And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

现在是美国之音慢速英语《词汇掌故》节目。

Colors are often connected to the feelings we have.

颜色经常与我们的感觉联系在一起。

Many expressions in English link colors and emotions.

英语中的很多表达都与颜色和情绪有关。

Take for example, the color green.

以绿色为例。

Green can be a symbol for many things.

绿色可以是许多事物的象征。

In other words, it can represent many different ideas, qualities, or objects in our lives.

换句话说，它可以代表我们生活中许多不同的想法、品质或物体。

One of these is money.

其中之一就是钱。

For example, a greenback is a common expression for a dollar bill…because it is green.

例如，“greenback”是美元的常用表达，因为它是绿色的。

Here is another example: green represents environmental causes.

再举一个例子：绿色代表环境问题。

So, if a company goes green, they probably have changed to cleaner technology to produce their products.

所以，如果一家公司向绿色转型，他们可能已经用更清洁的技术来生产他们的产品。

Green is also a sign of a beginner.

绿色也是初学者的标志。

If someone is green to a job or activity, they are new to it.

如果某人是对一份工作或活动来说是“green”，表示他们是新手。

So, for example, if I am green at cooking, I haven't been cooking for very long.

所以，举个例子，如果我是个烹饪新手，那就是说我做菜的时间不长。

So, I'm probably not very good at it.

所以，我可能不太擅长。

Just ask my family.

问问我的家人就知道了。

Green can also mean other things -- bad things.

绿色还可以指其他事情——不好的事情。

Historians say long ago the Greeks connected a green color on the face with sickness.

历史学家说，很久以前，希腊人把脸上的绿色与疾病联系在一起。

They might have thought the color came from an overproduction of bile in the body.

他们可能认为这种颜色来自于体内胆汁的过量生产。

Now, we say that if someone looks "green around the gills,"

现在，我们说如果某人看起来“green around the gills”，

they look sick or they could be sick at any moment.

意思就是他们看起来生病了，或者他们随时可能生病。

Gills of a fish are the organs it uses to breathe instead of lungs.

鱼用来呼吸的器官是鳃而不是肺。

In this expression, why we say "gills" is not exactly clear.

在这个表达中，我们为什么用“gill”还不是很清楚。

But maybe it is used as a funny replacement for the word "mouth."

但也许它是用来代替“mouth”这个词的。

For example, if your friend drinks too much alcohol at a party or eats too many sweet foods and does not feel well,

例如，如果你的朋友在聚会上喝了太多酒或吃了太多甜食而感觉不舒服，

you might say he looks green around the gills.

你可能会说他“looks green around the gills”（脸色差）。

People who get seasick might look green around the gills when they are sailing on rough waters in a boat.

当乘坐的小船在惊涛骇浪中航行时，晕船的人可能会显得脸色发青。

The Greeks also linked green to jealousy.

希腊人还把绿色和嫉妒联系在一起。

Today, we use green to describe people who are very jealous or envious.

今天，我们用green来形容非常嫉妒的人。

One of the expressions is very simple:

其中一个表达非常简单：

We say they are "green with envy."

我们说他们“green with envy(嫉妒得眼红)”。

Let's say I really want something that you have – like a beautiful apartment.

假设我非常想要你拥有的东西，比如一套漂亮的公寓。

You could say that I am green with envy about your apartment.

你可以说我非常羡慕你的公寓。

Envy usually has two parts.

嫉妒通常有两部分。

You feel unhappy over another person's luck, but you also want to have the same luck for yourself.

你为别人的运气感到不开心，但你自己也想拥有同样的运气。

It does not feel good to be green with envy.

嫉妒得眼红的感觉不太好。

In fact, feeling envious or jealous is unpleasant.

事实上，感到嫉妒是不愉快的。

But these feelings are natural.

但这些感觉是很自然的。

We all probably have felt these emotions at some point in our lives.

我们可能都在生活中的某个时刻感受过这些情绪。

But some people get so jealous of others that it begins to affect their lives.

但有些人会嫉妒别人，这开始影响他们的生活。

In that case we can say they are "consumed with envy" or "eaten up by jealousy."

在这种情况下，我们可以说他们“被嫉妒吞噬了”（嫉妒得要命）。

We can also say "the green-eyed monster" has a hold of them.

我们也可以说" the green-eyed monster "(嫉妒)控制了他们。

The green-eyed monster is jealously imagined as a beast that attacks people.

人们把嫉妒想象成攻击人的野兽。

It takes over their minds and tries to destroy their lives.

它占据了人们的大脑，试图摧毁他们的生活。

Now, let's hear two friends use some of these expressions.

现在，我们来听听两个朋友如何使用这些表达。

So, have you talked to Randy recently?

你最近跟兰迪谈过吗?

Yes, I ran into him at a party last weekend and couldn't believe how different he seemed.

是的，我上周末在一个聚会上碰到了他，我不敢相信他看起来变化这么大。

Let me guess…ALL he talked about was the job he didn't get and the woman who did get it.

让我猜猜……他一直在说他没得到的工作和得到这份工作的女人。

Yes! How did you know?

是的！你怎么知道的?

Oh, I've been hearing that story for months now.

这事儿我都听了好几个月了。

He claims this woman, Jessica, stole his idea and then got the job instead of him.

他声称杰西卡这个女人偷了他的创意然后代替他得到了这份工作。

Yep, that's the same story he told me...for 40 minutes!

是的，他跟我说的也是这个事儿……说了40分钟！

The green-eyed monster has really got a hold of him and will not let go.

他已经被嫉妒蒙蔽了，逃脱不了。

It's kind of sad.

这有点可悲。

You're telling me!

的确如此！

I told him that he really needs to get over it.

我告诉他，他真的需要克服这一切。

How did you handle it at the party?

你在派对上是怎么处理的?

I told him I had to use the bathroom and just never came back.

我告诉他我要去洗手间，然后就再也没回来。

Good move.

走的好。

Until he's no longer green with envy, it's probably better to avoid him.

在他不再嫉妒之前，最好还是避开他。

If someone happens to speak English a little better than you, don't turn green with envy.

如果有人英语说得比你稍好一点，不要嫉妒得脸色发青。

Just listen to more programs at VOA Learning English.

请收听美国之音英语学习频道的更多节目。

That will help you a lot more than giving in to the green-eyed monster.

这比屈服于嫉妒更能帮助你。

And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories!

以上就是本期《词汇掌故》的全部内容！

Until next time…I'm Anna Matteo.

下期节目再见，我是Anna Matteo。

本文来自公众微信号：英语阅读EnglishDaily

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