VOA词汇掌故2023 "望尘莫及"用英语怎么说?

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning¹ English.

欢迎收听VOA慢速英语《词汇掌故》节目。

Dust is very small pieces of earth or other matter.

灰尘是非常小的泥土或其他物质。

It is so fine it floats in the air. And it gets everywhere.

灰尘非常细小，可漂浮在空中。灰尘无处不在。

Inside, it covers our floors, our belongings², and other surfaces.

在室内，灰尘覆盖了我们的地板、我们的物品和其他东西的表面。

Outside, it covers things as well.

在室外，它也覆盖了许多东西。

And a small wind can blow dust into our eyes and mouth.

一阵小风就能把灰尘吹进我们的眼睛和嘴里。

When we drive a car on dry ground, it can create a dust cloud.

当我们在干燥的地面上开车时，会产生尘土。

And when we run in a foot race, we can kick up a lot of dust, too.

当我们跑步比赛时，我们也会踢起很多灰尘。

That is why we have the expression eat my dust.

这就是我们有短语“eat my dust（望尘莫及）”的原因。

It means³ you are ahead of someone.

它的意思是你领先于某人。

They are behind you and must deal with the dust you have made.

他们在你身后，必须应对你制造的灰尘。

Sometimes, we also say watch my dust.

有时，我们也说“watch my dust”。

This means you are so sure of winning⁴ that you are telling others they will lose.

它的意思是你非常肯定自己会赢，你会告诉别人他们会输。

We often use these expressions to talk about a race or a competition.

我们经常用这些短语来谈论比赛。

Using the same reasoning, if you leave someone in the dust, you have left them far behind.

同样的道理，leave someone in the dust的意思是你把他们远远甩在了后面。

Again, you have won some kind of competition and you have won big!

你赢得了某种比赛，而且你大获全胜！

However, if something bites the dust, it has failed.

然而，如果某东西“bite the dust”，意思是它出故障了。

To bite the dust can mean suffering defeat.

bite the dust的意思是失败。

It can also mean something comes to an early end or is no longer useful.

它还可以表示某事物提前结束或不再有用。

For example, if my old car dies on a long road trip, I can say my car bit the dust.

例如，如果我的旧车在一次长途旅行中坏了，我可以说我的车报废了。

In the past ten years, many technologies have bitten the dust.

在过去的十年里，许多技术都失败了。

Sometimes, this expression means death in battle.

有时，这个短语的意思是在战斗中丧生。

But used this way, bite the dust is very informal⁵ and not respectful⁶.

但这样使用，bite the dust是很不正式的，也是不尊重的。

Our last "dust" expression is when the dust settles⁷.

我们最后一个关于“dust”的短语是尘埃落定。

In a dust storm, it is very difficult to see.

在沙尘暴中，很难看清。

When the dust settles, you can finally see clearly.

当尘埃落定时，你终于可以看清楚了。

So, we use this expression to talk about the calm and clarity⁸ that comes after a big change or time of confusion⁹.

所以，我们用这个短语来谈论在大变化或混乱之后的平静和清晰。

We often use it as advice or a warning¹⁰.

我们经常用它作为建议或警告。

It is often a good idea to wait for a situation to calm down before making a big decision.

在做出重大决定之前，等待局势平息下来通常是个好主意。

For example, let's say you are moving to a new city and changing jobs.

例如，假设你要搬到一个新城市，换工作。

You will be very busy.

你会很忙的。

So, you can tell your friends that you will contact them when the dust settles.

所以，你可以告诉你的朋友，当尘埃落定时你会联系他们的。

In other words, you will contact them when things calm down.

换句话说，你会在事情平息后联系他们。

And that's Words and Their Stories. Have fun using these "dust" expressions! Until next time … I'm Anna Matteo.

以上就是本期《词汇掌故》节目的全部内容。希望你在使用有关“dust”的短语时玩得开心！我是安娜·马特奥。

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

3 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

4 winning   

adj.获胜的，胜利的；吸引人的，有说服力的

参考例句：

• Team A has no chance of winning.A队没有获胜的可能。
• They have great hopes of winning.他们获胜的希望极大。

5 informal   

adj.非正式的，不拘礼的，通俗的

参考例句：

• I got an informal reception.我受到了非正式接待。
• The leaders met over informal lunches.领袖们在非正式午餐时进行会晤。

6 respectful   

adj.恭敬的，对...表示尊敬的

参考例句：

• He is respectful to his elders.他对长辈很尊敬。
• She received guests with a respectful attitude.她恭恭敬敬地接待了客人。

7 settles   

安排( settle的第三人称单数 )； 安放； 安家； （使）安定

参考例句：

• Some movement in the building will occur as It'settles into the subsoil. 楼房沉到下层土时，楼里就会有动静。
• 'It's the damp, sir, what settles on my chest and voice,'said Jerry. “我这胸口和嗓子都是叫湿气害的，先生，”杰瑞说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

8 clarity   

n.清澈，透明，明晰

参考例句：

• His writing has great clarity of style.他的写作风格清晰易懂。
• Mozart's music is characterized by its naivety and clarity.莫扎特的音乐特色是纯朴兴清澈。

9 confusion   

n.困惑，迷乱，混淆，混乱，骚乱

参考例句：

• His answers to my questions have only added to my confusion.他对我的问题的回答只是使我更加困惑不解。
• His unexpected arrival threw us into total confusion.他的突然来访使我们完全不知所措。

10 warning   

n.警告，告诫，训诫，警戒，警报

参考例句：

• The other side paid no attention to our warning.对方不重视我方的警告。
• He realized that his doctor was warning him off drink.他意识到医生在告诫他戒酒。