(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Now, it's time for Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.
In the United States, it is almost time for something else. In a few days, smells of roasting turkey, buttery mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie will fill homes from coast to coast.
With schools closed, many children will settle down in front of a television to watch a big parade in New York City. They see people dressed like superheroes and storybook characters pass before their eyes as the parade moves down the street.
Later in the day, many adults will watch one or more football games on television.
It is all part of the American holiday of Thanksgiving.
Now, for some people, spending Thanksgiving with extended family is not possible. In the U.S., members of the same family often live very far apart.
Others have family members they don't want to spend the holiday with. This is where the custom of Friendsgiving comes from. "Friendsgiving" is a fairly new term for spending Thanksgiving with friends and not family.
A big part of the holiday is the food! The turkey is the star of most Thanksgiving meals. The cook in the home wakes up early to prepare the food. After adding seasoning to the turkey, it is heated in an oven for several hours.
Just because this large bird is the star, that doesn't save the word "turkey" from having some bad meanings. For example, in American English, a "turkey" is something that fails or a person who is not all that intelligent. When a film loses money, we can call it a turkey. And if we meet someone who is foolish, we can call them many names – one of which is "turkey."
Now, a turkey is big; so, there are always leftovers. People often cook too much, so there is always food left over for the next day and the next ... and the next.
You may have heard the expression cold turkey. This might sound like a tasty meal that you eat from Thanksgiving leftovers.
But it's not.
"Cold turkey" is when you immediately give something up, usually something that is not good for you. Some people can stop smoking cold turkey. They decide one day to stop and never smoke again. For many people, giving up smoking or drinking alcohol is not something they can do cold turkey. They must do it slowly over time.
Let's say you have a friend who smokes too much. You may have to talk turkey with them.
When you are talking turkey, you're not sharing recipes for your Thanksgiving leftovers. This expression means you talk to someone in a plain, clear and honest way, usually about something unpleasant.
Now, let's talk turkey about ... turkey itself.
Sometimes turkey can be dry and tasteless. A dry turkey is probably the number one food complaint at a Thanksgiving dinner. However, even if you overcook your turkey and it comes out dry, don't worry. Just make sure to make a really good gravy to pour all over it.
Gravy is made from the juices of cooked meat. Mashed potatoes and gravy are usually a favorite at the dinner table. In the U.S., we also use the word "gravy" to suggest something valuable or more than what you expected. For example, let's say your office gives you a really big end-of-year bonus. You can say the money that you received in addition to your wages was gravy. You didn't expect it. It was like getting extra money!
Turkey covered with gravy is usually the main course at Thanksgiving. But many people love the side dishes just as much, especially the ones made with potatoes! Whether baked, mashed or scalloped, it is important to have a potato side dish. But be careful not to bring a hot potato to the table!
The term "hot potato" means an issue or question about which people feel very strongly. People may argue about divisive issues, also called "hot potatoes."
Other favorites at the Thanksgiving Day table are the vegetable side dishes, such as green bean casserole, roasted Brussel sprouts and creamed corn.
Well, corn is a grain plant and not a vegetable. But did you know that the word "corn" can be an insult when talking about someone or something?
"Corny" is a way to describe something so simple and old-fashioned that it is unpopular or even annoying. Americans often describe outdated ideas, old jokes and overly-emotional poems as corny.
Let's leave corn and turn to stuffing. To be stuffed means that you ate so much you can't possibly eat any more.
Traditional stuffing is a food made with bread, herbs, eggs, celery and onion. They are mixed together, put inside the bird and cooked. A roasted brown, stuffed turkey is a thing of beauty! Having a room full of stuffed guests is also nice. It means everyone had enough to eat – or, maybe too much!
That was a look at a few words and expressions related to the Thanksgiving holiday. Now, let's hear how they are used at the dinner table.
Pardon me, could you pass the gravy, please? So, like I was saying, I told my supervisor that it was time to talk turkey. I told her exactly how I felt about the new worker.
I predict that didn't go over very well. Your boss doesn't sound like a person who likes to talk to employees directly.
She's not. But it paid off. I got a great year-end bonus! And since I've already paid my bills for the year, the money is pure gravy! So, I think I'll use it to take a trip.
Good for you! But let's not talk about work anymore. I have a great joke! What did the zero say to the eight? ... Nice belt! Ha! Get it? Nice belt. Belt.
You told the same corny joke last year at Thanksgiving.
I like simple, old-fashioned jokes! They're a lot better than the dirty ones you hear these days. By the way, who cooked the turkey this year? It is really moist and tastes great.
Thanks! I did. And don't forget the gravy. I slow-cooked it for an hour and used fresh herbs to flavor it.
Oh, that is so good. I haven't had homemade gravy in years!
So, did anyone hear what the President said about ...
No, no, no! Not at the table. I'd rather hear silly, corny jokes than talk about politics, thank you very much.
I agree. There are too many hot potato issues these days. You never know what is going to make someone angry.
So true. Hey, who would like a glass of wine?
Not me. I gave up all alcohol last month. I quit cold turkey and haven't had a drop since.
Wow. That's not easy. My friend stopped smoking cold turkey last year. He said it was difficult. But it was the only way he could quit. Would you like more stuffing?
Yes, please!
How can you still be hungry?! I'm stuffed.
What can I say? I like stuffing and I only get it once a year ... at Thanksgiving. Hey, it might sound corny, but why don't we go around the table and tell one thing we're thankful for.
Yeah! I remember my grandmother would always ask the people invited to her Thanksgiving meal to do this. I'll go first! I am most thankful for my good health this year.
And that brings us to the end of Words and Their Stories!
As we thanks during this time of the year, all of us here would like to thank all of you for spending time with us!
I'm Anna Matteo.
And I'm Jonathan Evans.
重点解析
1.go over 仔细检查;认真讨论;用心思考
He would go over his work again and again until he felt he had it right.
他会反复检查自己的工作直到他认为正确为止。
2.talk turkey 有话直说;直率地说;打开天窗说亮话;郑重其事地说;说话坦率
I'm tired of this nonsense. Make him talk turkey.
我对这些废话烦透了，叫他直说吧！
3.good for you! 真为你高兴；你真行
Good for you! Now what should we eat?
你真行啊！那我们现在吃什么呀？
参考译文
现在是VOA学英语《词汇掌故》时间。
在美国，差不多是时候做点别的了。再过几天，烤火鸡（roast turkey）、黄油土豆泥（buttery mashed potatoes）和南瓜派（pumpkin pie）的香味会飘进海岸两侧的千家万户。
随着学校放假，许多孩子会安静下来坐在电视机前面收看纽约市的盛大庆典。孩子们看着那些扮成超级英雄和故事书里角色的人们沿街行进，从自己的眼前经过。
这天的晚些时候，许多成年人会在电视上观看一场或者多场足球比赛。
这些都是美国感恩节（Thanksgiving）活动的一部分。
如今对很多人而言，一大家子过感恩节不太可能了，通常亲人之间都相距很远。
有些家庭成员不想和大家在一起过节日。这就是“朋友感恩节（Friendsgiving）”文化的出处。“朋友感恩节”是一个相当新潮的一个术语，意思是和朋友一起过感恩节，而不是和家人过节。
节日的很大一部分就是食物！火鸡（ turkey）是感恩节大餐的明星。家里的厨师早早起来准备食物。在给火鸡添加调味品（seasoning）之后，它会被放进烤箱烤上几个小时。
只因为这个大禽是餐桌明星，也并不能挽救“turkey（火鸡）”这个单词有一些不好的含义。例如，在美语里，“turkey”指失败的事情或指不那么聪明的人。当一部电影赔钱了，我们可以说这是部失败的电影。如果我们遇见一个傻瓜，我们可以给他们取很多绰号，其中之一就是“笨蛋（turkey）”。
由于火鸡很大，因此，总是会吃剩（leftovers）。人们往往煮得过多，所以总是有食物被剩下来第二天吃，然后第三天吃······第N天吃。
你也许听过表达“cold turkey”。这也许听上去像是你吃的感恩节剩下来的美食。
但不是这样。
“cold turkey”指的是人们突然放弃对你不好的某事。有些人可以突然戒烟（ smoking cold turkey）。他们某天决定戒烟，并且再也没抽烟了。对于很多人来说，戒烟或者戒酒不是他们能说放弃就放弃的。他们必须随着时间慢慢来。
假设你有个烟瘾很大的朋友。你也许不得不和他直说（talk turkey）。
当你“talk turkey（有话直说）”的时候，你不是在分享你感恩节剩菜的食谱。这个表达意思是你和某人直率、明了、坦诚地对话，通常是关于一件令人不痛快的事情。
现在，让我们直接说说火鸡本身的话题。
有时候，火鸡肉会比较干和无味。干火鸡很可能是感恩节晚餐上被抱怨最多的菜。但是，即使你的火鸡煮过了，煮完很干，不要着急。务必用真正美味的肉汁（gravy）浇在整个火鸡上，就可以了。
“gravy”是用煮熟的肉汁做的。土豆泥（mashed potatoes）和肉汁通常是人们晚饭餐桌上的最爱。在美国，我们也用单词“gravy”来表示珍贵或者超过你预期的事物。例如，假设你公司给了你一个十分丰厚的年终奖（end-of-year bonus）。你可以说你收到的奖金，再加上工资，这些钱让你有点意外。你没想到（会这么多）。这像是得到了意外之财一样！
淋满肉汁的火鸡通常是感恩节上的主菜。但许多人也同样喜爱配菜（side dishes），尤其是土豆做的那些配菜！不论是烤的，成泥的还是做成带荷叶边的形状，有一道土豆做成的配菜很重要。但是注意不要把“烫手山芋（hot potato）”带到桌上去！
短语“hot potato（烫手山芋）”意思是一个会让大家产生强烈情绪的问题。人们也许会为了有分歧性的问题争辩，这也被称为“hot potatoes（有争议的难题）”。
感恩节餐桌上其他受欢迎的菜是蔬菜类配菜，比如青豆砂锅（green bean casserole）、烤甘蓝（roasted Brussel sprouts）和奶油玉米（creamed corn）。
好吧，玉米（corn）是一种谷物，不是蔬菜。但在谈及某人或者某物时，你知道单词“corn”带有侮辱性质吗？
“corny（老套）”是一种描述太单调、过时且不受欢迎甚至惹人厌烦的事物的方式。美国人经常用“corny”来形容过时的创意、老掉牙的笑话以及过度情绪化的诗歌。
让我们停止“corn（玉米）”的话题转移到“stuffing（填料）”上。“be stuffed”意思是你吃撑了，你不能再吃了。
传统的填料是一种食物，里面有面包、香草、鸡蛋、芹菜和洋葱。这些东西被混合在一起，放进火鸡里烤制。一只烤成棕色、塞满填料的火鸡简直是一件美物！屋子里的客人都吃的饱饱的，也是一件美事。这是说每个人都吃饱了，或者，也许吃撑了！
以上都是对于和感恩节相关的一些单词和表达的一瞥。现在，让我们来听下在晚餐餐桌上它们的用法吧。
麻烦请你帮我递下肉汁好吗？就像我说的，我告诉我的主管是时候打开天窗说亮话了。我告诉了她我对新员工的真实看法。
我估计那进行得不顺。你老板听起来不像一个会对员工有话直说的人。
她不是那样的人。但是一切都值得了。我得到了丰厚的年终奖！而且由于我已经付完我今年的账单了，这笔钱纯意外之财啊！所以，我想我会把它用来旅行。
真为你高兴！但我们不说工作了。我有个好笑的笑话！0会对8说什么？漂亮的腰带！哈！懂了吗？漂亮的腰带。腰带。
你去年感恩节也说了同样老掉牙的笑话。
我喜欢简单、老式的笑话！它们比当下你听到那些下流笑话好多了。话说今年是谁做的火鸡？真得油润润的，味道好极了。
谢谢！我做的。不要忘了肉汁。我慢炖了一个小时，并加入了新鲜的香草提味。
哦，那太好了。我好多年没吃过自制肉汁了！
那有人听过总统说过关于······
不，不，不！不要在餐桌上说。我宁愿听愚蠢的老掉牙笑话，也不想谈论政治，万分感激。
我赞同。最近有太多争议性的问题了。你永远不知道什么会让别人发怒。
太对了。嘿，谁想来杯酒？
我不要。我从上个月起戒酒了。我突然放弃的，从那之后滴酒未沾。
哇。那不容易。我朋友去年突然开始戒烟。他说很难熬。但是只能这样戒烟。你想再来点填料吗？
好的，谢谢！
你怎么能还没吃饱？！我都吃撑了。
我能说什么？我喜欢填料，我一年就感恩节才能吃一次。嘿，这听起来可能老套，但是我们为什么不轮流说说自己最感恩的事呢？
是啊！我记得我奶奶总是让被邀请来参加感恩聚餐的人这样做。我先来！我最感激的是我今年身体健健健康康康。
到了《词汇掌故》的节目尾声了！
同样，我们需要感谢在这一年中，我们在这里的所有人想要感谢你们陪伴我们的时光！
我是安娜·马特奥。
我是乔纳森·埃文斯。
