(单词翻译:单击)
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Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.
Today we will talk about two of the world's most popular drinks -- coffee and tea.
Now, many people are loyal coffee drinkers. They cannot imagine starting their morning without -- what some call -- a hot "Cup of Joe." Some people hate coffee and prefer to drink tea. Others enjoy drinking both!
Whichever you prefer, know that English has some useful expressions using tea and coffee.
Let's start with things around the home.
The table sitting in the middle of the living room (and usually in front of a sofa) is called a coffee table. We never call it a "tea table." There is no such thing. Even if you hate the taste of coffee and never set a coffee cup on that table, you would still call it a "coffee table."
Naturally, a coffee table is the perfect place for a few coffee-table books. These large books usually have beautiful pictures and are meant to entertain people or make an impression on them. They are among the first things visitors see when sitting down in the living room. Many people use them as conversation pieces -- you know, items that start people talking about something.
Coffee, as you know, can help you feel more energized. In fact, many people use coffee to wake up in the morning.
Pace the floor, stop and stare
I drink a cup of coffee and start pulling out my hair
I'm drinking forty cups of coffee
Forty cups of coffee
And that is where we get the idiom "Wake up and smell the coffee!"
We say this to people who are not accepting a situation as it really is. They are not being realistic. They need to face facts. You can say it to someone or about someone.
If you tea drinkers out there want to stay away from coffee expressions, you can also tell someone to simply "get real" or as we said earlier, "face facts."
These two are more direct. And while "wake up and smell the coffee" can be used in a lighthearted, funny way, "get real" and "face facts" both sound more serious.
Let's hear how these expressions can be used.
A: Um, who was at the door?
B: It was Helen.
A: Ugh. Did she ask to move back in with us ... again?!
B: Yes. She did.
A: That's the third time this week!
B: She apologized again for destroying some of the furniture during that party she threw. And she made us something to eat -- this cake. She really wants to move back in with us.
A: That woman is unbelievable! Does she have any idea how much damage she did? Our neighbors are still unhappy about that party. Next time she asks to move back in, let me deal with it.
B: What are you going to say to her?
A: I'm going to tell her to wake up and smell the coffee!
B: Uh, I don't think she drinks coffee.
A: You know what I mean. She needs to face facts. She is never, ever, EVER moving back in with us!
B: But she makes really good cake.
A: Ugh. Get real, Meredith. If you think for one minute that I would live with her just because she makes good cake, then you need to wake up and smell the coffee, too!
B: Mm. Coffee and cake are great together. I'll start making a pot of coffee now.
A: Well ... she does make good cake.
Even if you love tea, we just don't say, "Wake up and smell the tea." But don't worry. For all of you tea drinkers, we have a great expression for you!
I like a nice cup of tea in the morning
For to start the day you see
And at half past eleven
Well my idea of heaven
Is a nice cup of tea
If you really like something or are really good at something, it is your cup of tea.
But not so fast. That's not really the way we use today. Yes, many years ago when the expression came into the language it was used in a positive way. But these days we almost always use this expression in a negative way.
So, you don't say that something is your cup of tea -- even if you are talking about your beloved cup of tea.
If something is not your cup of tea, you simply don't like it or are not good at it. The cup of tea in the expression can mean anything. If you don't like to go camping, you could say camping is not your cup of tea. If you're not good at dancing, it is not your cup of tea.
In fact, if you don't like coffee, you could say it's not your cup of tea. And actually, that would be a funny way to use this expression.
Now, some places are known for their coffee and others for their tea. For example, Japan and China are famous for their tea. Their tea culture has a long history and tradition. And that is where we get our final expression for today.
Some famous Chinese teas are very pricey. If you gathered all the tea in China, it would be worth a lot of money.
So, if you want to say that you are unwilling to do something ... at any cost, you could say, "I wouldn't do it for all the tea in China." For example, if you are deathly afraid of heights, you could say "I would not skydive for all the tea in China."
This expression is simply an exaggerated, or larger than life way of saying, "No way! I won't do it! I don't care what you offer me!"
Okay, we don't want anyone to accuse us of playing favorites. We already heard a conversation using a popular coffee expression. So, here is a short conversation with the tea expressions we just heard.
A: Tomorrow night I'm going out to a spoken word event. Want to join me?
B: Spoken word? You mean like a poetry reading?
A: Yeah! It's really awesome.
B: Um ... no thanks. Spoken word really isn't my cup of tea.
A: Oh. So, you probably won't be interesting in going to a three-day Spoken Word Festival next month.
B: Not for all the tea in China.
A: So ... that's a no?
B: Yes. That's a big N-O.
And that brings us to the end of this Words and Their Stories.
Choose one of the expressions heard here and try using it. Or share with us a coffee or tea idiom from your language. You can do both in the Comments Section!
I'm Anna Matteo.
重点解析
1.at any cost 无论如何，不惜任何代价；不惜一切代价；成名诱惑
It doesn't have the kind of social safety net one sees in the developed world, so it needs to keep its economy going at any cost.
它没有在发达世界常见的社会保障网络，因此它需要不惜任何代价保持经济运行。
2.larger than life 杰出的；与众不同的；夸张的；引人注目的
"He's just a little larger than life," right?
“他就是有点妄自尊大”，对不对？
3.deal with 办理；对待；与……交涉；与……交易
It is OK to disagree but don't show it in an interview because people are not ready to deal with different opinion in an interview.
有不同意见没问题，但不要在面试中表现出来，因为一般人不愿在面试中处理意见不和的问题。
参考译文
现在是VOA学英语《词汇掌故》节目时间。
今天我们将谈论世界上两种最受欢迎的饮品——咖啡和茶。
如今，许多人是咖啡的忠粉。他们无法想象早上没有（一些人称之为）一杯“Cup of Joe（热咖啡）”。一些人讨厌咖啡，更爱喝茶。还有一些人两者兼爱。
不论你偏爱哪个，你要知道英语里有一些包含“tea（茶）”和“coffee（咖啡）”的有用表达。
让我们从家居用品开始吧。
位于客厅正中间的桌子（一般放在沙发前面）被叫做“咖啡桌（a coffee table）”。我们从不把它称为“茶桌”。没有叫“茶桌”的东西。即使你憎恶咖啡的味道，并且桌子上从不放咖啡杯，你还是得称那张桌子为“咖啡桌”。
自然，一张咖啡桌是放几本休闲读物（coffee-table books）的好地方。这些大开本图书通常有着精美的图片，意在让人感觉愉悦或者给人留下深刻印象。它们是客人在客厅坐下后最先看见的事物之一。许多人拿它们当作开启话题的对象，你知道，就是人们开始聊天的谈资。
咖啡，如你所知，能让你感觉更有活力。实际上，很多人用咖啡让自己早上清醒过来。
在地板上踱步，停下，发呆
喝一杯咖啡，开始拨头发，
我喝了四十杯咖啡
四十杯咖啡
这就是习语“Wake up and smell the coffee（面对现实吧）”的出处。
我们会对不愿意接受真实状况的人说这个表达。他们没有正视现实。他们需要面对现实。你可以对某人或者提及某人时用到这个表达。
如果节目外的茶友们想要远离咖啡的表达，你也可以简单和某人说“面对现实”，或者我们之前说过的“面对事实（face facts）”。
这两个表达都更直接。尽管“wake up and smell the coffee”可以以更加轻松有趣的方式进行使用，但“get real”和“face facts”都听上去更加严肃。
让我们来听听看这些表达是如何使用的。
A：嗯，在门口那儿的人是谁？
B：是海伦。
A：呃。她有没有又要求搬回来和我们一起住？
B：是的，她有提。
A：这是这周的第三次了！
B：她又为自己在她举办的派对上毁坏了一些家具的事情道歉了。她给我们做了一些吃的，这个蛋糕。她真得很想搬回来和我们同住。
A：那个女人不可信！她知道自己造成的影响有多恶劣吗？我们的邻居还对那场派对很介怀呢。下次她再要求搬回来，让我来应付。
B：你打算怎么和她说呢？
A：我打算告诉她让她面对现实！
B：呃，我想她不喝咖啡。
A：你知道我的意思。她需要面对现实。她再也不可能搬回来和我们一起住了！
B：但是她的蛋糕真的做得不错。
A：呃。现实点，梅雷迪斯。如果你产生过我会因为她蛋糕做得好就会和她一起住的念头，那么，你也该清醒清醒了！
B：嗯。咖啡和蛋糕配起来很棒。我要去煮一壶咖啡。
A：好吧……她确实蛋糕做得好吃。
即使你喜欢喝茶，我们也不会说“Wake up and smell the tea.”但不用担心。对于所有的茶友，我们有一个很好的表达给你们。
我喜欢早上喝一杯好茶
开启一天的美好
11点半的时候
我的灵感
来自于一杯好茶
如果你真得喜欢某事物或者特别擅长某事物，那该事物就是你的那杯茶。
但是进程不要这么快。但那不是我们今天要说的用法。许多年前，当这个表达进入英语里时，它是用在肯定句中。但现在，我们几乎总是把它用在否定句中。
因此，不要说什么是你的那杯茶，即使你说的是你最爱的“那杯茶”。
如果某事物不是你的那杯茶，那你就是不喜欢或者不擅长该事物。表达中的“那杯茶”可以表示任何事物。如果你不喜欢露营，你可以说露营不是你的茶。如果你不擅长跳舞，那跳舞就不是你的茶。
事实上，如果你不喜欢咖啡，你可以说咖啡不是你的茶。实际上，那会是这个表达的一种很有趣的用法。
一些地方的咖啡很有名，一些地方的茶很有名。例如，日本和中国的茶很有名。他们有着悠久的茶文化和传统。这就引出了我们今天最后一个表达。
一些著名的中国茶价格昂贵。如果你收集了中国所有的茶，那会值不少钱。
因此，如果你想说你不愿意不惜一切代价做什么事情……你可以说：“这件事，我无论如何都（for all the tea in China）不会去做的。”例如，如果你非常恐高，你可以说：“我无论如何都不会跳伞的。”
这个表达只是用一种夸大或者夸张的方式在说“没门儿！这事我不做！我不在乎你能给我什么！”
好的，我们不想任何人谴责我们有所偏爱。我们已经听过了一个很受欢迎的咖啡表达的对话。那么，下面是一个包含了我们刚听过的“tea（茶）”表达的短对话。
A：明晚我要出去参加一个朗读活动。你想和我一起参加吗？
B：朗读？你意思是像朗诵诗歌那样？
A：是啊！真得特别好。
B：嗯……不了，谢谢。朗读真得不是我的茶。
A：噢。那你可能不会对参加下个月维持三天的朗读节感兴趣了。
B：无论如何都不会感兴趣。
A：所以……那时拒绝的意思？
B：是的。坚决拒绝。
这就到了本期《词汇掌故》的节目尾声了。
选择在节目中收听到的一个表达，试着运用它。或者，给我们分享一个你们语言里和咖啡或者茶相关的习语。这两件事情，你都可以在评论区去完成。
我是安娜·马特奥。
