[ti:'April Showers Bring May Flowers'] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:08.40]And now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English. [00:19.88]Rain can be annoying. [00:23.64]It can stop you from doing activities outside. [00:27.92]So, it is easy to complain about rain. [00:32.80]Of course, rain is important, especially for plants. [00:39.16]Although rain might seem annoying, [00:41.68]it helps flowers and other plants grow. [00:46.00]There are some periods of the year [00:48.68]when it rains more than other times. [00:52.36]In some parts of the world, for example, [00:55.68]the month of April can be especially rainy. [01:01.72]That brings us to our expression for today: [01:05.28]April showers bring May flowers. [01:10.20]This weather expression states [01:12.84]that heavy rains help flowers to grow. [01:18.08]Here “Showers” mean short periods of light rain. [01:24.72]As a verb, “shower” can mean that large amounts of things fall, [01:29.84]are given off, or happen at the same time. [01:34.80]For example, you can shower someone with praise. [01:40.00]That means you say a lot of nice things about someone. [01:45.84]But now, let’s go back to our expression: [01:48.92]“April showers bring May flowers.” [01:52.48]If you hear someone complain about all the rainy weather in the spring, [01:58.00]you can remind them that April showers are helpful. [02:04.12]This is a literal meaning of this expression. [02:08.20]But it also has a deeper meaning. [02:13.44]“April showers bring May flowers” means [02:16.92]that even after long periods of adversity, good times will follow. [02:25.40]“Adversity” means difficulty and hardship. [02:30.40]In English, there is another saying that means about the same thing. [02:35.76]Sometimes we simply say, “This too shall pass.” [02:41.68]This means that difficult situations will not last forever. [02:48.92]Now, let’s listen to two friends using this expression. [02:54.40]A: Hey, I haven’t seen you in months! How’s everything going? [02:59.88]B: Well, okay, I guess. [03:04.04]A: You don’t sound okay. What’s wrong? [03:07.48]B: The company where I work had to cut back. [03:11.28]So, I’ve lost a lot of hours at my job. [03:15.76]And both of my parents have been sick. [03:18.60]So, I’ve been taking care of them. [03:21.28]A: I’m sorry to hear that. Sounds like you’re having a tough time. [03:26.36]B: It will pass. I keep telling myself April showers bring May flowers. [03:33.84]A: That’s a great attitude! Hey, [03:37.16]how about if I make my famous chicken soup for your parents? [03:42.00]B: That would be great. Thanks! [03:45.08]See the ‘May flowers’ are starting to bloom. [03:51.08]And that’s all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. [03:55.92]Until next time ... [03:57.20]I’m Anna Matteo. [03:58.96]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM