VOA词汇掌故2022--永恒的希望之泉

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

Spring has come to many places around the world. Here in the Northern Hemisphere¹, we celebrate the first day of spring on the vernal equinox. In 2022, spring began on March 20.

With new life starting to show in nature, it is easy to see why this season has meant hope and new beginnings to many people through history.

As a verb, the word "spring" can mean to come forth² with energy.

For example, when you "spring into action," you start a project or task with a lot of positive energy.

Here is another way to use "spring" as a verb. If you "spring" news or information on someone, you tell them something without preparation. For example, the other day a good friend told me she would be moving to a new city by the end of the week! I can't believe she sprung such important news on me.

And that brings us to our expression for today's show: hope springs eternal³.

"Hope springs eternal" means that people can always find a reason to hope, even in the bleakest⁵ situations. Here, the word "bleak⁴" means to not have much hope.

Eternal means to last or exist forever, without end or beginning. So, there is a dreamy quality to this expression.

It is actually considered a proverb, a short well-known saying containing a wise thought. The wise thought here is that we human beings never stop hoping or believing that things will get better. Even when common sense tells us that something will not happen -- we still think it will.

For example, a group of friends tried to start a business together. Their first three tries failed. But that did not stop them from trying again. You know what they say: Hope springs eternal!

Here is another example. Even though a woman lost her job, her car, and her apartment all in one month, she still kept a positive attitude. She still had good health and good friends. She asked them for a little help and then started to rebuild her life. For her, hope springs eternal is more than a proverb. It is her life's motto.

People who use or believe in this proverb as optimists⁷. They optimistically believe in a brighter tomorrow. A pessimist⁸, the opposite of an optimist⁶, probably won't use "hope springs eternal" very often ... if at all.

Language experts say the proverb "Hope springs eternal" comes from a shortened⁹ line from Alexander Pope's 1732 poem An Essay on Man. He wrote: "Hope springs eternal in every human breast."

Words in This Story

vernal equinox – n. the equinox in spring, on about March 20 in the northern hemisphere and September 22 in the southern hemisphere

positive – adj. having a real or beneficial effect or result

eternal – adj. lasting¹⁰ forever : having no beginning and no end

bleakest – adj. lacking in warmth, life, or kindliness¹¹

proverb – n. a short well-known saying containing a wise thought

motto – n. a short expression of a guiding rule of conduct

optimist – n. a person who is inclined¹² to be hopeful and to expect good outcomes¹³

pessimist – n. a person who is inclined to expect poor outcomes

opposite – adj. being in a position to contrast with or cancel out

1 hemisphere   

n.半球，半球地图

参考例句：

• This animal is to be found only in the Southern Hemisphere.这种动物只有在南半球才能找到。
• In most people,the left hemisphere is bigger than the right.多数人的左脑比右脑大。

2 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

3 eternal   

adj.永久的，无休止的，永恒的，永不改变的

参考例句：

• Stop this eternal chatter!不要唠叨个不停！
• Rome has been called the Eternal City.罗马一向被称为不朽之城。

4 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

5 bleakest   

阴冷的( bleak的最高级 )； （状况）无望的； 没有希望的； 光秃的

参考例句：

• This is the bleakest novel I've ever read. 这是我读过的小说中最乏味的一本。
• Relax! When things appear at their bleakest. 放松！当情况显得凄凉的时候。

6 optimist   

n.乐观的人，乐观主义者

参考例句：

• We are optimist and realist.我们是乐观主义者，又是现实主义者。
• Peter,ever the optimist,said things were bound to improve.一向乐观的皮特说，事情必定是会好转的。

7 optimists   

n.乐观主义者( optimist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Even optimists admit the outlook to be poor. 甚至乐观的人都认为前景不好。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Optimists reckon house prices will move up with inflation this year. 乐观人士认为今年的房价将会随通货膨胀而上涨。 来自辞典例句

8 pessimist   

n.悲观者；悲观主义者；厌世

参考例句：

• An optimist laughs to forget.A pessimist forgets to laugh.乐观者笑着忘却，悲观者忘记怎样笑。
• The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.悲观者在每个机会中都看到困难，乐观者在每个困难中都看到机会。

9 shortened   

v.弄短，缩短( shorten的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She shortened the skirt by an inch. 她把裙子缩短了一英寸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Vacations have lengthened and the work week has shortened. 假期延长，工作周就缩短了。 来自辞典例句

10 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

11 kindliness   

n.厚道，亲切，友好的行为

参考例句：

• Martha looked up into a strange face and dark eyes alight with kindliness and concern. 马撒慢慢抬起头，映入眼帘的是张陌生的脸，脸上有一双充满慈爱和关注的眼睛。 来自辞典例句
• I think the chief thing that struck me about Burton was his kindliness. 我想，我对伯顿印象最深之处主要还是这个人的和善。 来自辞典例句

12 inclined   

a.有…倾向的

参考例句：

• She was inclined to trust him. 她愿意相信他。
• He inclined towards the speaker to hear more clearly. 他把身体倾向发言人，以便听得更清楚些。

13 outcomes   

结果( outcome的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The two scenarios provide illustrations of consistent set of outcomes for range of possible policies. 这两个方案说明某一套可能采取的政策将会产生的一系列后果。
• We analyzed all the possible outcomes of your mission, Commander. 我们分析过所有可能的结果，指挥官。