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And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语《词汇掌故》节目。
Roads are paved with different kinds of materials, such as concrete or asphalt.
道路是用不同种类的材料（如混凝土或沥青）铺的。
Older roads were paved with cobblestones.
以前的路是用鹅卵石铺的。
Some streets in Washington, DC still have the cobblestones from over a hundred years ago.
华盛顿特区的一些街道仍然保留着一百多年前的鹅卵石。
They were meant for horses and carriages.
它们是专为马和马车准备的。
So, they can be difficult to walk on.
因此，它们可能很难在上面行走。
Today we talk about roads paved with a very different material – intentions.
今天，我们谈论的是用一种非常不同的材料——意图——铺的道路。
Intentions are things we mean to do or things we want to do.
意图指的是我们打算或想要做的事情。
They are not things we have done.
它们不是我们已经做过的事情。
So, sometimes we say: The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
所以，有时我们会说：徒有良好愿望而无行动。
This is a proverb -- a short, well-known saying containing a wise thought.
这是一句谚语——一句简短而广为人知的谚语，蕴含着睿智的思想。
The wise thought with this proverb is promises and plans must be put into action, or else they are useless.
这句谚语所蕴含的睿智的思想是，承诺和计划必须付诸行动，否则它们是毫无用处的。
Some people talk a lot about doing things, but they don't actually do them.
有些人经常说要做一些事情，但他们实际上并没有做。
This proverb means that we intend to do something good but, in the end, we do not do it.
这句谚语的意思是，我们打算做某件好事，但最终我们没有做。
And the road to hell (a bad place) is paved with all those promises that we did not keep.
通往地狱（一个糟糕的地方）的道路是由所有我们没有遵守的承诺铺的。
Now, let’s hear it used in an example.
现在，我们来听一下它在一个例子中的用法。
There is a community event to raise money for a new playground.
有一个社区活动为一个新操场筹集资金。
Many people promised their time and skills to raise the money, including a woman named Tara.
许多人承诺用他们的时间和技能来筹集资金，其中包括一位名叫塔拉的女子。
But Tara did not show up at the event.
但塔拉没有出现在活动中。
Let’s listen…
我们来听一听……
Hey, have you seen Tara?
嘿，你看到塔拉了吗？
No, I haven’t, and I’ve been here all day.
我没有看到，我已经在这里待了一整天了。
What was she supposed to do for the event?
她本应该为这次活动做些什么呢？
She promised to bring her famous bread for the event.
她答应为这次活动带来她有名的面包。
She said she could raise around $500 for the new playground.
她说，她可以为新操场筹集大约500美元。
Well, that was her intention anyway.
反正这是她的意图。
You know what they say: The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
你知道人们常说：徒有良好愿望而无行动。
Tara always promises and then doesn’t deliver.
塔拉总是许下承诺，然后又不履行诺言。
I wish I had known that before organizing this event.
我希望我在组织这次活动之前就知道这一点。
Sometimes, we would say that talk is cheap, or actions speak louder than words.
有时，我们会说光说没有用，或者说行动胜过语言。
These are both common expressions to use when someone promises to do something but fails to come through or when they simply talk about doing something.
当某人承诺做某事但没有兑现诺言，或者他们只是说要做某事时，这两个都是常用的表达。
We also use the road to hell is paved with good intentions to describe another situation.
我们也用“徒有良好愿望而无行动”来形容另一种情况。
It is not enough to intend to behave well or treat others well.
仅仅打算表现良好或善待他人是不够的。
For it to count, you must actually do it.
为了让它算数，你必须付诸行动。
And that’s all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time … I’m Anna Matteo.
以上就是本期《词汇掌故》节目的全部内容。下次见…… 我是安娜·马特奥。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
