Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
现在是美国之音慢速英语词汇掌故节目。
Every week at this time, the Voice of America tells about popular words and expressions used in the United States. Some of these words and expressions are old. Some are new. Together, they form the living speech of the American people.
每周这个时候，美国之音都会讲述美国常用的词句。这些词句有些很古老，有些比较新。它们共同构成了美国人们的日常生活用语。
Our story today is very old. It goes back about five-thousand years. It is about a sign that is used to represent some words.
今天我们讲述的故事就非常古老。它可以追溯到大约5000年前，和代表某些单词的一个标志有关。
We see this sign on drug stores and whenever we visit a doctor to get an order for medicine. It also appears on bottles of pills and other medicines.
我们在药店，或找医生开处方单都会看到这个标志。它也会出现在药瓶底部。
The sign is formed by a line across the right foot of the letter "R." It represents the word "prescription." It has come to mean "take this medicine."
这个标志是由右下角被一条直线贯穿的字母R组成。它代表“处方”这个单词，也意味着“服用此药”。
The sign has its beginnings five thousand years ago in Egypt. At that time, people prayed to Horus, the god of the Sun. It was said that when Horus was a child, he was attacked by Seth, the demon of evil.
这个标志起始于5000年前的埃及。当时，人们向太阳神荷鲁斯祷告。据说，当荷鲁斯年幼时，受到了邪恶之魔赛特的袭击。
The evil Seth put out the eye of the young Horus. The mother of Horus called for help. Her cry was answered by Thoth, the god of learning and magic. Thoth, with his wisdom and special powers, healed the eye of Horus. And the child was able to see again.
恶魔赛特挖出了年轻的荷鲁斯的眼睛。荷鲁斯的母亲寻求帮助。她的哭诉得到了学问和魔法之神托特的回应。托特用他的智慧和神力，治好了荷鲁斯的眼睛。荷鲁斯得以重见光明。
The ancient Egyptians used a drawing of the eye of Horus as a magic sign to protect themselves from disease, suffering and evil. They cut this sign in the stones they used for buildings. And it was painted on the papyrus rolls used for writing about medicine and doctors.
古埃及人使用荷鲁斯之眼图案作为一个神奇的标志，来保护自己远离疾病、痛苦和邪恶。他们把这个标志刻在建房子的石头上。也画到用于记述药物和医生的莎草纸花名册上。
For thousands of years, the eye of Horus remained as a sign of the god’s help to the suffering and sick.
千百年来，荷鲁斯之眼一直是神佑护痛苦和疾病的标志。
Long after the fall of the ancient Egyptian civilization, doctors and alchemists in Europe continued the custom of showing a sign of the gods’ help and protection. But over the years, the sign changed from the eye of Horus to the sign for Jupiter, the chief god of the Romans. Jupiter’s sign looked much like the printed number "four."
随着古埃及文明的衰落，欧洲的医生和炼丹术士传承了展示神之佑护标志的这一传统。但多年来，这个标志从荷鲁斯之眼变成了罗马主神朱庇特。朱庇特的标志看上去很像印刷体数字“four”。
That sign changed, also. Today, it is the easily-recognized capital "R" with a line across its foot.
这个标志也发生了变化。今天，它变成了更容易辨识的，被一条直线贯穿右下角的大写字母R。
The sign no longer offers heavenly assistance to the sick. It now means "take this medicine."
这个标志不再是为疾病提供神之佑护，它的意思就是“服用此药”。(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！)