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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。
In many parts of the world, the flow of traffic is controlled in part by traffic lights.
在世界上许多地方，交通流量在一定程度上受红绿灯控制。
Typically, they have three colors: green, yellow, and red.
它们通常有三种颜色：绿色、黄色和红色。
Green means go.
绿色表示通行。
Yellow means proceed with care and be prepared to stop.
黄色表示小心前行，并准备停下。
And red means stop.
红色表示停止。
But these colored lights are not only used to control traffic.
但这些彩色信号灯不仅仅是用来控制交通的。
When it comes to red and green, we also use those two in our English expressions.
说到红和绿，我们在英语表达中也会用到这两个词。
The most common is the green light.
最常见的是绿灯。
“Greenlight” means to have permission to go ahead with a project.
“Greenlight”的意思是有权继续进行一个项目。
In English, we often turn verbs into nouns and nouns into verbs.
在英语中，我们经常把动词变成名词，把名词变成动词。
For example, sometimes we use “go-ahead” as a noun.
例如，有时我们会把“go-head”用作名词。
If you have been given a go-ahead to proceed with a project, you have been given the greenlight.
如果你已经获得了继续进行一个项目的许可，你就已经被given the greenlight了。
Or in other words, you have been green-lighted, to use the past tense.
或者换句话说，用过去式，你已经被green-lighted了。
However, we would not say that we have been “go-aheaded.”
但是，我们不会说我们被“go-aheaded”。
Making that past tense is simply not correct.
把这个词变成过去式是错误用法。
When you get the greenlight, you can proceed.
当你获得绿灯的时候，你就可以继续了。
You have been given consent.
你已经得到了我的同意。
A greenlight is simply permission to get started!
绿灯就是开始的许可！
This term is especially common in the film and theater industry.
这一术语在电影和戏剧行业中尤其常见。
Producing films and plays takes a lot of resources.
制作电影和戏剧需要大量的资源。
So, getting the greenlight is important.
因此，获得绿灯是很重要的。
For example, the company producing my friend’s film refused to green-light production until he did a big rewrite on his script.
例如，我朋友电影的制片公司在他对剧本进行了大量重写后，才同意给制作开绿灯。
Now, let’s listen to these two co-workers use the term “greenlight.”
现在，我们来听听这两位同事是如何用“greenlight”这个词的。
So, when are you starting your new project?
那么，你什么时候开始你的新项目呢？
As soon as I get the greenlight, I can take the first step.
我一获得绿灯就可以开始第一步。
The boss gave you the go-ahead in the meeting yesterday.
老板在昨天的会议上批准你了。
No, she didn’t.
不，她没有。
Yes, she did.
有，她批准了。
I saw her.
我看到她批准了。
She nodded her head!
她都点头了！
That’s not a greenlight.
那不是开绿灯。
That’s body language.
那是肢体语言。
For all I know, she could’ve been tired and her head dropped forward slightly.
据我所知，她可能累了，头微微前倾了下。
No way.
不可能。
I’ve known her for years and that is definitely how she greenlights a project.
我认识她很多年了，这绝对是她批准一个项目的方式。
In fact, just last week she greenlighted a bigger project than yours with just a wink.
事实上，就在上周，她眨了下眼，就给比你更大的项目开了绿灯。
That’s a shockingly subtle way to authorize a project.
这种项目批准方式真是不易察觉到令人震惊。
Perhaps.
也许吧。
But also smart.
但也很聪明。
If it doesn’t work out, she can say she never gave consent.
如果项目不成功，她可以说她从未批准过。
Well, my project needs a lot of resources.
嗯，我的项目需要很多资源。
So, I’m going to need more than a wink and a nod, before I proceed.
所以，在我继续之前，我需要的不仅仅是眨眼和点头。
What more could you need?
你还需要什么呢？
Oh I don’t know … maybe something in writing … like an email?
哦，我不知道…可能需要一些书面文件…比如电子邮件？
Now, a red light used as a traffic signal means “stop.”
现在，红灯被用作交通信号时表示“停车”。
This is also true in?conversation.
在对话中也是如此。
It means an order or directive to stop an action or project.
它表示停止一项行动或项目的命令或指令。
During the pandemic, many companies put a red light on all unnecessary costs.
在疫情期间，许多公司对一切不必要的成本开了红灯。
Although, this usage is less common than greenlight.
不过，这种用法没有绿灯那么常见。
A red light can also mean a signal of danger or a warning.
红灯也可能意味着危险的信号或警告。
For example, always being late for work could be a red light for a larger problem.
例如，上班总是迟到可能是产生更严重问题的信号。
Used this way as a warning, we could also say “red flag.”
这种作为警告的用法也可以说“red flag”。
There is another way we use “red light.”
还有另一种使用“red light”的方式。
Sometimes we combine it with the word “district.”
有时我们会把它和“district”这个词结合起来。
In a red light district adult entertainment is sold.
红灯区出售成人娱乐用品。
And that’s the end of 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！
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
