(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Is There a 'Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow'?
And now, welcome to Words and Their Stories.
On March 17 in many places around the world, people celebrate Saint Patrick's Day.
Encyclopedia Britannica says St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. "Born in Roman Britain in the late 4th century, he was kidnapped at the age of 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped but returned to convert the Irish to Christianity."
Irish people and Irish-loving people everywhere celebrate St. Patrick's Day with religious services, parades, big meals and even bigger parties.
Decorations usually include green four-leaf clovers. The small plants are said to bring good luck. Another decoration is the Leprechaun. A Leprechaun is a trouble making creature in old Irish stories. He looks like a very small man. And he knows where to find gold.
Some experts say that, in Irish folklore, it is believed that Leprechauns can reveal the hiding places of treasures.
The Encyclopedia Britannica explains that as far back as the 17th century the Irish would say a person "was as likely to find a pot of gold as to find the end of a rainbow." A colorful rainbow appears in the sky when the sun shines through water droplets.
Keep in mind that there is no real "end" to a rainbow. And that brings us to our idiom: the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
The "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow" is something you really want to have or you really want to achieve. Finding your pot of gold at the end of a rainbow – or just "pot of gold" for short – feels like the realization of your hopes and dreams.
For example, let's say someone loves animals and hopes to live out in the country. They could describe their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow as a owning a working farm with cows, horses, dogs and goats!
Finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow can also be used to talk about actual money. When we use it this way, we usually mean that wealth has come suddenly. It means you have come into a huge windfall – which means a lot of money! For example, I found my pot of gold after winning the lottery! But sadly, that is just an example.
However, finding your pot of gold may not be likely or even possible. Because of the unrealistic nature of the pot of gold, this expression is often used in the negative form.
For example, a friend of mine was always unhappy. She moved a lot looking for happiness. Her father told her that she was looking for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. "It doesn't exist," he warned. "You must find a way to be happy wherever you are." But she ended up moving anyway. Some lessons we have to learn on our own.
And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time...
I'm Anna Matteo.
重点解析
1.Keep in mind 记住...；牢记...
Here are two things to keep in mind.
这里有两件事要记住。
2.a pot of 一罐；一壶
They drank a pot of coffee.
他们喝了一壶咖啡。
3.good luck 好运
This ring has always brought me good luck.
这戒指总是给我带来好运。
参考译文
彩虹的尽头有一罐金子？
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语《词汇掌故》。
在3月17日，世界上许多地方的人们都会庆祝圣帕特里克节。
《大英百科全书》称圣帕特里克是爱尔兰的守护神。他于4世纪末出生在罗马时期的不列颠，16岁时被掳并被带到爱尔兰做奴隶。他逃了出去，但后来又回到爱尔兰劝说爱尔兰人改信基督教。”
世界各地的爱尔兰人和热爱爱尔兰文化的人会通过宗教仪式、游行、吃大餐甚至更盛大的聚会来庆祝圣帕特里克节。
节日装饰通常包括绿色的四叶幸运草。据说这种小型植物会带来好运。另一个节日装饰是小矮妖。在古老的爱尔兰故事中，小矮妖是一种制造麻烦的生物。他看起来像一个非常矮小的人。而且他知道去哪里淘金。
一些专家说，在爱尔兰民间传说中，人们认为小矮妖可以找到宝藏的藏身之地。
《大英百科全书》解释称，早在17世纪，爱尔兰人就会说，一个人“找到一罐金子的可能性和找到彩虹尽头的可能性一样大”。当太阳光照射到水滴时，天空中就会出现绚丽的彩虹。
记住，彩虹没有真正的“尽头”。那就引出了我们的习语：彩虹尽头的一罐金子。
“彩虹尽头的一罐金子”是你真正想要拥有的东西，或者你真正想要实现的目标。在彩虹的尽头找到你的一罐金子——或者就简称为“一罐金子”——感觉就像实现你的希望和梦想。
例如，假设有人喜欢动物并希望住在偏远的乡下。人们就会形容他在彩虹尽头的那罐金子就是拥有一个有牛有马，有狗有羊的农场！
在彩虹的尽头找到一罐金子也可以被用来谈论真正的钱。当我们以这种方式使用这个习语时，通常是指财富突然降临。它是指你得到了一大笔意外之财——那是指很多钱。例如，中了彩票后我有了一大笔意外之财！但遗憾的是，那只是举例。
然而，你找到一罐金子的可能性不大，甚至是不可能。因为找到一罐金子并不现实，所以这个表达通常用于否定形式。
例如，我的一个朋友总是郁郁寡欢。为了寻找快乐，她经常搬家。她的父亲告诉她，她是在寻找彩虹的尽头的一罐金子。“这样的事情根本不存在，”他警告说。“无论身在何处，你都必须找到让自己快乐的方法。”但最终她还是搬家了。有些事情还是得自己长教训。
以上就是本期《词汇掌故》的全部内容。
下期节目见......
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