VOA慢速英語聽力訓(xùn)練素材：詞匯故事gift

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VOA慢速英語，作為國際英語學(xué)習(xí)者的重要資源，通過清晰緩慢的發(fā)音與簡潔的詞匯，為初學(xué)者及中等水平學(xué)習(xí)者搭建了通往流利英語的橋梁。它不僅幫助提升聽力理解能力，還豐富了詞匯量，增強(qiáng)了語感，是學(xué)習(xí)地道英語表達(dá)不可或缺的工具，對全球英語學(xué)習(xí)者的語言提升至關(guān)重要。讓我們一起進(jìn)入今天的VOA慢速英語聽力訓(xùn)練：詞匯故事gift。

英文原文

Sometimes we tie the show to an event or special time of the year. This show could be tied to any time of the year that features a holiday. Holidays are a wonderful time of the year. They are a time when people slow down and take a break from their daily lives. While holidays are celebrated in different ways, many have something in common: gift giving. And who doesn't like to get a present covered in pretty paper, may be tied with a bow or ribbon? A wrapped gift is a surprise; it could be anything. "Oh, you really shouldn't have," is a common response when someone hands you a gift. We say this even when we are thinking to ourselves, "Yay, I got a present!"

有時(shí)，我們會將節(jié)目與一年中的某個(gè)事件或特殊時(shí)刻聯(lián)系起來。這個(gè)節(jié)目可以與任何有節(jié)日的年份的任何時(shí)間掛鉤。節(jié)日是一年中美好的時(shí)光。在這個(gè)時(shí)候，人們會放慢腳步，從日常生活中抽離出來。雖然節(jié)日的慶祝方式各不相同，但許多節(jié)日都有一個(gè)共同點(diǎn)：送禮。又有誰不喜歡收到被漂亮包裝紙包裹、可能還綁著蝴蝶結(jié)或緞帶的禮物呢？被包裝的禮物總是令人驚喜，里面可能是任何東西。當(dāng)有人送你禮物時(shí)，“哦，你其實(shí)不用這樣的”是常見的回應(yīng)。即使我們心里暗自想著“耶，我收到禮物了”，嘴上也會這么說。

Sometimes the gift is perfect; it's just what I have always wanted, you might say. Sometimes it's not. We have all been there: you happily tear open a gift wondering what is inside, but then you see it and you are disappointed. But you must not show it, and you absolutely must not criticize the gift and make comments about why you don't like it. In other words, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. This idiom is really old. Way back in 1546, a man named John Haywood supposedly used this phrase in some Middle English text. However, some word experts say the idiom is much older than that. However old it is, people must have used it when gifting a horse was a common thing.

有時(shí)，禮物很完美，可能正是你一直想要的。但有時(shí)，情況并非如此。我們都經(jīng)歷過：滿心歡喜地拆開禮物，想知道里面是什么，但看到之后卻感到失望。但你不能表現(xiàn)出來，也絕對不能批評禮物，或評論為什么你不喜歡它。換句話說，就是不要挑剔別人送的禮物。這個(gè)習(xí)語非常古老。早在1546年，一個(gè)叫約翰·海伍德的人就在一些中世紀(jì)英文文本中使用了這個(gè)短語。然而，一些語言專家認(rèn)為這個(gè)習(xí)語比這還要古老得多。不管它有多古老，在贈送馬匹是常見之事的年代，人們肯定使用過它。

To understand this idiom, we must understand a bit about horses' teeth. They grow over time, so checking the length of the teeth is a way of knowing the horse's age. Although I've never given or received a horse, I'm guessing a young horse makes a better gift than an old one. However, checking the horse's mouth would be a sign of mistrust towards the gift giver. This would be bad manners, and it might make the giver feel embarrassed or even angry. The polite thing to do is simply to say thank you and accept the gift horse graciously.

要理解這個(gè)習(xí)語，我們必須對馬的牙齒有一定的了解。隨著時(shí)間的推移，馬的牙齒會生長，因此檢查牙齒的長度是判斷馬匹年齡的一種方法。雖然我從未送過或收過馬匹，但我猜測一匹年輕的馬肯定比一匹老馬更適合作為禮物。然而，檢查馬匹的口腔是對送禮者不信任的表現(xiàn)。這是不禮貌的行為，可能會讓送禮者感到尷尬甚至憤怒。禮貌的做法是簡單地說聲謝謝，并欣然接受這份禮物。

These days, horses are not common gifts, but we commonly use this idiom. Today, "don't look a gift horse in the mouth" means don't find fault with something that has been received as a gift or favor. Don't be ungrateful when you receive a present, even if it's not exactly what you wanted. If you complain about a gift someone has given you, or a favor someone has done for you, you could be accused of looking a gift horse in the mouth. Besides gifts, you can use this idiom for other things, such as a favor.

如今，馬匹不再是常見的禮物，但我們?nèi)匀唤?jīng)常使用這個(gè)習(xí)語。如今，“don't look a gift horse in the mouth”意味著不要挑剔別人送的禮物或恩惠。收到禮物時(shí)，即使不是完全符合你的心意，也不要忘恩負(fù)義。如果你抱怨別人送給你的禮物，或者別人為你做的事情，你可能會被指責(zé)為挑剔別人的禮物。除了禮物之外，這個(gè)習(xí)語還可以用于其他事物，比如恩惠。

Let's say you ask a friend to help cook a dish for a party you are throwing for a group of senior citizens in your neighborhood. She comes to the dinner smiling from ear to ear and hands you the dish she has cooked. It is very burnt and it smells odd, but you don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. You thank her for her dish and the time she took to make it. Then you put it on the table in the back where people hopefully won't see it.

比如，你請一位朋友為你準(zhǔn)備一道菜，用于你為社區(qū)里一群老年人舉辦的聚會。她笑容滿面地來到晚宴，把你請求的那道菜遞給你。然而，這道菜被燒得很焦，味道也很奇怪。但你不希望挑剔別人的禮物。你感謝她為你準(zhǔn)備的這道菜，以及她所花費(fèi)的時(shí)間。然后，你把這道菜放在桌子后面，希望人們不會看到它。

So next time you get a gift that is less than perfect, remember that it is not nice to look a gift horse in the mouth. After all, it's the thought that counts. This means that it's the thought of gift-giving, and not the gift itself, that is important. And don't worry if you get something as a gift that you really don't like; you can always pass it along to someone else who may actually like it. In other words, you can always regift it.

所以，下次你收到一份不太完美的禮物時(shí)，請記住，挑剔別人的禮物是不好的。畢竟，心意最重要。這意味著送禮的心意，而不是禮物本身，才是最重要的。如果你收到一份自己真正不喜歡的禮物，不用擔(dān)心；你可以把它轉(zhuǎn)送給可能會喜歡它的人。換句話說，你可以把它再次送出去。

以上便是VOA慢速英語聽力訓(xùn)練：詞匯故事gift相關(guān)內(nèi)容，希望能幫助你提升聽力！