(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Now, it's time for the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.
Each week, we explore the meaning of expressions in American English. We often take terms and examine them from head to toe -- looking at each and every detail -- making sure not to overlook anything.
Speaking of toes, let's talk about them for a minute.
Like the rest of our feet, they spend all day stuck inside socks and shoes. This can't be good for them. So, let's take them out of our shoes, give them a chance to stretch, and talk about how we use them in every-day speech.
While listening to this program, you need to stay on your toes. We will give one example after another. So, you'll need to listen closely or you might miss one.
Staying or keeping on your toes not only means to pay close attention. It also means to be ready to act. For example, when trying something dangerous, you need to keep on your toes. You want to be ready for anything that may happen.
This expression comes from the fact that when you actually lift your heels and shift your weight to the balls of your feet and your toes, you are ready to jump into action!
Now, the phrase keeping on your toes is different from tiptoeing around. Your feet are in a similar position. All your weight is on the balls of your feet. But the two expressions have different purposes and meanings. In fact, they are opposites.
As we said, when you are on your toes, you are prepared to take action. But when standing on your tiptoes, you are not very balanced. You are either trying to make yourself taller to reach something or you are trying to walk very quietly.
So, in American English, to tiptoe around something means to avoid an issue or talking about something in an indirect way.
Here's an example of this expression.
"At the community meeting, city officials tiptoed around the issue of violence in schools for too long. Parents came to the meeting to hear solutions and not evasive language."
Now, toes are important when we walk. They help us keep our balance. But they are good at something else.
Imagine a person running up to a lake or the ocean to take a swim. Some brave people might just jump right in. They don't care how cold the water is. Others may want to test the water temperature first. So, they put a toe in the water before jumping in.
There are other situations where you should put your toes in the water before jumping right in.
Before moving to a new city or perhaps starting a new job, you need to do some serious thinking. When some people start a job, they may want to jump right in. But others move more slowly so as to avoid any unnecessary risk. Unsure about how their abilities measure up in the workplace, they tiptoe around co-workers. Or they are careful to avoid politically divisive or touchy subjects.
Working in this way, new employees won't make anyone angry. They won't step on anyone's toes.
Now, when you actually step on someone's toes, most people simply apologize and that will be that. But stepping on someone's toes in the idiomatic sense is more serious. It means you have done something on purpose to offend someone else.
But stepping on a co-worker's toes is not the worst thing you can do. If you go toe-to-toe with someone – that can be much worse!
Well, actually, that depends.
Toe-to-toe has two meanings: to be in direct competition with someone or to fight with someone. So, going toe-to-toe with a co-worker in a friendly, but competitive way is fine. In fact, employees are often expected to compete with one another in the workplace. If you are sure in your abilities, you are not afraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone.
However, going toe-to-toe with a co-worker by having a fight or argument with them is not a good idea.
The company might fire one or both workers! At the very least going-toe-to-toe can create a difficult work environment. So, sometimes it's a good idea to toe the line when you start working a new job. Just follow the rules and do your best not to step on anyone's toes.
Some native English speakers think this expression starts with the verb "tow," meaning to pull. It's not hard to understand why. We often tow things with a line of rope. But in this expression, the word "toe" is spelled t-o-e -- not t-o-w.
Word historians have attempted to explain the origin of this expression. Some claim it comes from the sport of boxing. In the boxing ring, fighters are so close to each other that their toes seem to touch.
However, the one story that connects most closely with following the rules is from boating.
Some people say that in the 19th century, sailors faced punishment if they did not obey shipping rules. To prepare, crew members would stand in a line with their toes on a crack, or line, between the wooden boards that make up the deck of the ship.
And that's Words and Their Stories for this week. Thanks for listening.
We hope you found these expressions useful. We avoided using them in stories that might make your toes curl. After all, if you feel uneasy and uncomfortable, you probably won't come back for more.
I'm Bryan Lynn.
And I'm Anna Matteo.
重点解析
1.pay close attention 抓紧;密切关注;特别注意
That is a problem we should pay close attention to.
这是一个我们应该密切关注的问题。
2.measure up 符合标准；达标，符合标准；合乎标准
She could never measure up to her mother's expectations.
她永远达不到她母亲的期望。
3.touchy subjects 敏感话题
Love could prove volatile and unstable, so keep your antenna up and don't bring up any touchy subjects.
爱情到时会变得不稳定和易变，所以时刻保持注意并不要挑起难以处理的话题。
参考译文
现在是VOA学英语《词汇掌故》节目时间。
我们每周会探索美式英语表达的意义。我们经常将表达拿来从头到脚（from head to toe）审视一番，观察每个表达的细节，确保不会漏掉什么。
提到“脚趾头（toes）”，让我们来聊一下关于它们的话题。
和脚的其余部分一样，脚趾也是整天待在袜子和鞋子里。这对脚趾不好。所以，让我们脱掉鞋子露出脚趾，给它们一个机会拉伸拉伸，并让我们来谈谈它们在日常交际中的应用。
当你收听这个节目的时候，你需要保持警惕（stay on your toes）。我们会给出一个又一个例子。所以，你需要仔细听，否则你可能会错过例子。
“stay/keep on your toes”不仅表示密切关注。它还表示准备好采取行动。例如，当尝试危险事情的时候，你需要准备好采取行动。你想为任何可能会发生的事情做好准备。
这个表达源自这个事实：当你真正抬起脚跟，把重心转移到脚掌和脚趾上时，你就准备好开始行动了！
短语“keep on your toes”的意思不同于“tiptoe around（蹑手蹑脚）”。脚姿势相似。重心也都在你的脚上。但这两个表达有不同的目的与含义。实际上，二者意思相反。
如前所述，当你把重心转移到脚趾上时，表示你准备好采取行动。但是当你踮起脚尖时，你身体不是很平衡。你要么就是想让自己高点好够到某物，要么你就是想轻点走路。
所以，在美式英语里，“tiptoe around sth”意思是逃避某个问题或者委婉地谈论某事。
下面是这个表达的一个示例。
“在社区会议上，市政官员们长时间避谈校园暴力问题。参加会议的家长们是来听解决办法的而不是官员们的含糊其辞。”
行走的时候，脚趾很重要。它们帮助我们保持平衡。但是它们也很擅长其他事情。
假设一个人跑到湖里或者海里游泳。一些勇敢的人也许就直接跳进去。他们不管水多冷。其他人也许会想先试下水温。因此，他们在跳进去前先伸个脚趾试试水温。
还有其他在你跳下之前应该试下水温的情形。
在搬去一个新城市或者也许在换一份新工作前，你需要深思熟虑。当一些人换新工作后，他们也许想立即参与工作。但其他人会循序渐进以避免一些不必要的风险。不确定自己的能力有没有达到公司的标准，他们回避同事。或者他们小心避免政治分歧（politically divisive）或者敏感话题（touchy subjects）。
这样工作的话，新员工不会惹怒任何人。他们不会冒犯任何人（step on anyone's toes）。
当你真得踩到某人的脚趾时，大多数人只是道歉而已。但是“step on someone's toes”在习语意义上要严重得多。它的意思是你故意做某事来冒犯别人。
但故意冒犯同事不是你做的最糟糕的事情。如果你和某人直接对峙（go toe-to-toe with），那要糟糕得多！
好吧，实际上，这要视情况而定。
"toe-to-toe"有两种含义：与某人直接竞争或者和某人打架。所以，以一种友好但有竞争性的方式和同事合作是可以的。实际上，人们通常期望雇员员工们在工作上互相竞争。如果你对自己的能力有把握，你不怕和任何人竞争。
但是，通过打架或者争吵的方式来和同事竞争不是个好主意。
公司会开除其中一个人或者两个人都开除！最起码（at the very least）针锋相对会造成一个艰难的工作环境。所以，当你开始做一份新工作时，循规蹈矩是个不错的主意。遵守规则并尽量不冒犯别人。
一些母语是英语的人认为这个表达以表示“拉”含义的动词“tow”开头。其中的缘由，我们不难理解。我们一般用绳子来拉东西。但是在这个表达中，单词“toe”的拼写是“t-o-e”，而不是“t-o-w”。
文字史学家曾试图解释这个表达的起源。一些人宣称这个表达源自拳击运动。在拳击台（boxing ring）上，拳击手彼此之间近到似乎脚趾头挨着脚趾头。
但是，其中和遵守规则最贴近的一个起源是划船。
一些人说在19世纪，船员们如果没有遵守航运规则，他们会受到惩罚。做准备的时候，船员们会站成一条线，脚趾都放在船甲板的木板之间的一条缝隙或者一条线上。
这就是本周的《词汇掌故》节目内容。感谢收听。
我们希望你们能发现这些表达很有用。我们避免在令你头皮发麻（make your toes curl）的故事里运用这些表达。毕竟，如果你感觉不自在和不舒服，你很有可能不再收听我们的节目。
我是布莱恩·林恩。
我是安娜·马特奥。
