[ti:Book-smart or Street-smart: Which Is Better?] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:07.37]Now, it's time for Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English. [00:14.52]On this program we talk about words and expressions that we use in everyday conversation. [00:23.08]Today, we will talk about the word "smart." [00:27.26]Like many words, "smart" has lots of different meanings, [00:33.12]depending on how and when you use it. [00:37.88]For example, "smart" can describe someone who is very neat-looking. [00:45.24]A person wearing an official uniform with shiny shoes and buttons can look very smart. [00:54.80]We can also use "smart" as a verb. [00:59.32]Used this way, it means "to feel pain." [01:04.00]That pain could be physical or emotional. [01:09.16]So, if you hit your thumb with a hammer by accident, [01:13.40]you might yell out, "Ow, that smarts!" [01:18.40]This would be a very polite thing to yell when you experience extreme physical pain. [01:25.72]Many of us probably wouldn't be that polite. [01:30.24]We would probably yell something quite different. [01:34.24]Okay, so that's the physical part. [01:37.32]But a hurtful comment or remark can also smart. [01:43.04]Those hurt in an emotional way. [01:47.16]In another use of the word, we add "smart" to the names of devices and tools. [01:55.36]This means that they are enabled by computers -- like a smartphone. [02:02.28]But, by far, the most common definition of "smart" [02:06.69]is to be very good at learning and understanding things. [02:12.52]So, when students do well at school and get good grades, we can call them "smart." [02:20.20]Being smart, however, goes beyond the classroom. [02:24.64]People can be smart in different ways. [02:28.96]If you have attended school for many years and have many degrees, [02:34.64]people might call you book-smart. [02:39.00]Book-smart people are well-read. [02:42.08]They often know the names of great thinkers, [02:45.36]scientists and other famous people in history. [02:50.24]They have read classical literature. [02:54.04]They know facts and information that many other people don't. [02:59.84]Usually people with book-smarts [03:02.56]are good at things like trivia games and crossword puzzles. [03:09.64]However, being book-smart is not everything. [03:14.52]Sometimes people who are very educated are not so smart [03:19.36]when it comes to life skills and people skills. [03:24.96]On the other hand, people who are good at dealing [03:28.20]with practical life problems have lots of street-smarts. [03:33.80]People who have street-smarts may not have read as many books or earned college degrees. [03:41.76]But they have something just as valuable [03:45.88]– the ability to use their experiences in many different situations. [03:52.36]They are very aware of their surroundings. [03:57.00]Okay, so whether you are book-smart, street-smart or both, [04:02.28]being smart is a good thing. [04:05.20]Usually. It may surprise you, but getting smart is not good. [04:13.04]In conversation, "getting smart" does not mean gathering knowledge. [04:18.52]It means you are being rude or impolite. [04:23.32]It is very common to hear parents say to their children, [04:27.52]"Do NOT get smart with me!" [04:30.64]And that's not the only "smart" expression that can get you into trouble. [04:36.12]We often pair "smart" with "off" to make a very useful phrasal verb -- to smart off. [04:44.56]Smarting off to someone means you are saying rude comments [04:49.20]and showing a lack of respect. [04:52.60]In this context, the adjective "smart" is not good. [04:58.08]If a child has a smart mouth, [05:00.64]they often say disrespectful, rude things. [05:05.48]In the classroom, students who give smart answers [05:09.48]are trying to be funny by saying rude or inappropriate things. [05:15.96]Let's say there is a student who has a really smart mouth. [05:21.32]She gives the teacher a smart answer in class one too many times. [05:26.72]The teacher may say to her, "Do not get smart with me, young lady!" [05:32.24]Or "Do NOT smart off in class!" [05:35.92]Both mean, "Do not be rude!" [05:40.04]There is another type of "smart" that is bad. [05:44.56]Okay, we have all met someone who thinks they know everything about everything! [05:51.64]Well, you can call that person a smarty-pants. [05:56.52]These know-it-all types can be really annoying. [06:00.88]But please note that this insult can sound a bit childish. [06:07.40]So, being smart -- whether book-smart or street-smart [06:11.56]-- is a great thing to be ... except when it's not! [06:17.20]And that's it for this Words and Their Stories. [06:19.84]I'm Anna Matteo. [06:22.08]So, are you book-smart, street-smart or a little of both? [06:27.60]Does the word "smart" have a bad meaning in your language? [06:31.96]Let us know in the Comments Section. [06:34.50]We'd love to hear from you! [06:36.38]"I'm book-smart and street-stupid. [06:49.17]So, don't look for me in confession booth. [06:55.83]I'm with my paints, and my pens, and my dry vermouth ..." [07:15.48]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM