[ti:No Guts, No Glory!] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:07.20]Now, from VOA Learning English, [00:10.32]it's time for Words and Their Stories. [00:13.08]This program explores common expressions in American English. [00:18.76]Today we explore a word that does not sound very pleasant -- gut. [00:25.16]In the medical world, guts are the internal organs of an animal. [00:31.32]It's a person's stomach or the part of the body that contains the stomach. [00:37.16]So, that's medically speaking. [00:40.08]But in our everyday conversations, "guts" mean many different things. [00:47.84]In the United States, if you bust a gut you are laughing really, really hard [00:53.72]-- so hard that your stomach starts to hurt. [00:58.56]If you haven't busted a gut in years, maybe you should. [01:03.84]It feels good to have a really good laugh. [01:08.40]Now, just as our guts are inside of us, [01:11.40]the inside parts of a machine are sometimes called guts, too. [01:16.56]So, if you gut your computer, [01:19.00]you take out all the pieces inside that make it work. [01:23.56]That's right, "gut" is also a verb. [01:27.72]You can gut something, like a fish. [01:30.72]This means you remove its internal organs before cooking it. [01:36.12]You can also gut a building by removing everything from the inside. [01:42.12]My friend who renovated her house, for example, [01:45.52]gutted the entire structure first. [01:49.40]The most important parts of a business deal [01:52.56]or a piece of legislation are also called the guts. [01:58.40]And if you gut these things, you remove all the important parts. [02:04.08]For example, you could say that after the council member gutted the legislation, [02:09.84]it wasn't going to be nearly as effective. [02:13.96]Now, let's talk about you. [02:17.36]Within you are all your important thoughts, [02:21.08]fears, dreams, feelings and secrets. [02:25.44]If you spill your guts, you share these things with other people. [02:31.00]It's an informal saying but you can use it when talking about any situation . [02:37.40]If your best friend has a date and shares all the details with you, [02:41.84]she has spilled her guts. [02:44.76]Perhaps at work, a co-worker spills his guts [02:48.38]when he tells you that his bossy personality [02:51.56]actually comes from a deep childhood fear of failing. [02:56.48]When spilling your guts, be careful. [02:59.08]Remember, once you say something, you cannot take it back! [03:04.80]Now, if you strongly dislike someone [03:08.00]-- I mean really, really hate them [03:10.80]-- you can say you hate their guts. [03:13.76]You hate everything inside them. [03:16.80]This is a very harsh statement and sounds a little childish. [03:23.32]You know, if you think about it, [03:25.36]all those internal organs are important. [03:28.60]They may not be pretty, but they keep us alive. [03:33.16]So, guts can also mean some really great things. [03:38.48]For example, the word "guts" is an informal way of saying "bravery" or "courage." [03:46.40]It takes guts to make a very difficult decision. [03:51.28]Let's say you want to move to a country [03:53.96]where you don't know anyone and don't know the language. [03:57.92]You want to make a big change and take a chance! [04:02.64]Your friends who have lived in the same town all their lives say, [04:07.08]"Wow, that takes a lot of guts." [04:10.56]For right now, they don't have the guts to make such a big change. [04:16.52]This is where we get our expression "no guts, no glory." [04:21.56]This means that if you do not have courage to take a risk, [04:25.64]you will not be able to achieve a goal or success. [04:30.64]It might be scary. But you know in your gut [04:34.48]that it's something you must do. [04:37.52]Used this way, "gut" means a strong feeling about something. [04:43.44]We can also use "gut" as an adjective. [04:47.28]For example, your gut feelings are not based in logic or reason. [04:53.92]Let's say I'm your best friend. [04:56.28]When I hear about your plans to move away, [04:59.48]my gut reaction is to ask, even beg, you to stay. [05:05.36]But my gut also tells me that this is something you must do. [05:11.00]So, I tell you to listen to your gut. [05:13.76]Go chase your dream! [05:16.40]After a year's time, I finally get the guts to do the same thing. [05:21.80]We meet in Paris and then move to Russia to live for a year! [05:27.64]As we say, no guts, no glory! [05:31.68]And that's the end of this Word and Their Stories. [05:35.76]Is this body part, the gut, used the same way in your language? [05:41.16]Let us know in the Comments Section. [05:43.72]I'm Anna Matteo. [05:45.58]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM