(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
And now Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English!
The term Wild West describes life in what is now the western United States way back in the 1800s.
Life there was often unpredictable and even, well, wild!
Native Americans already controlled land that white settlers wanted to occupy. So it could be a very dangerous place – for everyone! Many people carried guns.
Life in the Wild West has given us many expressions that will still use today. Some involve things that were widely used back then, like horses and guns.
Today we talk about one of them: a shotgun...
Shotguns are designed to fire a large number of small metal balls or pellets. They travel down a long barrel before they fly out of the gun. A shotgun can hit many objects in a wide area. So, this weapon is good for hunting small moving targets, such as squirrels and birds.
This also made the shotgun good for protection. And that is just how settlers used shotguns during this period in American history.
At the time, people traveled in stagecoaches and covered wagons, often through dangerous areas. Next to the driver in these vehicles sat a person holding a shotgun. That person's job was to guard against robbers or angry Native Americans.
These days, riding shotgun still means you are sitting next to a driver, but without a shotgun..
In a vehicle, the seat next to the driver is roomy. Sitting there, you can see the world around you better than people in the back seat. It is easier to talk to the driver. And you have access to the music player and climate controls.
So, to guarantee that you get this good seat before a car ride, you can call shotgun. In other words, you are claiming, or calling dibs on, the seat next to the driver.
This is a fairly common expression in American English. But it is very casual and somewhat humorous.
So, we usually say it only to our very good friends.
I would not, for example, call shotgun on a drive with the head of my office or my mother's friend, who is probably 80 years old. That would be a sign of bad behavior. The older adult should get to choose where they sit.
I would even think twice before calling shotgun with a new group of friends. It could sound childish. Instead I might say, "Would you mind if I sit up front?"
And that brings us to the end of this Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo.
重点解析
1.such as 比如；像这种的
Some houses still lack basic amenities such as bathrooms.
有些住宅仍没有像卫生间这样的基本设施。
2.next to 在……旁边；紧挨着
Our house is the one next to the school.
我家的房子就是学校旁边的那座。
3.in other words 换言之；也就是说
They asked him to leave ─ in other words he was fired.
他们请他走人，也就是说，他被解雇了。
参考译文
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语《词汇掌故》。
“荒野西部”一词描述了19世纪美国西部的生活。
那里的生活常常变幻莫测，甚至是狂野！
印第安人已经控制了白人移民想要占据的土地。所以，它对每个人来说都可能是一个非常危险的地方！许多人都带着枪。
生活在荒野的西部，给了我们许多至今仍会使用的表达方式。有些涉及当时广泛使用的东西，比如马和枪。
今天我们谈论其中一个：猎枪。
猎枪被设计用来发射大量的小金属球或弹丸，它们在飞出枪膛前会沿着一个长长的枪管移动。猎枪能在大范围内击中许多物体。所以，这种武器很适合猎杀松鼠和鸟等小型的移动目标。
这也使猎枪成为很好的防身工具，而这正是美国历史上这段时期的定居者使用猎枪的方式。
当时，人们乘坐驿站马车和大篷马车，经常经过危险地区。在这些车的司机旁边坐着一个人，手里拿着一把猎枪。这个人的职责是防范强盗或愤怒的印第安人。
现在，马背上的枪声仍然意味着你坐在一个司机旁边，但没有猎枪。
在一个车里时，驾驶员旁边的座位很宽敞。坐在那里，比坐在后座的人能更好地看清周围的环境。和司机说话比较容易，你也可以用音乐播放器、温度和通风控制。
所以，为了保证你在开车前能坐到这个好座位，你可以先下手为强call shotgun。换言之，你是在要求，或宣布对于司机旁边座位的所有权。
这是美国英语中相当普遍的表达方式，但它使用很随意，还有些幽默。
因此，我们通常只对好友才说。
例如，我不会对办公室主管或母亲的朋友（可能已经80岁）“call shotgun”，那不是种好行为。老年人应该有权选择他们就坐的地方。
在与一群新朋友call shotgun之前，我会三思而后行，这听起来很幼稚，我会说：“你介意我坐前面吗？”
今天的节目就到这里了，下次见，我是安娜·马特奥。
