(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语《词汇掌故》节目。
Today we talk about change.
今天我们谈论的是改变。
The world changes. Situations change. But what about people?
世界会改变。形势会改变。但是人呢？
Do we ever really change?
我们真的改变过吗？
To answer this, we turn to the animal world to describe changes in personality and behavior.
为了回答这个问题，我们可以用与动物相关的俗语来描述性格和行为的变化。
A common expression states that as we get older it gets harder to change and harder to learn new behavior.
一种常见的说法是，随着我们年龄的增长，改变和学习新行为会变得越来越难。
That expression is: You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
这句话是：You can't teach an old dog new tricks。
This expression does not mean that it is impossible for an older person to learn something new.
这句话并不是说老年人不可能学会新东西。
Anyone can learn a new skill later in life—from speaking a new language to playing an instrument.
任何人都可以在以后的生活中学习一项新技能，比如说一门新语言，演奏一种乐器。
But sometimes as a person gets older, they get used to doing things in a certain way.
但有时随着年龄的增长，他们会习惯用某种方式做事。
It is more difficult for them to learn a new way of doing things.
对他们来说，学习一种新的做事方式是比较困难的。
Some people, this expression claims, get very set in their ways.
这句话所表达的意思是，有些人积习难改。
They do not like to change.
他们不喜欢改变。
They like to wake up at the same time, eat the same thing for lunch, and watch the same news program.
他们喜欢在同样的时间起床，吃同样的午餐，看同样的新闻节目。
People who fit this description take comfort in routines.
符合这一描述的人在日常生活中会感到舒适。
Of course, this is not true for everyone.
当然，并不是每个人都是这样的。
Many older people adapt and change very easily to new situations.
许多老年人很容易适应新环境。
But perhaps they were always like that, even when they were younger.
但也许他们一直都是这样的，甚至在他们年轻的时候也是如此。
They are just staying true to their nature.
他们只是坚持了他们的本性。
And that brings us to our next expression: A leopard doesn't change its spots.
这就引出了我们的下一个句子：A leopard doesn't change its spots。
This expression means that a person will stay true to their nature.
这句话的意思是人会坚持他们的本性。
They are who they are and cannot change—even if that person claims otherwise.
他们就是他们自己，不能改变——即使那个人另有说法。
We often use this expression when talking about someone who says they have changed their ways.
当我们谈到某人说他已经改变了他的方式时，我们经常会用到这句话。
They no longer do something bad that they used to do.
他们不再做他们过去常常做的坏事。
Here is a very short story using these expressions.
下面是一个使用了这些表达的非常短的故事。
Listen for other expressions that relate to a person not changing.
留意其他与人没有做出改变有关的表达。
Years ago, I lived in a beautiful apartment.
几年前，我住在一间漂亮的公寓里。
But it was too big for me.
但对我来说太大了。
So, to save some money, I invited a woman to move in.
所以，为了省点钱，我邀请了一位女士搬进来。
She was a friend of a friend of a friend.
她是朋友的朋友的朋友。
So, I did not know her.
所以，我不认识她。
But I was told she would be a very good roommate.
但别人告诉我她会是个很好的室友。
And at first, she was. Then her "true colors" came out.
一开始，她确实是。然后她露出了她的“真面目”。
First, she was messy. She left her stuff everywhere.
首先，她很邋遢。她到处乱放东西。
When I told her to pick up after herself, she just laughed and said.
当我让她自己收拾时，她只是笑着说。
"I was messy as a little girl, and I'm still messy. You know what they say, 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks.'"
“我小时候很邋遢，现在仍然很邋遢。你知道人们常说，‘上年纪的人学不了新玩意。’”
Well, I didn't think that was very funny.
我觉得那并不好笑。
Besides she was too young to be an "old dog" stuck in her ways.
此外，她还太年轻，不可能是一个秉性难移的“老人”。
Then she starting doing other things—worse things.
然后她开始做别的事——更糟糕的事情。
She would take my stuff and lie about it.
她会拿走我的东西，然后撒谎。
She would eat all of my food and not buy any food herself.
她会吃掉我所有的食物，自己却不买任何食物。
Finally, she started throwing loud, all-night parties and inviting all kinds of strange people to the apartment.
最后，她开始举办喧闹的通宵派对，并邀请各种陌生人到公寓来。
That was the last straw! I had had enough.
我忍无可忍了！我已经受够了。
I told her she had to find a new place to live.
我告诉她她得找个新地方住。
Well, after only a week of looking she said she could not find one.
仅仅找了一个星期，她就说她找不到。
This I found hard to believe.
这让我很难相信。
There were always "apartment for rent" signs around town.
镇上一直都有“出租公寓”的牌子。
But we had a serious talk and she promised me that she would change her ways.
但我们进行了一次严肃的谈话，她向我保证她会改变她的生活方式。
She would turn over a new leaf.
她会改过自新。
She would clean up her act, so to speak.
可以说，她会“重新做人”。
So, I let her stay. That was a mistake.
所以，我让她留了下来。那是一个错误。
She soon fell back into her old ways.
她很快又故态复萌了。
It turns out the old saying is true: A leopard doesn't change its spots.
事实证明，老话说得对：江山易改，本性难移。
In the end, I found her another place to live.
最后，我给她找了另一个住处。
She is now living with that friend of a friend of a friend. Problem solved!
她现在和朋友的朋友的朋友住在一起。问题解决了！
And that's all the time we have for this Words and their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
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。
重点解析
1.pick up （为某人）收拾，整理
All I seem to do is cook, wash and pick up after the kids.
烧饭、洗衣、跟在孩子屁股后头收拾东西——好像这就是我全部的活儿。
2.the last straw 忍无可忍
She stood me up again. That was the last straw.
她又放我鸽子了，简直忍无可忍了。
关注微信公众号【可可双语精读】，获取更多详细优质讲解内容。
