(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Now, the VOA Learning English program, Words and Their Stories.
On this program we explore the origins and usage of common expressions in American English.
And we are happy that you have decided to learn English. It is a good choice. There is really no downside in learning a new language, especially a useful one. But not all choices are as harmless. Some decisions have no good choice.
Today we will talk about those.
English has many words and expressions that describe those times when you must make a choice but all of your options are terrible!
For starters, you can say you are between a rock and a hard place. This is when you must decide between two things that are equally unpleasant.
Greek origin
Many cultures have their own version of this story. But one of the most famous is the Greek story of Scylla and Charybdis.
You consider me the young apprentice
Caught between the Scylla and Charybdis
Hypnotized by you if I should linger
Staring at the ring around your finger
(The Police sing the song "Wrapped Around Your Finger.")
The online resource Encyclopedia Britannica explains that in Greek mythology, Scylla and Charybdis were two immortal monsters. They terrorized ships that tried to travel the Strait of Messina, a narrow waterway between Sicily and the Italian mainland.
Scylla is the personification -- the human representation of a non-human thing -- of sharp rocks and other objects along the coast. Scylla destroyed ships that came too close.
Charybdis is the personification of a whirlpool, a dangerous water formation in seas and oceans. Charybdis also destroyed ships that came too close but in a very different way.
But both could kill you! And they were located so close to each other that they gave sailors an almost impossible choice. Avoiding Charybdis meant passing too close to Scylla and vice versa.
And that is what "being between a rock and hard place" means. You are in an impossibly difficult situation with no good choices.
So really, you must choose between the lesser of two evils.
Now, let's hear this used in a conversation between two friends. A woman is planning a birthday party for her son. And a friend who offers to help finds himself in a dilemma, a real pickle – you know a difficult situation! He has a hard decision to make.
Can I help with the birthday party?
Oh yes! Thank you so much!
Of course! It's your son's birthday. I'm happy to help.
Well, I need to take my dog to the vet later today. But I also promised my son that I would take him and his friends out for ice cream after the party. So, can you either take the dog or the kids?
Ah ... how many kids?
Seven. No wait. Eight. And they will probably all be ready for a nap.
So they'll be tired and quiet?
No. They will be irritable and over-excited because they've had too much sugar.
Argh. That sounds terrible. But then again, I'm not really a dog person. Is she good in the car?
She hates it! But not as much as she hates the doctor. She will probably bark the whole time.
Okay. So, I can either take an unhappy, barking dog to the vet. Or I can take a car full of overly excited six-year-olds out for messy ice cream.
Right. But I'll pay for the ice cream and I'll pay to have your car cleaned afterward – no matter which one you choose.
Well?
I don't know! I have a dilemma. I'm still weighing my options. They are both so bad!
I didn't mean to put you between a rock and hard place. But you did offer.
Now, you may have also heard the expression: Damned if you do, damned if you don't!
This may sound the same as "being between a rock and a hard place" but we use it a little differently.
If you are damned if you do, damned if you don't – it means that no matter what you do, someone is going to be angry or upset with you. Being between a rock and a hard place involves your choosing between two terrible choices.
Now whenever you have to choose between these expressions, you will know which one to use. And luckily choosing between them will not put you between a rock and a hard place.
And that brings us to the end of this Words and Their Stories.
重点解析
1.between a rock and a hard place 进退两难
You've put me between a rock and a hard place.
你把我推入了进退两难的境地。
2.vice versa 反之亦然
Stress affects sleep and vice versa.
压力会影响睡眠，反之亦然。
3.dilemma 困境
I faced a dilemma when I realized that I was not able to afford the tuition.
当我意识到我付不起学费时，我陷入了进退两难的境地。
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参考译文
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语《词汇掌故》节目。
本集中，我们将更深入地探讨一些常见的表达和习语。今天，我们将讨论一种很常见的比较受欢迎的食物——鸡蛋！
喜欢吃鸡蛋的人认为他们是“egg-xecllent (excellent)(优秀)! Egg-traordinary (extraordinary)(非常优秀)!! Egg-mazing (amazing)(优秀到爆)!!!”
好吧，最后一个不太好用。
所以，我们来谈谈“烹饪鸡蛋”。
20世纪70年代中期，美国鸡蛋委员会——一个代表蛋农的组织——想要发起一场广告活动，捕捉鸡蛋的用途和多功能性。该公司的广告活动名为“不可思议的可食用鸡蛋”，讲述了鸡蛋对健康的所有好处，并展示了我们在膳食中使用鸡蛋的所有方式。
为一场聚会或一顿快餐，用慕丝或纸盒，为大家做煎蛋卷，用沙拉或默朗格舞，为一场游戏后的款待，用优雅的蛋奶酥…… 不可思议的可食用鸡蛋。
是的。我们在很多不同的菜里都会用到鸡蛋。鸡蛋是美国最常见的早餐食物之一。我们只吃煎了一面的荷包蛋、炒蛋或水煮蛋、三明治上的煎蛋或者和蔬菜、奶酪一起做煎蛋卷。
这让我们想到了一个与烹饪相关的习语：“不打破鸡蛋，煎不出蛋饼。(有失才有得)”
我们经常用这句话来回答不同的情况。
比如：
假设你有一个重要的目标或任务。有时为了完成任务或达到目标，你必须做一些不愉快的事情。那么就可以说不得不打破几个鸡蛋(指不愉快的事情)来做煎蛋卷(指任务或目标)。
不过，我们通常用否定形式来使用这个成语。
你在干什么？！这地方真乱！地板上都是纸板和油漆！新地毯上闪闪发亮的东西是什么！
那是闪光装饰物，我在为我的下一个视频项目做道具，效果会很棒！
但是我没办法在地板上走了！我都看不见地板了！
我知道看起来很糟糕。但是，你知道：有失才有得！
好的，下一个场景。“You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs”有时指在不给别人制造麻烦的情况下完成一件重要的事情是不可能的。所以，这个结果可能对你有好处，但并不是对每个人都有好处。
咱们来听一段对话。
如果我们把公司搬到一个新的城市，我们的客户会不高兴的。
我看过这些数字。搬家是我们发展壮大的唯一途径。这里的税收太高了。
不过，他们还是会很生气。
听着，有失才有得。
还有一种情况涉及到牺牲的因素。为了得到一些好的或有用的东西，你必须放弃一些其他的东西。
听着，我觉得我没法一个月不吃糖。
这是你在婚礼前减肥的唯一方法。
难道没有别的办法吗？？
有失才有得。
我不想要煎蛋卷。我想要一份双层巧克力冰咖啡，上面加冰淇淋！
现在，咱们回到烹饪上来。做煎蛋卷确实需要一些技巧，但煮鸡蛋就不一样了。煮一些水，放一个鸡蛋进去，这就是食谱。所以，如果我们说某人“can't even boil egg”，意思就是他们“一点儿”都不会做饭！
以上就是本期词汇掌故节目的全部内容。
下次见，我是安娜·马特奥。
