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 and notes on usage.
我们举例子,并对用法进行解释说明。
Today we talk about a word connected to Thanksgiving.
今天,我们讨论一个与感恩节有关的词。
One of the traditional images of Thanksgiving is something called a cornucopia.
感恩节的传统象征物之一是一种叫做丰饶角的东西。
This is a container shaped like a goat's horn.
这是一种形状像山羊角的容器。
And it is overflowing with many kinds of fruits and vegetables, such as gourds, ears of corn, apples, and grapes.
它装满各种水果和蔬菜,如葫芦、玉米穗、苹果和葡萄。
So, sometimes we call it a "horn of plenty."
所以,有时我们称它为“丰裕之角”。
Plenty means to have a large amount of something.
Plenty的意思是拥有大量的东西。
For example, if you live in the land of plenty, you live in an area with lots of resources -- natural as well as social and financial.
例如,你生活在富庶之地,意思是你生活在一个资源(自然资源、社会资源和经济资源)丰富的地区。
But let's get back to the word cornucopia.
但我们回到cornucopia这个词上来。
This word describes a large amount or supply of something.
这个词指的是某物的供应量极大。
For example, the holiday table held a cornucopia of food and drink.
例如,节日餐桌上摆满了吃的喝的,十分丰盛。
Anything you could possibly want for dinner was available.
晚餐你可能想吃的任何东西都有。
While the image of a cornucopia involves food, we use it for an abundance of good things.
虽然cornucopia的形象与食物有关,但我们用它来表示丰富的美好事物。
If something is abundant, there is plenty of it.
abundant的意思是很多。
Here is another example.
下面是另一个例子。
A recent gathering offered a cornucopia of jobs from many industries.
最近的一次聚会提供了来自许多行业的大量就业机会。
Representatives from more than 200 companies were there offering jobs.
来自200多家公司的代表在那里提供工作机会。
There was something for everyone!
每个人都能找到适合自己的工作!
Sometimes the word cornucopia means there is an inexhaustible supply of something.
有时,cornucopia的意思是某种东西取之不尽,用之不竭。
If you exhaust something you use it all up.
你耗尽了某样东西,意思是你把它全部用完。
So, if something is inexhaustible it seems limitless –- like a bottomless pit.
因此,如果某物是取之不尽用之不竭的,它就像一个无底洞。
For example, a library is a cornucopia of knowledge.
例如,图书馆是知识的宝库。
I could go into a library every day for the rest of my life and learn something new!
我可以在余生中的每一天去图书馆学习一些新东西!
These examples have an abundance of good things: food, jobs, and knowledge.
这些例子中含有很多美好的东西:食物、工作和知识。
We do not use the word cornucopia to describe an abundance of bad things.
我们不会用cornucopia这个词来形容大量的坏事。
Also note, we often add a prepositional phrase to explain what type of cornucopia it is: a cornucopia of food, a cornucopia of jobs, or a cornucopia of knowledge.
还请注意,我们经常加一个介词短语来解释某物是丰富的:丰盛的食物,大量工作或丰富的知识。
Now, let's say that – for whatever reason – you are not a fan of the word cornucopia.
现在,假设——无论出于什么原因——你不喜欢cornucopia这个词。
In the examples with jobs and knowledge, you could easily replace cornucopia with wealth.
在含有jobs和knowledge的例子中,你可以很容易地用wealth代替cornucopia。
In the food example, however, I would replace it with abundance or even bounty.
然而,在含有food的例子中,我会用abundance或bounty来代替它。
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。
Don't forget to check out other programs at VOA Learning English.
别忘了看VOA慢速英语的其他节目。
Our website is a cornucopia of English learning materials.
我们网站上拥有丰富的英语学习资料。
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!