VOA慢速英语2013 怎样表达"大好人"和"品德高尚"

（单词翻译）

Words and Their Stories - How to Be a Good Egg and the Salt of the Earth 

Now, the VOA Learning¹ English program Words and Their Stories.

现在是美国之音慢速英语词汇典故节目。

We present more expressions³ about food. They are from Elenir Scardueli, a listener⁴ in Brazil.

我们介绍更多关于食物的表达。他们来自一位巴西的听众 Elenir Scardueli 。

My mother always told us “there is no use crying over spilled milk.” That means⁵ you should not get angry when something bad happens and cannot be changed.

我的母亲总是告诉我说“覆水难收”。这句话的意思是说，当错误已经铸成，事情已成定局，再生气也没有用。

People said my mother was “a good egg.” She would always help anyone in need.

别人说，我的母亲是个“大好人”，她总会帮助任何一个需要帮助的人。

We never had to “walk on eggshells” around her -- we did not have to be careful about what we said or did because she never got angry at us.

跟她相处时，我们不必“小心翼翼、如履薄冰”，即我们不必对自己的言行谨小慎微，因为她绝不会为此生气。

She also told us “you have to break some eggs to make an omelet.” This means you have to do what is necessary to move forward.

她还告诉我们“要做煎蛋先得打蛋。”这话的意思是说，要想取得进步必须付出。

My mother believed “you are what you eat” -- a good diet⁶ is important for good health. She would always give us nutritious⁷ food. She liked serving us meat and potatoes for dinner. “Meat and potatoes” can also mean the most important part of something. It describes someone who likes simple things.

母亲相信“食如其人”。合理膳食对身体健康非常重要，她总是给我们吃营养丰富的食物。在吃正餐时，她常给我们吃（营养丰富的）肉和土豆。所以，Meat and potatoes 也代指事物中最重要的部分，或者形容生活简朴的人。

Here is another expression² about meat: “one man’s meat is another man’s poison⁸.” In other words, one person might like something very much while another person might hate the same thing.

这里还有一个关于肉的俗语“甲之蜜糖，乙之砒霜”。换句话说，对于同样的事物，甲可能非常喜欢，而乙却非常讨厌它。

My father was also a good and honest person. People said he was “the salt of the earth.” He would never “pour salt on a wound” -- or make someone feel worse about something that was already a painful⁹ experience.

我的父亲也是个真诚善良的人。别人说他是“高尚正派”的人。他绝不会“在别人的伤口上洒盐”，这个俗语的意思是让已经痛苦不堪的事情雪上加霜。

However, sometimes he told us a story that seemed bigger than life. So we had to “take it with a grain¹⁰ of salt” -- that is, we could not believe everything he told us.

不过，父亲有时候会跟我们讲看似脱离生活实际的故事。因此，我们对此是“半信半疑”。也就是说，我们不全信他所说的。

My husband has a good job. He makes enough money to support our family. So we say “he brings home the bacon¹¹.”

我的先生有份好工作。他挣的钱足够养家。所以，我们说他能“养家糊口”。

He can “cut the mustard” -- or do what is expected of him at work.

他可以“做到最好”，在工作上能达人们对他的期望。

It is easy to find my husband in a crowd. He stands almost two meters tall. He is “a tall drink of water.”

在人群中很容易找到我先生，因为他身高将近 2 米。他是个“大高个”。

I take the train to work. It is not a pleasant ride because the train can be full of people. It is so crowded that we are “packed like sardines” -- just like small fish in a can.

我坐火车上班，这让人不怎么愉快，因为火车上可能装满了人，挤得“水泄不通”，就像塞在罐头里的小鱼。

My supervisor¹² at work is sometimes “out to lunch.” She is out of touch and does not always know what is going on in our office. Yet she is right about one thing: “there is no such thing as a free lunch” -- something may appear to be free of charge¹³, but there may be a hidden cost.

我的工作单位上司有时会“丢了魂，魂不守舍”，也就是说她心不在焉，不知道办公室里的事。然而，有件事她是对的：“天下没有免费的午餐。”有些东西或许表面看似免费，实则有隐含的费用。

When we fail to see problems at work, my supervisor tells us to “wake up and smell the coffee” -- we need to pay more attention and fix the problem.

当我们没能发现工作中的问题时，我的上司会告告诫我们说“醒醒吧！面对现实吧！，他是说，我们需要更加集中精力来”解决这个问题。

I once made a big mistake at the office and felt foolish¹⁴. I had “egg on my face.”

我在工作中曾犯过大错，感觉自己好蠢。让自己很尴尬。

Over the weekend, my friend invited me to watch a football game on television. But I do not like football. It is “not my cup of tea.”

上周末，朋友邀请我看电视转播橄榄球赛，但我不喜欢橄榄球，橄榄球“不是我的菜”。

We hope this program has given you “food for thought” -- that is, something to think about.

我们希望这个节目给了你 food for thought，即“引人深思的东西”。

This program was written by Shelley Gollust. I’m Faith¹⁵ Lapidus.