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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。
On this program, we explore words and expressions in the English language.
在本节目中，我们探讨英语中的单词和短语。
We give examples, notes on usage, and sometimes we use them in short stories.
我们会举一些例子，对用法进行解释说明，有时还会在短篇故事里使用它们。
Today we talk about a popular dessert -- cake.
今天我们来谈谈一种受欢迎的甜点——蛋糕。
Cakes are made by baking a mixture of flour, sugar, eggs, and butter.
蛋糕是由面粉、糖、鸡蛋和黄油混合烘烤而成的。
They come in just about any flavor you can imagine – from chocolate, vanilla, and lemon to unusual flavors like cherry, coconut, and pumpkin.
它们几乎有你能想象到的任何口味——巧克力、香草、柠檬、樱桃、椰子和南瓜等不同寻常的口味。
And do not forget about the icing.
别忘了还有糖霜。
This sweet topping also comes in just about any flavor imaginable.
这种甜的配料也有几乎任何你能想象到的口味。
We often eat cakes to celebrate birthdays, weddings, and other important events.
我们经常吃蛋糕来庆祝生日、婚礼等重要活动。
All this talk about cake has brought my attention to a common expression: to have your cake and eat it too.
所有这些关于蛋糕的讨论让我注意到了一个常见的短语：to have your cake and eat it too（两者兼得）。
This expression, or idiom, can be used to describe a couple different situations.
这个习语可以用来描述几种不同的情况。
One is where two good things happen at the same time.
一种情况是两件好事同时发生。
For example, a friend of mine loves to read so she got a job at a library.
例如，我的一个朋友喜欢读书，所以她在一家图书馆找到了一份工作。
Now, she reads all day long and gets paid!
现在，她整天都可以看书，还能拿工资！
Talk about having your cake and eating it too!
真是两者兼得啊！
We also use the idiom to describe a situation in which two good things happen at the same time, but they don't usually exist together in the same situation.
我们也用这个习语来描述这样一种情况，即两件好事同时发生，但它们通常不会在同一种情况下共存。
Here’s an example: My friend just had a baby.
举个例子：我的朋友刚刚生了孩子。
She has a good job that pays well.
她有一份薪水很高的好工作。
And now she spends more time with her new baby by working from home.
现在她在家办公，有更多的时间陪着她刚出生的孩子。
We can say that she is having her cake and eating it too!
我们可以说她二者兼得！
In both of these examples, we could also use this expression: to have the best of both worlds.
在这两个例子中，我们也可以使用这个短语：to have the best of both worlds（两全其美）。
Now, here is another form of our cake idiom.
这是“to have your cake and eat it too”的另一种形式。
We also commonly use it in the negative form: You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
我们也经常用其否定形式：You can’t have your cake and eat it too（鱼和熊掌不可兼得）。
In the negative, it means you cannot have or do two things at the same time that are impossible to have or do at the same time.
其否定形式的意思是你不能同时拥有或做两件不可能同时拥有或做的事情。
You must decide which one you want because you can't have both.
你必须决定你想要哪一个，因为你不能两者兼得。
In other words, you cannot have two conflicting things.
换句话说，你不能拥有两个相互冲突的东西。
For example, let’s say your friend is complaining about the amount of taxes he pays.
例如，假设你的朋友抱怨他交的税太多。
But at the same time, he complains about the lack of services the city provides.
但与此同时，他也抱怨这座城市提供的服务匮乏。
You could say to him, “Look, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Better services cost money.”
你可以对他说：“听着，鱼和熊掌不可兼得。更好的服务是要花钱的。”
You could also say, you can't have the best of both worlds.
你也可以说，你不能两全其美。
Another similar expression is: you can't have it both ways.
另一个类似的短语是：you can't have it both ways（鱼和熊掌不可兼得）。
You can’t have your cake and eat it too also means we should not try to have more than is reasonable.
“You can’t have your cake and eat it too”也可以表示我们不应该设法拥有超出合理范围的东西。
In other words, you can't possess the cake and eat it at the same time.
换句话说，你不能在吃掉蛋糕的同时还拥有蛋糕。
Once the cake is eaten, it is gone.
蛋糕一旦被吃掉，它就消失了。
And that’s the end of this Words and Their Stories.
以上就是本期《词汇掌故》节目的全部内容。
If you want to get caught up on world events and practice your English, you can come to VOA Learning English.
如果你想了解世界大事并练习英语，你可以来听VOA慢速英语。
Here, you have the best of both worlds. You can have your cake and eat it too!
在这里，你可以两者兼得！
Until next time. I’m Anna Matteo.
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！
