[ti:Hope Springs Eternal] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:07.76]And now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English. [00:18.72]Spring has come to many places around the world. [00:24.40]Here in the Northern Hemisphere, [00:26.52]we celebrate the first day of spring on the vernal equinox. [00:33.08]In 2022, spring began on March 20. [00:39.00]With new life starting to show in nature, [00:42.12]it is easy to see why this season has meant hope [00:46.88]and new beginnings to many people through history. [00:53.28]As a verb, the word "spring" can mean to come forth with energy. [00:59.76]For example, when you "spring into action," [01:04.16]you start a project or task with a lot of positive energy. [01:11.08]Here is another way to use "spring" as a verb. [01:16.04]If you "spring" news or information on someone, [01:20.20]you tell them something without preparation. [01:23.84]For example, the other day a good friend told me [01:28.84]she would be moving to a new city by the end of the week! [01:33.96]I can't believe she sprung such important news on me. [01:39.52]And that brings us to our expression for today's show: [01:43.12]hope springs eternal. [01:46.96]"Hope springs eternal" means [01:49.28]that people can always find a reason to hope, [01:53.04]even in the bleakest situations. [01:56.92]Here, the word "bleak" means to not have much hope. [02:02.04]Eternal means to last or exist forever, [02:06.00]without end or beginning. [02:08.72]So, there is a dreamy quality to this expression. [02:14.20]It is actually considered a proverb, [02:17.40]a short well-known saying containing a wise thought. [02:22.76]The wise thought here is that we human beings [02:26.36]never stop hoping or believing that things will get better. [02:32.64]Even when common sense tells us [02:35.20]that something will not happen -- we still think it will. [02:40.12]For example, a group of friends tried to start a business together. [02:46.56]Their first three tries failed. [02:49.96]But that did not stop them from trying again. [02:53.48]You know what they say: Hope springs eternal! [02:58.44]Here is another example. [03:00.88]Even though a woman lost her job, [03:04.04]her car, and her apartment all in one month, [03:08.12]she still kept a positive attitude. [03:11.72]She still had good health and good friends. [03:15.40]She asked them for a little help [03:18.68]and then started to rebuild her life. [03:23.00]For her, hope springs eternal is more than a proverb. [03:27.64]It is her life's motto. [03:31.24]People who use or believe in this proverb as optimists. [03:37.16]They optimistically believe in a brighter tomorrow. [03:42.52]A pessimist, the opposite of an optimist, [03:46.64]probably won't use "hope springs eternal" very often ... if at all. [03:54.60]Language experts say the proverb "Hope springs eternal" [03:58.92]comes from a shortened line [04:01.16]from Alexander Pope's 1732 poem An Essay on Man. [04:09.32]He wrote: "Hope springs eternal in every human breast." [04:15.64]And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. [04:19.60]Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. [04:22.84]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM