(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.
On today's show about English words and expressions, we are going to talk about bread.
Now, most countries around the world have some sort of bread in their food culture.
No matter what shape or flavor it has, bread sustains people. It not only helps them to survive but also to feel satisfied and comfortable.
Maybe that is how the word "bread" got its slang meaning. You see, "bread" -- and the raw form "dough" – both can mean "money."
In the song "I Get Around," the Beach Boys sing about "making real good bread" to attract women. And they do not mean a baguette!
I get around, From town to town,
I'm a real cool head,
I'm makin' real good bread ...
If you make a lot of "bread" at a job, your employer is paying you well. On the other hand, if you are out of bread, you do not have any way to pay for your expenses. You are broke!
Using bread and dough this way may sound a little outdated. But you will hear it used that way. So, it's good to know. And bread meaning money is used in several English expressions.
Take for example, this very current, common and useful expression -- breadwinner.
Even though "bread" here means "money," the word breadwinner does not mean someone who has won money in a competition.
A "breadwinner" is a person who makes money for others. They are the ones who pay the bills in a family. They support or provide for dependents. So, we can also call a breadwinner a "provider."
Let's hear it used in this example.
A: I saw Elsa the other day. She looked so tired. What's going on?
B: She has a lot of pressure on her right now. Her parents are both really sick. So, she is now the breadwinner for her whole family!
A: Oh, wow! Doesn't she have a brother in college?
B: Yeah. And her grandfather lives with the family. So, she has to provide for all of them.
A: No wonder she looked so tired. She has to support a lot of dependents on one salary.
To throw another food expression into the discussion, the breadwinner in a family is also the person who brings home the bacon. These days, some people also use "cheese" to mean money. Put bread, bacon and cheese together and you have a lot of money not to mention a really tasty sandwich!
Now, if you are the sole breadwinner for your family, it is important that you keep your job. It would be cruel for someone to take the bread out of your mouth. That does not mean they stole your sandwich while you were eating it.
This expression means they took away your ability to make money -- your livelihood. And that would be terrible for your whole family! If you lose your livelihood you could end up on the breadline.
A "breadline" is a line of people seeking food from a charity or government agency. In the 1930s during the economic depression in the United States, it was common to see hundreds of people in big cities waiting on breadlines.
So, being "on the breadline" describes someone who depends on food donations to survive.
And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. We do have some other "bread" expressions but they will have to wait for another time.
I'm Anna Matteo.
重点解析
1.it's good to know 知道就好；幸好知道了
But in the meantime, it's good to know that ZTE is still making products that big names like Telenor find attractive.
与此同时，中兴仍在制造足以吸引Telenor等大公司的电信产品，这一点令人欣慰。
2.the other day 几天前;前两天
He asked about you the other day.
前些日子他问到过你。
3.on the breadline 极为贫困;挣扎在生活线上
We lived on the breadline to get our son through college.
为了供儿子读完大学，我们生活非常拮据。
参考译文
现在是VOA学英语《词汇掌故》时间。
在今天这期关于英语词汇和表达的节目中，我们将要谈论“面包（bread）”的话题。
如今世界上绝大多数国家在它们的饮食文化中都会有某种面包。
不论是什么形状或是什么风味的面包都能让人们存活下去。面包不仅能帮助人们生存下去，它还能让人们感受到满足和舒适。
这也许就是单词“bread”俚语含义的由来。你瞧，“bread”和生面团“dough”，这两者都能表示“钱”的含义。
在歌曲《I Get Around（我四处逛逛）》中，沙滩男孩唱到“制作真正的好‘面包’（即指挣钱）”来吸引女性。他们指的不是法棍（baguette）！
我四处逛逛，从一个城镇到另一个城镇
我是一个头脑冷静的人，
我正在做真正的好“面包”……
如果你的工作收入颇丰，你的老板给你的工资待遇很好。另一方面，如果你“out of bread（失业）”，你没有其他的方法来支付你的花销。那你就破产了！
“bread”和“dough”表示金钱的这种用法听起来似乎有点过时。但是你会听到它的这种用法的。所以，知道就好。此外，“bread”在好几个英语表达里都是表示金钱的含义。
以这个十分流行、常见且有用的表达——breadwinner（养家糊口的人）举例来说。
虽然这里的“bread”意思是金钱，但是单词“breadwinner”并不是指某人在比赛中赢钱了。
“breadwinner”是为其他人挣钱的人。他们是一个家庭中支付账单的那些人。他们为受赡养者提供支持。因此，我们也可以称呼养家糊口的人为“provider（供养人）”。
然我们来听听它在这个例子中的用法。
A：我前两天遇见艾尔莎了。她看起来很疲惫。她怎么了？
B：她现在有很大的压力。她的父母都病得很厉害。所以，她现在是要养活一家子人！
A：哦，哇！她不是还有个在上大学的弟弟吗？
B：是啊。她的祖父也和他们住在一起。因此，她得供养所有这些人。
A：难怪她看起来那么疲倦。她得靠着一份薪水养活许多家人。
再加入另一个和食物有关的表达到我们的讨论话题中，家庭中的养家糊口的人也就是挣钱养家（bring home the bacon）的人。如今，一些人也用“cheese”来表示金钱的意思。将“bread（面包）、bacon（培根）、cheese（奶酪）（三者都可以表示“金钱”）”放一起，就是很多的钱，更不用说你会有一个十分美味的三明治！
如果你是你们家唯一挣钱养家的人，那对你来说，保住工作很重要。那么“砸掉你的饭碗（take the bread out of your mouth）”会是一件很残忍的事情。这并不是指“当你正吃三明治的时候，别人偷走你的三明治”的意思。
这个表达意思是他们夺走你挣钱的能力，你赚钱谋生的手段。那对于你的整个家庭来说，都是非常可怕的事情！如果你丢去了你谋生的手段，那你会沦落到靠着救济过日子。
“breadline（待救济队伍）”指的是一行向慈善机构或者政府机构寻求食物的人。在20世纪30年代的美国经济危机期间，经常能看到大城市里数以百计的人排队等着领救济粮食。
因此，“on the breadline”是形容某人靠着食物捐赠过活。
到了本期节目的尾声了。我们确实还有其他几个“bread”的表达，但是这些表达要等下次再说了。
我是安娜·马特奥。
