VOA慢速英语2012 WORDS AND THEIR STORIES - Golden Rules and Golden Oldies

 

WORDS AND THEIR STORIES - Golden Rules and Golden Oldies

词汇典故 - 金科玉律和怀旧金曲

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

现在是美国之音慢速英语词汇典故节目。

Throughout history, gold has been a sign of purity, beauty and power. Calling something golden means it has great quality and value.

纵观历史，黄金一直是纯洁，美丽和力量的象征。称某种东西为金质的意味着它具有很高的质量和价值。

For example, the golden rule is possibly the world’s most widespread moral rule.

例如，金科玉律（the golden rule）可能是世界上最普遍的道德规则。

It says people should treat others the way they themselves would like to be treated. Every major religion has its own version of this idea.

有条金科玉律说人们应该待人如己。所有主流宗教都有关于这种思想的自身版本。

The golden ratio is found in art, architecture and nature. It describes a rectangle with a length about one and one-half times its width. Objects using this ratio in their design seem to please the eye more than others.

黄金比例（The golden ratio，即我们常说的黄金分割）存在于艺术、建筑和自然方面。它描述的是一个长宽比大概为1:1.5的长方形物体。使用这个比例设计的物体看起来似乎比其他比例更能引起人的美感。

Philosophers have their own golden idea. The golden mean says moderation in all things is the best way to live one’s life. It is an idea linked to the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. Similar thoughts exist in Buddhism¹ and Confucianism.

哲学家都有自己的金点子（golden idea）。中庸思想者（The golden mean）说，在所有事物中，中庸之道是生存的最佳方式。这是和古希腊哲学家亚里士多德有关的一个想法。类似的想法也存在于佛教和儒教思想中。

Ancient Greek myths told of a time long ago when people lived in peace and happiness. Poets called it the Golden Age. A golden age now describes a historical period of great artistic², scientific or economic progress. It can even recall a time of success and popularity for an industry. For example, the nineteen thirties and forties were called the Golden Age of Radio.

古希腊神话讲述了一段很久以前，人们和平、幸福生活的美好时代。诗人把它称为黄金时代（the Golden Age）。黄金年代现在用来描述一段艺术、科技或经济取得巨大成就的历史时期。它甚至使我们回想起一个行业取得成功和流行的时期。例如，二十世纪三四十年代，被称为广播行业的黄金时代。 

You may have heard the proverb silence is golden. This means silence is of great value. It is sometimes better to say nothing than to speak.

您可能听过一句谚语：沉默是金。这表示沉默很有价值，有时候沉默比多嘴强。

You might say your child was good as gold when he behaved well at school. British writer Charles Dickens used this expression in eighteen forty-three. He was describing the child Tiny Tim in the book “A Christmas Carol.”

当你的孩子在学校表现很好，你可能会说他很乖（good as gold）。英国作家查尔斯·狄更斯1843年在《圣诞颂歌》一书中使用这个词语形容书中的一个名为蒂尼·齐姆的孩子。

In nineteen thirty-seven, American playwright³ Clifford Odets wrote a play called “The Golden Boy.” This expression describes a young man who has many good qualities and a bright future.

1937年，美国剧作家克利福德·奥德茨写下戏剧《金童》（The Golden Boy）。金童一词用来形容具有良好素质和光明未来的青年。

You might tell someone you are golden when that person does something very well.

当某人强于做某事时，你可能会告诉他你很牛（you are golden，有些地方则译为你很珍贵之类的）。

Gold digger is another description. But this does not say something nice about a person. A gold digger is someone who seeks to marry a rich person because he or she is only interested in that person’s money.

钓金龟婿一族（Gold digger，或译为拜金族）是另一种说法，但这可不是形容人们的什么好品质。钓金龟婿一族谋求嫁个有钱人，他或者她的唯一兴趣只是那个人的钱。

Maybe you like old songs from the nineteen fifties or sixties that are still well known and popular today. These are called golden oldies.

也许你喜欢一些二十世纪五、六十年代至今仍流行的老歌，这些歌曲被称为怀旧金曲（golden oldies）。 

In the nineteen eighties and nineties, an American television comedy series told about four older women living in Miami, Florida. The Golden Girls often dealt with social issues in a funny way.

二十世纪八、九十年代的一部美国喜剧讲述了四个住在佛罗里达州迈阿密的老年妇女。这些金牌女将们（Golden Girls）常常用一种有趣的方式处理社会问题。

Today, most older people look forward to reaching their golden years. This is when hard-working people can retire to a life of ease and fulfillment.

今天，大多数老年人希望安度晚年（reaching their golden years），这是指辛勤工作的人们能退休享受安逸满足的生活。

1 Buddhism   

n.佛教（教义）

参考例句：

• Buddhism was introduced into China about 67 AD.佛教是在公元67年左右传入中国的。
• Many people willingly converted to Buddhism.很多人情愿皈依佛教。

2 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

3 playwright   

n.剧作家，编写剧本的人

参考例句：

• Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
• The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。