VOA慢速英语:Golden Rules and Golden Oldies

Throughout history, gold has been a sign of purity, beauty and power.  Calling something golden means it has great quality and value.
纵观历史，黄金可谓是纯洁、美丽和权力的一个标志。用“黄金”这个字眼来修饰某个事物则意味着它拥有极好的品质与价值。

For example, the golden rule is possibly the world’s most widespread moral rule.
例如，金科玉律（the golden rule）可能是世界上最普遍的道德法则。

It says people should treat others the way they themselves would like to be treated.  Every major religion has its own version of this idea.
有条金科玉律说人们应该待人如己。每个主流宗教对于这个概念都有各自的解释。

The golden ratio is found in art, architecture and nature.  It describes a rectangle with a length about one and one-half times its width. Objects using this ratio in their design seem to please the eye more than others.
黄金比例（The golden ratio，即我们常说的黄金分割）存在有艺术，建筑以及大自然中。它描述的是一个长宽比大概为1:1.5的矩形。利用黄金分割设计的物体看起来要更为赏心悦目。

Philosophers have their own golden idea.  The golden mean says moderation in all things is the best way to live one’s life.  It is an idea linked to the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle.  Similar thoughts exist in Buddhism and Confucianism.
哲学家们有着自己的金点子（golden idea）。“中庸之道”表述了万物适度是一个人生活的最好方式。这一思想与古希腊哲学家亚里士多德的论调不谋而合。而在佛教和儒学思想中也存在类似观点。

Ancient Greek myths told of a time long ago when people lived in peace and happiness.  Poets called it the Golden Age.  A golden age now describes a historical period of great artistic, scientific or economic progress.  It can even recall a time of success and popularity for an industry. For example, the nineteen thirties and forties were called the Golden Age of Radio.
古希腊神话讲述了一段很久以前，人们和平、幸福生活的美好时代。诗人们称之为黄金时代。如今，黄金时代用于描述艺术、科技或经济取得巨大成就的历史时期。它甚至可以让人们忆起某一行业的成功和流行。就好像二十世纪三、四十年代广播行业的黄金时代。

You may have heard the proverb silence is golden. This means silence is of great value.  It is sometimes better to say nothing than to speak.
你可能听过一句谚语：沉默是金。这表示沉默是很有价值的，有时候沉默比多话更好。

You might say your child was good as gold when he behaved well at school.  British writer Charles Dickens used this expression in eighteen forty-three. He was describing the child Tiny Tim in the book “A Christmas Carol.”
当你的孩子在学校表现很好的时候，你可能会说他好得跟金子一样。1843年英国作家查尔斯•狄更斯在《圣诞颂歌》一书中使用这个词语形容书中的一个名为蒂尼•齐姆的孩子。

In nineteen thirty-seven, American playwright Clifford Odets wrote a play called “The Golden Boy.” This expression describes a young man who has many good qualities and a bright future.
1937年，美国剧作家克利福德•奥德茨写下戏剧《金童》。金童一词用来形容具有良好素质和光明未来的青年。

You might tell someone you are golden when that person does something very well.
当一个人做了某件好事时你可能会对他说：你就像颗金子！

 Gold digger is another description. But this does not say something nice about a person.  A gold digger is someone who seeks to marry a rich person because he or she is only interested in that person’s money.
拜金族是另外一种表述方法。但它并不是一个用来夸赞别人的表达方式。拜金族谋求嫁给一个有钱人，因为他或者她的唯一兴趣就是那个人的钱。

 Maybe you like old songs from the nineteen fifties or sixties that are still well known and popular today. These are called golden oldies.
也许你喜欢那些创作于二十世纪五、六十年代，而现在依然被人们所熟悉的流行老歌。它们被叫做怀旧金曲。

 In the nineteen eighties and nineties, an American television comedy series told about four older women living in Miami, Florida.  The Golden Girls often dealt with social issues in a funny way.
在二十世纪八、九十年代，美国有一部喜剧电视剧讲述了在佛罗里达州迈阿密生活的4位老年妇女。这些金牌女将们常常用一种有趣的方式处理社会问题。

 Today, most older people look forward to reaching their golden years.  This is when hard-working people can retire to a life of ease and fulfillment.
今天，大多数老年人都切盼安度晚年，到那个时候，辛勤工作大半辈子的人们终于能够退休并过上轻松满足的生活。

 (MUSIC)