VOA慢速英语2012 WORDS AND THEIR STORIES - Like a Rolling Stone

WORDS AND THEIR STORIES - Like a Rolling Stone

词汇典故：滚石

Now, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

这里是美国之音慢速英语词汇典故。

Today we explain a very old saying that has had a big influence on rock-and-roll music. That saying is a rolling stone gathers no moss¹. It has several meanings. One meaning is that a person who never settles down in one place will not be successful. Another is that someone who is always moving, with no roots in one place, avoids responsibilities.

今天我们来解释一个对摇滚音乐有着深远影响的古老谚语，它就是a rolling stone gathers no moss（滚石不生苔）。它包含了数种含义，其中一种含义是，不安定下来的人是不会成功的，另一种含义是说某些人四处漂泊，居无定所，逃避责任。 

This proverb was said to be first used in the fifteen hundreds. But in the nineteen sixties, the expression rolling stone became famous in the world of rock-and-roll music. It became the name of a rock group, a song and a magazine. 

据说这个谚语第一次被用到是在16世纪。但是在20世纪60年代，rolling stone这个短语在摇滚音乐界变得知名起来，它成为了一支摇滚乐队，一首歌和一本杂志的名字。

Experts say it all started with a song by the American singer and guitarist Muddy Waters. He was one of the country's top blues² musicians until his death in nineteen eighty-three. His music influenced singers like Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. In nineteen-fifty, Muddy Waters recorded a song called "Rollin' Stone." 

专家称，这一切始于美国歌手兼吉他手马迪·沃特斯（Muddy Waters）的一首歌。直到1983年去世前，沃特斯一直都是美国顶尖的布鲁斯(blues，又译为蓝调)音乐家之一。他的音乐影响了像艾尔维斯·普莱斯利/猫王（Elvis Presley）和鲍勃·迪伦（Bob Dylan）等一些歌手。1950年，沃特斯录了一首名为Rollin' Stone的歌。

(MUSIC) 

A British rock group is said to have taken its name from Muddy Waters' song. The Rolling Stones performed for the first time in nineteen sixty-two. The group's members called themselves "the world's greatest rock and roll band." 

据说，一个英国摇滚组合取名就源自沃特斯的这首歌。滚石乐队的第一次演出是在1962年，该乐队的成员称他们是“世界上最优秀的摇滚乐队”。

In nineteen sixty-five, Bob Dylan released³ his song "Like a Rolling Stone." It is one of his best known and most influential⁴ works⁵. 

1965年，迪伦发行了歌曲Like a Rolling Stone，这是他最知名且最有影响力的作品之一。

Bob Dylan first wrote the words as a short story before he developed it as a song. "Like a Rolling Stone" is more than six minutes long. It is an angry song about a woman who was once rich and successful. But now she is on her own, "with no direction home, like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone." 

这是关于一个曾经富有、成功的女人的一首冤曲。但是现在，她独自一人，“没有回家的方向，孤零零，像一个滚石。”

(MUSIC) 

In nineteen sixty-seven, a young man named Jann (yon) Wenner started a magazine he named "Rolling Stone." The magazine reported on rock music and the popular culture that the music created. By nineteen seventy-one, "Rolling Stone" had become the leading rock music and counterculture publication⁶. It is still popular today. 

1967年，一个叫做简·温纳（Jann Wenner）的年轻人创办了一本名为Rolling Stone的杂志，该杂志报道了摇滚音乐以及该类音乐产生的流行文化。1971年，该杂志已经成为摇滚音乐和反传统文化的重要出版物，至今仍然很流行。

(MUSIC) 

This VOA Special English program was written by Shelley Gollust. I'm Faith Lapidus. 

1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

2 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

3 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

4 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

5 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

6 publication   

n.出版，发行；出版；公布，发表

参考例句：

• They don't think this article is suitable for publication.他们认为这篇文章不宜发表。
• The government has delayed publication of the trade figures.政府已将贸易统计数字延后公布。