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Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. A listener from Brazil, Elenir Scardueli, sent us a list of popular expressions about food. So today we will talk about expressions that use vegetables and fruits.
現在是美國之音慢速英語詞匯掌故節目。巴西的一位聽眾給我們發來了一串有關食物的常用表達的名單。所以我們今天就來討論一下包含蔬菜和水果的表達方式。
For example, a cucumber is a long, green vegetable that people often eat in salads. You might say a person is as cool as a cucumber if he never seems to worry about anything and stays calm in a stressful situation. If you put a cucumber in a solution of vinegar and spices for a long time, it becomes a pickle. But if you are in a pickle, you are in trouble or a difficult situation.
黃瓜是一種長把的綠色蔬菜，人們在沙拉中經常吃到。如果一個人看上去從不為任何事擔憂，遇到緊急情況能保持冷靜，你就可以說他as cool as a cucumber(冷靜、從容不迫)。把黃瓜擱到醋里一段時間后就成了泡黃瓜(腌菜)。但如果說一個人in a pickle，意思是正處于困境中。
If two people are very similar, you might say they are like two peas in a pod.
如果兩個人長得很像，你可以說他們象一個豆莢里的兩顆豌豆(like two peas in a pod)，意思就是一模一樣，一個模子里刻出來的。
There are several expressions about beans. If someone is very energetic, you might say she is full of beans. If you say something does not amount to a hill of beans, you mean it is of little importance. I might say you don't know beans about a subject if you do not know anything at all about it. But if you spill the beans, you tell something that was supposed to be a secret.
還有很多和豆相關的表達方式。如果一個人精力充沛，你可以說他full of beans(精力充沛、生龍活虎)。如果你說一些東西does not amount to a hill of beans，意思是無足輕重。如果你對此一點都不懂，我可以說你don't know beans about a subject(一竅不通)。但如果說你spill the beans，意思是你說漏嘴，泄漏了機密。
Potatoes are a popular food in many areas. But something is considered small potatoes if it is not important. You probably would not want to hold a hot potato in your bare hands. This also means a problem or issue that no one wants to deal with. Someone might call you a couch potato if you sit and watch television all day and get little or no physical exercise.
馬鈴薯是很多地方的常見食物。一些不重要的事被視為small potatoes(雞毛蒜皮)。你可能也不希望hold a hot potato in your bare hands(接手燙手山芋)，意思是無人愿意處理的問題或爭端。如果你整天坐在沙發上看電視，很少或根本不鍛煉，有人可能會稱你為couch potato(沙發土豆，意為電視迷)。
Like potatoes, turnips are root vegetables that grow in the ground. Here is an old saying: you cannot squeeze blood out of a turnip. That means you cannot get something from a person that he or she is not willing or able to give.
和土豆一樣，蘿卜是一種長在地里的根類蔬菜。有一句老話說：you cannot squeeze blood out of a turnip(石頭榨不出水).意思是你無法從不愿意或無法給予的某人手里得到什么。
Farmers have to separate the valuable parts of their crops from the waste. So separating the wheat from the chaff means keeping what is valuable and rejecting what is worthless.
農民們必須把農作物中有價值的部分分離出來。因此separating the wheat from the chaff意思是去其糟粕留其精華。
Students often have to take a difficult test to gain entrance to a special school. So you could say the ones who are chosen are the best ones, or the cream of the crop.
學生們必須參加艱難的考試才能贏得“名校入場券”。因此你可以說，被錄取的都是最好的學生，也就是the cream of the crop(精英、百里挑一)
There is an old saying that forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest. That means some people get pleasure from doing something that they are not supposed to do.
有句老話說，forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest(禁果最甜)，意思是人們從一些不應該做的事情中得到樂趣。
Bananas are a popular fruit to eat. But if you go bananas, you are wild with excitement or worry.
香蕉是一種常見水果，但如果說你go bananas，意思是你非常興奮或擔心。
Finally, let us talk about lemons. Lemons have a sour taste if you eat them plain. But lemons make a nice drink when you mix their juice with sugar and water. So here is an expression about lemons that we like: If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. This means you should always try to make the best of a bad situation.
最后，讓我們來說說檸檬。檸檬直接吃時酸酸的。但當你把檸檬汁、糖、水混合到一起就成了可口的飲品。因此就有和檸檬有關的這樣一種表達：If life gives you lemons, make lemonade。意思是在困境中也要做到最好。
