[ti:The 'Burn Everything' Policy] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:08.20]And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. [00:18.64]Today, we talk about burning and the effects of extreme heat. [00:24.72]There is a special word for this. [00:28.20]Scorch is a damaged area or mark that is caused by burning. [00:35.96]Scorch is also a verb. [00:39.08]When we scorch something, we burn it. [00:42.80]But scorch sounds more serious than a burn. [00:47.72]For example, I would not say I scorched dinner. [00:52.64]I would say I burned it. [00:56.32]Sometimes we use it to describe a verb meaning [01:00.76]to produce extreme heat. [01:04.24]For example, the sun scorched the bare earth. [01:09.12]And that brings us to today's expression – scorched-earth. [01:15.44]Scorched-earth describes a kind of policy [01:19.20]or way of doing something. [01:22.16]For example, it is a kind of military policy. [01:27.56]This policy makes sure that all resources [01:31.60]– houses, food crops, factories, vehicles [01:36.40]– are destroyed before an enemy can use them. [01:41.88]You destroy all things of value [01:44.56]so that they cannot be used against you. [01:49.28]A scorched-earth approach is also used in the world of business. [01:54.48]It is similar to the military policy. [01:58.96]A scorched-earth approach is when a company [02:02.04]gets rid of the best parts of its business [02:05.92]during a hostile takeover. [02:08.84]This is to make it less appealing to another company [02:13.60]that might want to buy it. [02:17.20]In both military and business, a scorched-earth approach [02:22.00]is often a last-ditch effort. [02:26.00]We turn to a last-ditch effort [02:28.80]when everything else has failed. [02:32.16]Everything. [02:34.64]Once everything is destroyed ... there is no going back. [02:38.92]It is a "point of no return." [02:43.20]Burning bridges is a related expression. [02:46.80]We wrote about this in an earlier Words and Their Stories. [02:51.48]This expression is often used in personal relationships. [02:57.64]If you burn your bridges, you destroy your relationships. [03:04.28]Again, there is no going back and saying you are sorry. [03:10.32]However, when you burn bridges, [03:12.84]relationships with others is the only thing you are destroying. [03:19.08]So, these two expressions – burning bridges [03:22.44]and scorched-earth are not interchangeable. [03:27.36]But they have a similar goal -- destruction. [03:32.84]Let's say a friend of mine, Georgina, was a talent agent. [03:38.32]She represented many successful writers, [03:41.92]artists and musicians in a large city. [03:46.64]When the business got too big, [03:48.84]she opened an agency with her friend, Stephanie. [03:53.84]They grew the company, and it was very profitable. [03:58.76]Georgina had all the contacts, but Stephanie [04:02.16]knew how to oversee a company -- maybe too well. [04:07.52]One day, Georgina arrived to the office [04:11.28]to find herself locked out! [04:14.20]Her "friend" had tricked her [04:17.16]into signing away her rights to the company. [04:21.32]Georgina was out. [04:23.44]She found that legally there was nothing she could do. [04:27.96]So, she did the only thing she could do. [04:31.84]She took a scorched-earth approach. [04:35.12]Georgina knew the most valuable things the company owned [04:40.40]were the contacts she had. [04:44.12]So, she burned all her bridges [04:47.40]and destroyed the relationships with all those contacts. [04:53.04]It took her awhile. [04:54.68]But, in time, the agency failed. [04:59.96]Stephanie is still looking for work. [05:02.76]But Georgina moved to a beautiful island [05:06.56]and opened a restaurant. [05:10.32]And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories! [05:14.16]Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. [05:35.64]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM