这里是美国之音慢速英语词汇掌故节目。
On this program we explore the history and usage of common expressions in American English.
这期节目中我们将会探索美式英语中常用短语的历史和用法。
Wolves are important animals in the traditions and stories of most Native American tribes. To Native Americans, wolves often represent bravery. The animals also are signs of strength, loyalty, and success at hunting.
狼是大多数美国土著部落传说和历史中一种重要的动物。对土著美国人来说，狼通常代表着勇敢。这种动物也是力量、忠诚和成功狩猎的标志。
Other cultures -- such as the ancient Celtic and Nordic peoples – also placed high value on wolves.
古凯尔特人和北欧人等其它文化也把狼看得很重。
However, something happened.
然而故事发生了。
Perhaps wolves attacked too many people or ate too many farm animals.
也许狼攻击了太多的人，或是吃了太多的家畜。
Whatever the reason, wolves were killed in many areas. So many died that they nearly became endangered. They also became known as villains.
不管是什么原因，很多地区狼被打死了。狼死了这么多，它们几乎濒临灭绝。它们也成为了众所周知的坏蛋。
From the werewolves in horror films to the wolves in children's stories, wolves get a bum rap in both literature and English expressions.
从恐怖片中的狼到儿童故事中的狼，狼在文学和英语短语中都受到不公平责骂。
For starters, there is the term lone wolf. The lone wolf isn't a bad person. But they like to do to things on their own. However, the term can mean something less than desirable. Lone wolf makes you think the person doesn't want to be around people because he or she dislikes them.
对于初学者来说，有一个专门术语就是独狼（lone wolf）。独狼并非坏蛋，但是他们喜欢单独行事。然而，该术语还意味着不及期望的某些东西。独狼让你觉得这个人不希望和人相处，因为他（她）不喜欢他们。
In news stories, you sometimes hear the terms "lone wolf attacker" or "lone wolf shooter." These individuals are not part of a larger group carrying out an attack. They are acting alone.
在新闻中有时能听到“独狼袭击者”或是“独狼枪手”。这些人并非一大波袭击者的一部分，他们是单独行动。
Now, let's move on to the home.
现在让我们转向家庭。
Parents might criticize their children for wolfing down their food. In other words, the child eats very quickly and without care.
家长们会批评狼吞虎咽吃东西的孩子。换句话说，他们吃得太快了太不小心了。
And if someone says a child was raised by wolves, that child has bad manners and is behaving like a wild animal.
而如果有人说某个孩子是狼养大的，意思是这个孩子有不礼貌行为，非常野蛮。
A wolf call is a whistle, howl or other noise made by a man to show that he likes the way a woman looks. But a wolf call is not a nice thing. These men sound wild and rude. And trust me, most women really hate wolf calls. So, they don't win a man any points in the game of love.
色鬼狼嚎（wolf call）是指男子发出的口哨声、嚎叫或是其它噪音，表示他喜欢某个女孩的外貌。但是色鬼狼嚎不是一件好事，这些男子听起来非常野蛮和粗鲁。相信我，大多数女性都不喜欢这样。所以它无法为男人在爱情游戏中赢得任何好处。
A wolf at the door means someone to whom you owe money is waiting just outside your door. A wolf at the door is also a problem in two very popular children's fairy tales.
A wolf at the door是指债主等在门外。A wolf at the door也是两则非常流行的儿童童话故事中遇到的麻烦。
The first fairy tale is about three pigs who live in houses made of different materials: straw, sticks and brick. They have big trouble when the big bad wolf comes to the door of each house.
第一个童话故事是关于三只小猪，它们住在不同材料建造的房子里，建造材料分别是稻草、木头和砖头。当大灰狼来到每所房子的门前时，它们有了大麻烦。
The pigs know that the wolf wants to eat them. So, they don't let him in. But he blows down the house of straw. Then he blows down the house of sticks.
小猪们知道狼想要吃掉它们。所以它们不让狼进门。但是它吹倒了稻草房子，然后又吹倒了木头房子。
Wolf: Little pigs, little pigs, let me in.
狼：小猪，小猪，让我进来。
Three Little Pigs: Not by the hair of our chinny-chin chins!
三只小猪：我绝对不会开门！
Wolf: Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!"
狼：我生气了,我用力地吹,我要吹破你的房子！
It isn't until the pigs hide in the house of bricks that the wolf finally meets his match.
直到小猪们躲进了石头房子，狼终于遇到挑战了。
And then there is the story of Little Red Riding Hood.
然后就是小红帽的故事。
She had wolf troubles, too. After the Big Bad Wolf eats her Grandmother, he turns to Little Red. The wolf put on the grandmother's clothing in an effort to fool the little girl. But sensing something is not right, she makes several comments about her "grandmother's" appearance.
她也遇到狼的问题了。大灰狼吃掉她的奶奶后转向了小红帽。为了骗小红帽，这只大灰狼穿上了奶奶的衣服。但是小红帽感觉有点不对劲，她对奶奶的外表发表了若干意见。
Little Red: Oh, Grandma, what big ears you have.
小红帽：奶奶，你耳朵怎么这么大呀？
Wolf: All the better to hear you with.
大灰狼：为了更好地听见你说话呀！
Little Red: Oh, Grandma what big eyes you have.
小红帽：奶奶，你眼睛怎么这么大呀？
Wolf: All the better to see you with.
大灰狼：为了更好地看见你呀！
Little Red: Oh, Grandma, what big teeth you have.
小红帽：奶奶，你牙齿怎么这么大呀？
Wolf: All the better to eat you with!!
大灰狼：为了更好地吃掉你呀！
So you see, it seems that there is nothing good to say about wolves in our stories or expressions. By the way, there are two popular wolf-related expressions that come from Aesop, the ancient Greek storyteller.
所以你看，在我们的故事和短语中似乎谈到狼就没什么好事。顺便说一句，伊索寓言里也有两句和狼相关的流行短语。
The first is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Here is how the story goes:
第一句就是披着羊皮的狼。故事是这样的。
Once there was a wolf who lived near a sheep farm. You would think this would be great luck for the wolf. He could eat all the tasty sheep he wanted. But on this farm was also a hardworking shepherd and his dog. They guarded the sheep so well that the wolf had no luck catching a meal. He was growing hungry.
曾经有一只狼住在牧羊场附近。你可能认为这对狼来说是天大的好事，它可以吃掉所有羊。但是农场里还有一位勤劳的牧羊人和他的狗。他们严密守卫着羊，狼没有机会美餐一顿。它越来越饿。
One day, the wolf found the skin of a sheep on the ground. This sheep skin gave the wolf an idea. He put on the pelt, wearing it like a coat. Then the wolf walked among the sheep like he was one of them.
有一天，狼发现地上有一张羊皮，这让狼有了主意。它像穿外套一样披上羊皮，然后假装成羊走进羊群中。
As the wolf began looking for his next dinner, a tiny lamb began following him. The wolf wearing the sheep's "clothing" led the poor lamb apart from the flock. When he had the animal alone, the wolf ate it!
当这只狼开始寻找它的下一顿美餐时，一只小羊羔开始跟着它。这只披着羊皮的狼领着这只可怜的小羔羊同羊群分开了。当狼和小羔羊单独相处时，狼就吃掉了它。
What can we learn from this story? Don't be fooled by appearances. A wolf in sheep's clothing describes someone who acts and looks nice on the outside but is bad on the inside.
我们从这则故事中能学到什么？不要被表象所迷惑！披着羊皮的狼形容某人外在看似不错，但是内里很坏！
Aesop's other wolf fable also involves a shepherd, but not a hardworking one. No, this shepherd caused a lot of trouble. He is known as the boy who cried wolf:
另一则关于狼的伊索寓言也涉及到一位牧羊人，但是不是勤劳的牧羊人。这位牧羊人造成了很多麻烦。他被称之为喊狼来了的男孩:
Once a shepherd boy sat on the hillside, watching sheep for the village. He didn't like the job. So, he thought of something to pass the time and have fun. He began shouting, "Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is attacking the sheep!"
曾经有一位牧童坐在山坡上，给村子里放羊。他不喜欢这份工作。于是他想出了一个主意来打发时间和找乐子。他开始大喊：“狼来了，狼来了，狼要吃羊啦！”
The villagers came running up the hill to help the boy drive the wolf away. But when they arrived, they didn't find a wolf. They found only the shepherd boy laughing at them.
村民们跑上山来帮助这个男孩赶走狼。但是当他们到了的时候却没有找到狼，他们看到的只有牧童的嘲笑。
The villagers were angry. They said, "Shepherd boy, don't cry 'wolf', when there's no wolf!" They went back down the hill, still angry from his trick.
村民们非常生气。他们说，“牧童，没有狼的时候，不要喊狼来了！”他们走下山，对牧童的戏弄非常生气。
But it was so much fun tricking the villagers that the boy could not help himself. He did it again. To his delight, he watched the villagers run up the hill again to help him drive the wolf away.
但是戏弄村民这么有趣，这个男孩忍不住又做了一次。令他高兴的是，他看到村民们再次跑上山来帮他赶走狼。
When the villagers saw no wolf, they said, "Save your frightened song for when there is really something wrong! Don't cry 'wolf' when there is NO wolf!"
当村民们看到没有狼时，他们说，“真有事了你再喊！没有狼时不要再喊狼来了！”
But the boy just smiled and watched them return down the hill once more.
但是这个男孩只是笑着看着村民们又一次下山。
Later that day, the shepherd saw a REAL wolf nearing the sheep. Frightened, he jumped to his feet and shouted as loudly as he could, "Wolf! Wolf!"
当天晚些时候，牧羊人看到一只真正的狼在迫近羊。男孩吓坏了，他跳起来尽他最大声地喊，“狼来了，狼来了！”
The villagers heard him. And they ignored him. They thought he was trying to fool them again. So no one came to help.
村民们听到了但是没当回事。他们以为牧童又在戏弄他们，所以没人来帮忙。
At sunset, everyone wondered why the boy hadn't returned to the village with their sheep. They went up the hill and found him crying.
太阳下山时，大家好奇为什么男孩没有赶着羊回村。他们上山发现他正在哭。
"There really was a wolf here! It ate some sheep. And the flock has scattered! I cried out, ‘Wolf! Wolf!' Why didn't you come?"
“狼真的来了！它吃掉了几只羊。羊群都走散了！我哭喊着‘狼来了，狼来了，’你们怎么都不来帮忙呢？”
An old man tried to cheer up the boy as they walked back to the village.
当他们往村子里走时，一位老人试图让男孩振作起来。
"We'll help you look for the lost sheep in the morning," he said, putting his arm around the youth. "Nobody believes a liar ... even when he is telling the truth!"
他搂着小男孩说，“我们明天早上会帮你找回走丢的羊。没人会相信骗子，即使他说的是真话！”
Isn't that the truth! People who cry wolf are not trusted.
这不就是真相！“喊狼来了的人（意思是发假警报的人）”不被信任。
People are so familiar with this story, you simply have to say cry wolf for them to know what you mean.
人们对这个故事如此熟悉，你只要说cry wolf，他们就知道你的意思。
And that is Words and Their Stories. I'm Ann a Matteo.
以上就是本期词汇掌故的全部内容。我是安娜·马特奥。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利，未经授权请勿转载，违者必究！)