[ti:You’re Dreaming!] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:07.64]And now, join us now for Words and Their Stories, [00:11.40]a program from VOA Learning English. [00:15.08]On this show we talk about the origins [00:18.44]and meanings of common expressions in American English. [00:23.72]Every week we dream up topics you might find interesting. [00:29.88]Well, we also do research. [00:32.48]But today we have dreamt up a show on "dreams." [00:39.40]Dreams are the visions we have when we are asleep. [00:50.32]But the word "dream" fills the expressions we use when we are awake. [00:57.28]"The stuff dreams are made of" is a romantic expression. [01:02.04]It describes a really wonderful experience. [01:06.56]For example, let's say you really love flight and space travel. [01:12.68]So, a friend invites you to see a launch of a space shuttle. [01:18.36]She even invites you to meet the astronauts who are going to fly into space. [01:26.68]After this experience you can say to her, [01:30.08]"That was the stuff dreams are made of! [01:33.36]It's a dream come true!" [01:35.72]A dream come true is exactly that [01:39.44]– a dream that has become reality. [01:43.32]Let's make it even better. [01:46.76]Let's say your friend can get you on the space shuttle. [01:51.72]You can actually wear a space suit and sit in the flight commander's seat! [01:58.84]That would be beyond your wildest dreams. [02:03.32]In other words, even you could not have dreamed up such a wonderful experience. [02:10.40]However, once you enter the space shuttle you feel ill. [02:15.64]Your hands shake and you are unable to talk. [02:21.08]The astronauts try to help you. [02:23.68]But you freak out, yelling, "Let me out of here! Let me out of here!" [02:29.40]When you start throwing the flight manuals around the cockpit, [02:33.80]the police come and remove you from the shuttle. [02:38.20]It's a disaster. A nightmare. [02:42.96]After the police take your statement and your fingerprints, [02:47.88]your friend tries to calm you down. [02:51.12]She tells that everything will be okay. [02:54.68]But all you can say to her is, [02:57.36]"I wish it was all just a bad dream." [03:01.84]But it wasn't. [03:04.17]You are barred from participating in any NASA-related field trips. [03:10.48]And now you have a police record. [03:13.80]However, months later your childhood dream of space travel comes back strong. [03:20.08]You decide to become a pilot. [03:23.68]Your friend advises against it. [03:27.20]She reminds you that you have a severe case of claustrophobia, [03:32.16]a fear of being in small spaces. [03:36.16]She calls your goal of becoming a pilot a pipe dream. [03:41.24]A pipe dream is a hope or wish that is impossible to achieve. [03:46.84]This expression began in the late 19th century. [03:51.08]Word experts say it refers to a dream experienced when smoking an opium pipe. [03:58.68]Those dreams rarely come true. [04:02.24]But you insist it is possible for you to be the first person [04:07.48]to fly around the world with your faithful pet cat -- Galaxy. [04:13.68]Your friend, however, says, "Dream on!" [04:17.68]She could also say, "In your dreams!" [04:21.72]Both of these informal expressions [04:26.08]are ways of saying that someone's idea is a fantasy. [04:30.92]Friends can use them in a funny way with each other. [04:36.08]Otherwise, both expressions can sound a little mean. [04:41.88]Then your friend uses another informal expression. [04:47.00]She tells you to wake up and smell the coffee! [04:51.36]She adds that you are living in a dream world [04:55.12]if you think you can become a world-famous pilot who flies with a cat. [05:01.32]People who live in a dream world are unrealistic. [05:06.12]They refuse to face facts. [05:10.68]Your friend's remarks are hard for you to hear. [05:14.32]But you know she is right. [05:16.41]So, you decide to write a children's book [05:20.24]about someone who flies around the world with a beloved pet. [05:25.16]As you are already a children's book author, [05:29.04]this is a dream that can definitely come true. [05:33.88]For the next few months, you happily daydream about the story you will write. [05:39.92]To daydream is to let your creative mind, [05:43.08]your imagination, take over. [05:46.64]Luckily for you, you can daydream anywhere [05:50.04]– not just in small spaces such as a cockpit. [05:55.28]It turns out you are better dreaming about air travel than doing it. [06:00.48]Your book is a spectacular success. [06:04.88]With the money you make from your book sales, [06:07.68]you are finally able to buy your dream house. [06:11.48]And it has a special room just for Galaxy, your cat. [06:17.84]Your proud friend invites you to speak at the school where she teaches. [06:23.32]You tell her students to follow their dreams and to dream big. [06:28.92]You also tell them that even broken dreams have value. [06:34.08]You can always pick up the pieces and make a new one! [06:39.08]That night you call her on the phone to thank her [06:42.80]for reminding you to never stop dreaming. [06:46.72]She says that is what friends are for. [06:50.64]"Goodnight," you say. [06:52.48]"Goodnight," she says. "Sweet dreams." [06:56.00]And that brings us to the end of Words and Their Stories. [07:01.00]I'm Anna Matteo teaching English for Voice of America. [07:05.48]And you know, I wouldn't dream of doing anything else. [07:10.56]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM