欢迎收听美国之音慢速英语词汇掌故节目。
On this show we talk about the origins and meanings of common expressions in American English. Every week we dream up topics you might find interesting. Well, we also do research. But today we have dreamt up a show on "dreams."
在本期节目中，我们将讨论美式英语中常见表达的起源和含义。每周我们都会做一些你可能感兴趣的主题。嗯，我们也做一些探索。但是今天我们做了一期关于“梦想”的节目。
Dreams are the visions we have when we are asleep. But the word "dream" fills the expressions we use when we are awake.
梦是我们睡觉时产生的一些幻象。但是这个单词充斥了我们清醒时用到的各种表达。
"The stuff dreams are made of" is a romantic expression. It describes a really wonderful experience.
梦想由此构成（The stuff dreams are made of）是一种浪漫的表达。它描述了一种非常美妙的经历。
For example, let's say you really love flight and space travel. So, a friend invites you to see a launch of a space shuttle. She even invites you to meet the astronauts who are going to fly into space.
例如，我们假设你非常热爱飞行和太空旅行。所以，有位朋友邀请你观看航天飞机发射。她甚至邀请你同即将飞入太空的宇航员们见面。
After this experience you can say to her, "That was the stuff dreams are made of! It's a dream come true!"
在这段经历之后，你可以对她说，“梦想由此构成，我终于梦想成真了。”
A dream come true is exactly that – a dream that has become reality.
美梦成真是指梦想成为了现实。
Let's make it even better.
让我们把它想象得更加美好。
Let's say your friend can get you on the space shuttle. You can actually wear a space suit and sit in the flight commander's seat! That would be beyond your wildest dreams. In other words, even you could not have dreamed up such a wonderful experience.
假设你的朋友能够让你登上航天飞机。你可以穿上宇航服，坐到飞行指挥官的座位上。这大概超出了你最疯狂的梦想。换句话说，你做梦也没想过会有这么美妙的经历。
However, once you enter the space shuttle you feel ill. Your hands shake and you are unable to talk.
然而，当你进入航天飞机时你感到不适，你的手在抖，你没法开口说话。
The astronauts try to help you. But you freak out, yelling, "Let me out of here! Let me out of here!" When you start throwing the flight manuals around the cockpit, the police come and remove you from the shuttle.
宇航员们试图帮助你。但是你吓坏了，大喊：“让我离开这里！让我离开这里！”当你开始把飞行手册在驾驶舱乱扔的时候，警察来了，把你带离了航天飞机。
It's a disaster. A nightmare.
这是一场灾祸，一个噩梦。
After the police take your statement and your fingerprints, your friend tries to calm you down. She tells that everything will be okay. But all you can say to her is, "I wish it was all just a bad dream."
在警察给你做完笔录并留取指纹之后，你的朋友试图让你冷静下来。她说一切都会好起来的。但是你只能对她说，“多希望这只是一场噩梦！”
But it wasn't.
可惜不是！
You are barred from participating in any NASA-related field trips. And now you have a police record.
你被禁止参加任何同NASA相关的实地参观，并且在警局有了案底。
However, months later your childhood dream of space travel comes back strong. You decide to become a pilot. Your friend advises against it. She reminds you that you have a severe case of claustrophobia, a fear of being in small spaces.
然而几个月之后，你对太空旅行的儿时梦想强势回归。你决定要做飞行员。你的朋友出言反对。她提醒你，你有严重的幽闭恐惧症，害怕呆在狭小的空间里。
She calls your goal of becoming a pilot a pipe dream. A pipe dream is a hope or wish that is impossible to achieve. This expression began in the late 19th century. Word experts say it refers to a dream experienced when smoking an opium pipe. Those dreams rarely come true.
她称你成为飞行员的目标是一场白日梦（pipe dream）。白日梦是指不可能实现的愿望。这句表达始于19世纪末。词汇专家表示，它是指吸鸦片烟时体验到的幻想，这些幻想很少成真。
But you insist it is possible for you to be the first person to fly around the world with your faithful pet cat -- Galaxy. Your friend, however, says, "Dream on!" She could also say, "In your dreams!"
但是你坚持认为，你能够成为首位带着自己忠实的宠物猫环球飞行的人。但是你的朋友表示，“做梦吧（dream on）！”她也可以说，“你做梦去吧（In your dreams）！”
Both of these informal expressions are ways of saying that someone's idea is a fantasy. Friends can use them in a funny way with each other. Otherwise, both expressions can sound a little mean.
这两种非正式表达用于表述某人的想法是幻想。朋友之间可以用一种风趣的方式使用它们。另外，这两句表达听上去有点意思。
Then your friend uses another informal expression. She tells you to wake up and smell the coffee! She adds that you are living in a dream world if you think you can become a world-famous pilot who flies with a cat. People who live in a dream world are unrealistic. They refuse to face facts.
然后你的朋友用到了另一种非正式表达。她告诉你，面对实现吧（ wake up and smell the coffee）。她补充说，如果你认为你可以成为一名世界著名的飞行员，带着一只猫飞行，那就是活在梦里。活在梦里的人们是不现实的，他们拒绝面对现实。
Your friend's remarks are hard for you to hear. But you know she is right. So, you decide to write a children's book about someone who flies around the world with a beloved pet. As you are already a children's book author, this is a dream that can definitely come true.
你朋友的话很难听。但是你知道她是对的。所以你决定写一本少儿书，内容就是关于某人带着心爱的宠物环球飞行。由于你已经是一本儿童图书的作者，这是你绝对可以实现的一个梦想。
For the next few months, you happily daydream about the story you will write. To daydream is to let your creative mind, your imagination, take over. Luckily for you, you can daydream anywhere – not just in small spaces such as a cockpit.
在接下来几个月里，你会愉快地构思着这个你将要写的故事。构思是指发挥你的创造性思维和想象力。幸运的是，你可以在任何地方构思，而不仅仅是在一个狭小的空间里，如驾驶舱。
It turns out you are better dreaming about air travel than doing it. Your book is a spectacular success. With the money you make from your book sales, you are finally able to buy your dream house. And it has a special room just for Galaxy, your cat.
事实证明，你梦想飞行比真正飞行做得更好。你的书大获成功。通过卖书赚到的钱，你终于能够买到你梦想中的房子。而且你的猫Galaxy也有了一个专属房间。
Your proud friend invites you to speak at the school where she teaches. You tell her students to follow their dreams and to dream big. You also tell them that even broken dreams have value. You can always pick up the pieces and make a new one!
你的朋友很自豪，她邀请你到她任教的学校演讲。你告诉她的学生们去追寻自己的梦想，并且要敢于梦想。你还告诉他们，即使是破灭的梦想也有价值。你可以收拾残局再东山再起。
That night you call her on the phone to thank her for reminding you to never stop dreaming. She says that is what friends are for.
那天晚上你给她打电话，感谢她提醒你不要停下梦想的脚步。她说朋友就是这样的嘛。
"Goodnight," you say.
“晚安，”你说道。
"Goodnight," she says. "Sweet dreams."
“晚安，”她回答说，“做个好梦！”
And that brings us to the end of Words and Their Stories.
以上就是本期词汇掌故节目的全部内容。
I'm Anna Matteo teaching English for Voice of America. And you know, I wouldn't dream of doing anything else.
我是安娜·马特奥。我在美国之音教授英语。你知道，我从没想过干别的。(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！)