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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 even use them in short stories.
我们举例子并对用法进行解释说明，有时我们会在简短的对话中使用它们。
Today's idiom does not sound nice.
今天的习语听起来不太好。
In fact, it sounds quite cruel.
事实上，它听起来很残忍。
Today, we talk about beating a dead horse.
今天，我们谈论的是beating a dead horse（做无用功）。
Why would anyone do something as pointless as beating a dead animal?
为什么会有人做诸如打死动物这种毫无意义的事情呢？
Well, that is how we use the expression: to describe something that is a useless thing to do.
这就是我们使用这个短语的方式：形容做了一件无用的事情。
You are just wasting your time.
你只是在浪费时间。
It is not productive. There is no point.
这是没有成效的。没有意义的。
Merriam-Webster's online dictionary says this expression comes from the mid-19th century.
韦氏在线词典称，这个短语起源于19世纪中期。
Back then, some people may have beaten horses to make them go faster.
那时候，有些人可能会为了让马跑得更快而打它们。
At the time, this was often thought of as an acceptable practice.
在当时，这通常被认为是一种可以接受的做法。
But beating a dead horse would be pointless – because it's dead.
但打一匹死马是没有意义的——因为它已经死了。
No amount of beating will change that fact.
打再多也改变不了这一事实。
We often use this expression in the negative.
我们经常在否定句中使用这个短语。
We say things like "I don't want to beat horse …" or "Not to beat a dead horse…"
我们会说“I don't want to beat horse…”或者“Not to beat a dead horse…”
Now, if you are a horse lover and don't want to talk about beating one, please do not worry.
如果你是一个爱马之人，不想谈论殴打马的事，请不要担心。
We have many other expressions and idioms that have a similar meaning.
我们还有许多其他短语和习语也有类似的意思。
Let's say your friend talks about the same problem.
假设你的朋友谈到了同样的问题。
They do not take your advice and they do not seem to want to accept any solution.
他们不接受你的建议，他们似乎也不想接受任何解决方案。
If you don't want to say to them, "Now you're just beating a dead horse," you can say, "Look, we've gone over the same ground and nothing has changed. So, can we please change the topic?"
如果你不想对他们说，“现在你只是在做无用功”，你可以说，“看，我们已经讨论过同样的问题，没有任何改变。所以，我们能不能换个话题？”
When you go over the same ground, you talk about the same thing over and over again.
go over the same ground指的是一遍又一遍地谈论同样的事情。
There is another expression with the word "ground" that means the same thing as "beat a dead horse."
还有另一个含有“ground”的短语，意思和“beat a dead horse”一样。
If I have a problem and talk about it too much, I have run it into the ground.
如果我有一个问题，而且频繁提及它，即我已经把这个问题说烂了。
Running something into the ground means you have talked about to death.
Running something into the ground的意思是你把某事说烂了。
You have talked about it ad nauseam.
你已经说到令人作呕了。
This means you are making other people sick over it.
意思是你正在让其他人为此感到恶心。
So, it is not a good idea to dwell on an old topic.
因此，纠缠于旧话题不是一个好主意。
Hearing about the same thing over and over again is tiring.
一遍又一遍地听到同样的事情是令人厌倦的。
Many people have lost good friends from belaboring a point or an issue.
很多人因为反复讨论一个观点或一个问题而失去了好朋友。
And that is all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
以上就是本期《词汇掌故》节目的全部内容。
But join us again! We explore so many expressions and idioms in this program.
但再次加入我们吧！在本节目中，我们探讨了许多短语和习语。
In fact, each week we teach new ones.
事实上，每周我们都会教授新的课程。
Not to beat a dead horse, but we really are a great resource for learning English.
我们不想做无用功，但我们确实是学习英语的极好资源。
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！
