(单词翻译:单击)
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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。
Many of our English expressions come from our interactions with or observations of animals.
我们的许多英语短语来自我们与动物的互动或对动物的观察。
Today we talk about an animal that gets blamed for a lot of bad things – a goat!
今天我们谈论一种因为很多坏事而被指责的动物——山羊！
To be more exact, we are talking about a scapegoat.
更准确地说，我们谈论的是替罪羊。
A scapegoat is a person who is the receiver of blame and anger about a situation.
替罪羊是指因为某种情况而遭受责备和愤怒的人。
Often the anger is without reason.
通常情况下，愤怒是没有理由的。
So, if someone is unfairly blamed for something, that person could be called a scapegoat.
因此，如果某人因某事受到不公平的指责，这个人可以被称为替罪羊。
“Scapegoat” combines the English words “escape” and “goat.”
“Scapegoat（替罪羊）”这个词是由英语单词“escape（逃跑）”和“goat（山羊）”组成的。
The word has an interesting history.
这个词有一段有趣的历史。
But before we hear that, let’s hear the word used in some examples.
但在我们听这段历史之前，我们先来听一些例子。
Just because Tabitha had made mistakes in the past, she became the scapegoat in her family for everything that went wrong.
就因为塔比莎过去犯过错误，她就成了家里一切错误的替罪羊。
But in fact, her sisters did worse things than she did.
但事实上，她的姐妹们做的事情比她做过的事情更糟糕。
The builder of a new apartment building became the scapegoat for changes to the neighborhood.
一座新公寓楼的建造者成了该社区变化的替罪羊。
Houses became more expensive and poorer people began moving out.
房子越来越贵，更贫穷的人开始搬出去。
But in reality, wealthy people had been moving into the area for many years.
但事实上，富人已经搬到这个地区很多年了。
Now, let's talk about the origin: Where does this word come from?
现在，我们来谈谈这个词的由来：这个词从何而来？
Experts with Merriam Webster say "scapegoat" is connected to religion.
梅里亚姆·韦伯斯特公司的专家说，“替罪羊”与宗教有关。
On the dictionary’s website, they explain that on a certain religious holiday, ancient Hebrews would sacrifice one goat and lead another one into the wilderness.
在该词典的网站上，他们解释说，在某个宗教节日，古希伯来人会献祭一只山羊，并将另一只山羊牵到荒野中。
The goat sent to the wilderness carried all the sins of the people.
被送到荒野中的山羊背负着人们所有的罪孽。
So historically speaking, a scapegoat is an actual goat that takes on the sins of others.
因此，从历史上讲，替罪羊是一只真正的替他人承担罪过的山羊。
In other words, the goat carried the sins of other people away with it.
换句话说，山羊把他人的罪过带走了。
In our modern usage, a scapegoat is someone who bears the blame for others.
在我们现代的用法中，替罪羊是指为他人承担责任的人。
In English, there is another word that has a similar meaning.
在英语中，还有一个词有类似的意思。
A “fall guy” is someone who is blamed for something that someone else did.
“fall guy（替罪羊）”指的是因为别人做的某件事而受到责备的人。
The word “fall guy” suggests that the person was set up for something they did not do.
“fall guy（替罪羊）”这个词暗示这个人是被陷害的。
Here’s an example:
下面是一个例子：
Lawyers for the defendant argued that their client was being set up by her boss.
被告的律师辩称，他们的当事人是被她的老板陷害的。
She was simply a fall guy for her boss’s crimes.
她只是她老板所犯罪行的替罪羊。
He was the real guilty party.
他才是真正有罪的一方。
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。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
