VOA慢速英语2020 “滚石不生苔”

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

现在是VOA英语学习的《词汇掌故》节目 。 

On todays program, we will talk about the expression: A rolling stone gathers no moss¹.

在今天的节目中，我们将讨论的表达方式是“A rolling stone gathers no moss.”(滚石不生苔)。 

Most of you probably know that a stone is the same thing as a rock. But what about moss?

我们大多数人可能都知道，“stone”和“rock”都是石头。但是苔藓呢？ 

Well, moss is a very soft, green plant. It has very small leaves and does not flower. It loves shade and water.So, moss grows well on wet ground, trees and rocks.In fact, rocks and stones that line shady² creeks³ and rivers are often mossy.

苔藓是一种非常柔软的绿色植物，叶小，且不会开花，喜阴喜水。因此，苔藓在潮湿的地面、树木和岩石上长得好。实际上，沿着阴凉的小溪和河流排列的岩石和石头上经常布满苔藓。

Moss grows slowly and is a rootless plant. It spreads well over non-moving surfaces.In fact, to prevent moss from growing on stones in your garden,you can just move the rocks around, turning them over now and then.

苔藓生长缓慢，属无根植物。 它均匀地遍布在不会移动的物体表面。事实上，为了防止苔藓生长在你花园的石头上，你只需移动一下石头，然后不时翻转一下即可。

Why? Because "A rolling stone gathers no moss."

为什么呢？ 因为“滚石不生苔”。 

Now, years ago this expression was covered in another Words and Their Stories.That story explained the expressions connection to rock-and-roll.Writer Shelley Gollust explained that "a rolling stone gathers no moss" can be understood in a couple of ways.

距今几年前，另一期《词汇掌故》中也涵盖过此表达。那个故事解释了这一表达与摇滚乐之间的联系。作家雪莱·古卢斯特解释说，“滚石不生苔”这一说法可以有两种解读方式。

It can mean that a person who never settles down in one place will not gather wealth or long-lasting relationships.The moss that slowly spreads across the rock represents the money and friends we make over time.

它可以指那些居无定所的人是不会积累财富或建立长期关系的。苔藓在岩石上缓慢蔓延开来就代表着我们随着时间的推移所得到的金钱和朋友。

"How does it feel? To be on your own, With no direction home, A complete unknown, Like a rolling stone."

“感觉怎样？独身一人，无家可归，无人问津，就像一颗滚动的石头。” 

But there is another way we use this expression.

但是，我们还有另一种使用此表达的方式。 

Think about a rolling stone. It leads a carefree existence, on the move with no moss to worry about.People who are "rolling stones" live without the restrictions⁴ that come with responsibilities.They go where they choose when they choose.And, they dont stay anywhere long enough to form attachments⁵. Or moss.

想一下一颗滚动的石头。它无忧无虑地生存着，在路上也没有苔藓让它担心。那些像“滚石”的人生活上不会受到责任所带来的限制。他们想去哪儿就去哪儿。而且，他们在任何地方都不会停留太久，产生依恋。就如同石头上的苔藓。

A free spirit is also a term we use to describe such a person. They are not tied down with lots of traditional responsibilities.

“自由精神”也是我们用来形容这种人的词语。他们不会受太多传统责任的束缚。 

A rolling stone could also be described as "nomadic⁷," often moving.Experts at the Merriam-Webster online dictionary define⁸ a nomad⁶ asa "member of a group of people who move from place to place."Often nomads⁹ move around to find food.

一块滚动的石头也可被描述为“nomadic”（游牧的），因为其经常移动。《韦氏在线字典》的专家将游牧民定义为“一群到处游走的人”。游牧民经常四处游走以寻找食物。

However, these days we can use the word "nomadic" to describe anyone who moves around a lot.

但如今，我们可以使用“nomadic”（移动的）一词来形容那些经常走动的人。 

Now, the rolling stone lifestyle has been explored in many songs including work by Muddy Waters and Bob Dylan.

如今，这种滚石的生活方式已经在很多音乐作品中得到探索，包括穆迪·沃特斯和鲍勃·迪伦的作品。

One of the best came from The Temptations in 1972."Papa Was a Rolling Stone" is about a man who leaves his family.In the song the mother tries to explain the father her son never knew.

其中最好的一个作品来自1972年的诱惑乐队。其作品《浪子父亲》是关于一个离开家的男人。在这首歌中，母亲试图向儿子解释他不曾认识的父亲。

"Papa was a rolling stone (my son, yeah); Wherever he laid his hat was his home …"

“儿子 爸爸是个不着家的人；他总是把帽子放在另一个家里……” 

And thats the end of this Words and Their Stories.Until next time … Im Anna Matteo.

以上就是本期《词汇掌故》的全部内容。我们下次见……我是安娜·马特奥。 

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 shady   

adj.成荫的，多荫的，可疑的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• This is a shady avenue.这是条林阴大道。
• He's a rather shady person.他是个相当靠不住的人。

3 creeks   

n.小湾( creek的名词复数 )；小港；小河；小溪

参考例句：

• The prospect lies between two creeks. 矿区位于两条溪流之间。 来自辞典例句
• There was the excitement of fishing in country creeks with my grandpa on cloudy days. 有在阴雨天和姥爷一起到乡村河湾钓鱼的喜悦。 来自辞典例句

4 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

5 attachments   

n.（用电子邮件发送的）附件( attachment的名词复数 )；附着；连接；附属物

参考例句：

• The vacuum cleaner has four different attachments. 吸尘器有四个不同的附件。
• It's an electric drill with a range of different attachments. 这是一个带有各种配件的电钻。

6 nomad   

n.游牧部落的人，流浪者，游牧民

参考例句：

• He was indeed a nomad of no nationality.他的确是个无国籍的游民。
• The nomad life is rough and hazardous.游牧生活艰苦又危险。

7 nomadic   

adj.流浪的；游牧的

参考例句：

• This tribe still live a nomadic life.这个民族仍然过着游牧生活。
• The plowing culture and the nomadic culture are two traditional principal cultures in China.农耕文化与游牧文化是我国传统的两大主体文化。

8 define   

vt.解释，下定义，阐述，限定，规定

参考例句：

• Please define the words.请解释这些字的意义。
• It's hard to define exactly what has changed.很难解释清楚到底发生了什么变化。

9 nomads   

n.游牧部落的一员( nomad的名词复数 )；流浪者；游牧生活；流浪生活

参考例句：

• For ten years she dwelled among the nomads of North America. 她在北美游牧民中生活了十年。
• Nomads have inhabited this region for thousands of years. 游牧民族在这地区居住已有数千年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》