea of how to help.
The public relations (PR) department wants to spend more money on author tours and book release parties. But the business office sees these activities as unnecessary expenses. So, their goal is to cut them. These two departments are definitely working at cross purposes.
You probably feel that every time you cross paths with them. Someone in the business department is always trying to convince you of their side. The same is true with the PR department. You want to stay out of it. So, you try to not cross their paths.
One day, as you are trying to avoid crossing paths with your co-workers, something crosses your mind. Suddenly and without forethought, you think of a way to make both departments happy.
You tell your friend in PR your idea and he loves it. Then you tell another friend in the business office your idea. She loves it, too. However, they both get their wires crossed. They didn't completely understand all the details of your idea.
So, when they come together in a meeting to discuss the idea, they realize it is not exactly what they had thought. They are not happy. They become cross with each other -- and with you! They both think you tried to double cross them!
For several weeks, both departments are angry with each other and with you. It causes you much worry and concern. This is a heavy cross to bear. You lose sleep and work becomes unbearable.
But you still think you can clear it up with a simple explanation.
And that is what you do.
One day, you invite both of your friends to lunch. You explain that they didn't understand your idea fully. You even cross your heart and hope to die if you are lying. Your explanation -- and this silly childhood expression -- is enough to prove to them that you are telling the truth. They apologize and realize that your idea can still work.
You say to them, "That's up to you two! I'll keep my fingers crossed for the both of you. But now, I am going back to what I do best for the company -- editing stories."
And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. But we'll be back next week with another new story explaining common expressions in American English.
I cross my heart.
I'm Anna Matteo.
重点解析
1.in contact with 和……联系；接触；与……联系
Have the children been in contact with the disease?
孩子们同这种疾病有过接触吗？
2.on their own 独立地（凭自己的力量）
He and a partner set up on their own and built a successful fashion company.
他和同伴自己创业，创办了一家成功的时装公司。
3.cross paths with 不期而遇
Real Madrid complete the tournament, but will not cross paths with the Italians.
皇家马德里也将参加此次比赛，但他们不会与意大利球队（尤文）相遇。
参考译文
这里是VOA学英语节目：《词汇掌故》。
十字架（cross）是许多文化和宗教里的古老符号。当然和它联系最紧密的是基督教（Christian church）。十字架也是埃及人和墨西哥阿兹特克人神圣的象征。斯堪的纳维亚文化也使用十字架来标记他们领土的边界线。
今天，我们在许多表达里使用单词“cross”，这些表达看起来似乎和宗教信仰没有什么直接联系。
例如，表达希望朋友好运的一种方式就是告诉他们，无论他们做什么，你都会为他们祈祷（keep your fingers crossed）好运。
有时，我们什么都不说，我们只是双手手指交叉祈祷他们好运。但更多时候，我们只是说出这个被认为足够带来成功的表达。
许愿的时候双手交叉也许是一个延续好几百年的传统。这个传统很有可能来源于古老的基督教信仰：做十字架标记可以驱散邪灵和厄运。
很多年前，孩子们在撒小谎的时候会交叉他们的手指。这是一个古老的信仰：当你撒谎的时候交叉手指，不会被逮到说谎，因此，不会受到惩罚。
但是，这些年来，孩子们很大可能不开心地发现交叉手指并没有这种保护功能。也许这解释了为什么现在的孩子不会交叉手指祈求好运。
现在，一些孩子也许用另一个古老的表达——cross my heart（我发誓）。当孩子们想要证明自己真得如实告知某事的真相的时候，他们也许会说出这个表达。
当孩子说的时候，他们的手指可能会在胸口划个叉。美国语言学家查尔斯·厄尔·芬克说这个表达以及用手指在胸口划叉的行为很有可能来源于罗马天主教会做十字架标志的传统。
芬克也说许多年前，美国的孩子经常说：“若有假话，死翘翘，猫咪也会往我眼睛里吐口水。”
他们再也不说了。没人会说。实际上，那是我第一次听见这个表达。
但是我听过这种说法：“若有假话，死翘翘，针扎眼睛。”这句话意思是，一个孩子为了让别人相信自己说的是真话，愿意去死，也愿意忍受被针扎眼睛之痛。
现在，除了孩子们会用“cross”的表达申辩他们的无辜——它还有很多其他用法。
“double cross（出卖）”不是交叉手指两次的意思。它的意思是背叛某人，尤其是背叛信任你的人。“Double-crosser（叛徒）”可不是你想要的称呼，因为没人会相信一个叛徒。
“have your wires crossed（误解）”则不同了。它的意思仅仅是两个人不懂彼此。没有有意或计划背叛对方的打算。
韦氏词典说这个表达适用于俩人之间。这是因为这个表达起源于电话应用的早期。当两根电话线接触时，双方可能会在电话沟通中误解对方的意思。
但是，这个常见表达也单纯表示某人犯了个错——全是某人自己的错。例如，“我一定是犯错了。我以为派对是星期六，不是星期天。”
如果你和某人的目的相反（at cross purposes with someone），那就不存在误解了。这个表达始于17世纪60年代。它的意思是两人目标相反。
为了更好理解怎样使用这些（和其他）表达，让我们来听一个有用到它们的短故事。
假设你在一个大型图书出版公司做编辑。作为编辑的职责就是确保书里的文本准确无误以及使书的作者会对最后的成书满意。你和作者都希望书畅销。
公司的目标也是一样——出版好书，尽可能多得卖出去。
但是最近，图书出版界的行情不太好——很不好。图书销量下滑。每个部门都感觉压力山大且都有自己提高销量的主意。
公关部（PR）想在图书作者巡回活动和图书发行商（book release parties）方面增加花费。但是营业部（business office）认为这些活动是不必要的开销。所以，营业部的目标是缩减开销。这两个部门的目标绝对是南辕北辙。
每次和他们不期而遇的时候也许你也能感觉出是这样。营业部的一个人总是试图说服你支持他们那边。公关部门也这样。你不想参与其中。所以，你尽量避开他们。
一天，当你想避开你的同事的时候，你灵光一闪（cross your mind）。突然你也没有多想，你想到了一个能让两个部门都满意的方法。
你把想法告诉了你在公关部的朋友，他很喜欢这个想法。然后你又告诉了另一个营业部的朋友，她也觉得这个办法很好。但是，他们对你的想法都有点曲解。他们没有完全明白你想法的所有细节。
所以，当他们在会上讨论主意的时候，他们意识到这不是他们原本想的，因此很不开心。他们彼此争论（cross with each other）了起来——也和你争论。他们俩都觉得你出卖了他们！
几个星期以来，两个部门都在生对方和你的气。这让你很着急也很担心。这是你必须面对的一个窘境（a heavy cross to bear）。你开始失眠，工作也变得不堪重负。
但是你仍然相信你可以用一个简单的解释澄清一切。
这也是这么做的。
一天，你邀请了这俩朋友吃午饭。你解释道，他们没有完全明白你的意思。你甚至发誓说如果说谎你就去死。你的解释——以及你孩子气的表达，足以向他们证明你说的是实话。他们向你道歉并意识到你的方法仍然有用。
你想他们说，“这就靠你们俩了！祝你们好运。但现在我得回去，做我所能为公司做的最好的事情——校订故事。”
这就是本期的《词汇掌故》。我们下周会带着另一个新的美语常用表达的故事解释回来。
我发誓。
我是安娜·马特奥。
