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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。
Today we talk about trying something new or something you are unsure about.
今天我们谈论的是尝试新事物或你不确定的事情。
People can react differently to these kinds of situations.
人们可能会对这种情况做出不同的反应。
Some people may want to jump right in feet first.
有些人可能想先大胆试一下。
They may want to take the plunge!
他们可能想要冒险一试！
And some people may want to test the waters.
有些人可能想试试水。
They may want to dip their toes in first.
他们可能想先小心尝试一下。
Which kind of person are you?
你是哪一类人？
Well, imagine you are standing on the edge of a lake or swimming pool.
想象一下，你正站在湖边或游泳池边。
You want to get into the water, but you don't know the water's temperature.
你想下水，但你不知道水温。
Do you jump right in?
你会直接跳进去吗？
If you do, you may be more bold and adventurous.
如果你直接跳进去，你可能是更大胆，更有冒险精神的。
Or do you want to dip a toe into the water before you decide?
或者你想先把脚趾放进水里再做决定？
If so, you may be more cautious and careful.
如果是这样的话，你可能是更加谨慎和小心的。
If you dip your toes into something, you start doing it slowly and carefully.
dip your toes into sth的意思是“开始慢慢地、小心地做”。
You are not sure if you will like it.
你不确定你是否会喜欢它。
You want to test the waters before beginning something, or before taking the plunge.
你想在开始做某事或在冒险之前试试水。
Testing the waters means you get a feel for something before committing to it.
Testing the waters的意思是你在投入之前先开始熟悉某事。
For example, if you want to move to a new city, you probably want to test the waters first by going there for a short stay.
例如，如果你想搬到一个新城市，你可能会想先去那座城市先尝试待一段时间。
Taking the plunge is the opposite of dipping your toes.
Take the plunge是dip your toes的反义词。
When you take the plunge, you jump right into something.
当你打定主意的时候，意思是你直接行动。
You do not wait or hesitate.
你既不等待也不犹豫。
We use the expression dip your toes in for many situations.
我们在很多情况下都会用“dip your toes”这个短语。
You may want to try an activity briefly to find out if you like it first.
你可能想先试一试某项活动，看看你是否喜欢它。
It can also mean you start something very carefully before becoming involved in something that you are not experienced at.
这也可以表示你在开始做一件你没有经验的事情之前会非常小心。
Now, let's hear some of these expressions used in a non-water related situation.
现在，我们来听一些在与水无关的情况下使用的短语。
Hey, I'm going ballroom dancing this Saturday. Do you want to join me?
嘿，这周六我要去跳交谊舞。你想和我一起去吗？
Ballroom dancing? I know nothing about ballroom dancing.
交谊舞？我对交谊舞一无所知。
That's fine! This place I found is perfect for you. Before the dance starts, they give a free class to beginners.
那很好！我找的这个地方非常适合你。在舞蹈开始之前，他们会给初学者上一堂免费的课。
Yeah, I don't know. Maybe I'll just go and watch. You know … dip my toes in. I like to know what I'm getting into first.
是的，我不知道。也许我该去看看。先去试一试。我想先知道我要做什么。
Sure. But I promise you … after the first 5 minutes you are going to want to jump in feet first!
当然。但我向你保证，在前5分钟之后，你会想先跳起来！
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。
If you are new to VOA Learning English, there's no need to dip your toes in first.
如果你刚接触美国之音慢速英语栏目，没有必要先试试看。
Just take the plunge! Visit our website to find more stories.
大胆开始吧！请访问我们的网站查看更多报道。
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！
