VOA词汇掌故2022--'Full Steam Ahead!'

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'Full Steam Ahead!'

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

On this program, we explore words and expressions in the English language.

Today we talk about "steam."

Steam is water heated to the boiling point. Above 100 degrees Celsius¹, water becomes a gas. When placed under pressure, steam can supply energy for heating, cooking, or mechanical work, as in a steam engine.

"Steam" can mean other things too.

It can be used to mean anger or to describe someone who is angry. For example, it is not healthy to get steamed over every little issue. Life is too short.

Every time a friend of mine receives criticism, she gets steamed for a while. When I learned this about her, I knew to give her time and space to calm down after giving her any suggestions.

"Steam" can also mean energy, active force, or motivation. This kind of steam is good for getting things done.

For example, I once led a large group of people in a big creative project. I knew we needed to work up steam to get the job done. In other words, we would need a lot of energy. I told the team what was needed. I wanted to encourage them to get started. So, I said to them, "Full steam ahead!"

But it is also easy to "lose steam" if you don't plan well. Once, I started a project in the spring but by summer I had run out of steam. I did not have the energy or motivation to finish.

Steam can also mean suppressed emotional tension or frustrations³. Life can be busy and full of frustrations and problems. If we don't talk about them, pressure can build up inside us – like a volcano that is ready to blow its top.

When we blow our top, we become angry, often quickly.

So, sometimes we need to "let off a little steam." We need to ease the tension. When we let off steam, we release feelings that we may have been avoiding. We can also say, we need to "blow off steam."

When we blow or let off steam, we calm down or release emotions or energy by doing something we like. Like a tea pot blowing off steam, it is a release of energy. So, when life gets frustrating⁴, I like to go for a walk to blow off some steam. But some people may like to yell to let off steam. For some people, blowing off steam is hard to do. They don't know how to relax or calm down.

Blowing off steam can mean that we "air out" issues that are bothering us. To air out concerns is a way of easing the pressure in our steam engine. It means to discuss our thoughts openly, so we feel better.

Next time you need to blow off some steam, listen to VOA Learning English and relax with an English lesson!

That's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.

Words in This Story

motivation –n. the act or process of giving someone a reason for doing something

encourage –v. to make someone more hopeful or energetic

tension –n. a feeling of nervousness or being unable to feel at ease

frustration² –n. a feeling of anger or annoyance⁵ caused by not being able to do something

relax –v. to make or become loose or less tense

1 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

2 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

3 frustrations   

挫折( frustration的名词复数 )； 失败； 挫败； 失意

参考例句：

• The temptation would grow to take out our frustrations on Saigon. 由于我们遭到挫折而要同西贡算帐的引诱力会增加。
• Aspirations will be raised, but so will frustrations. 人们会产生种种憧憬，但是种种挫折也会随之而来。

4 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 annoyance   

n.恼怒，生气，烦恼

参考例句：

• Why do you always take your annoyance out on me?为什么你不高兴时总是对我出气？
• I felt annoyance at being teased.我恼恨别人取笑我。