VOA慢速英语:Words and Their Stories: Touch All Bases

Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
现在，这里是美国之音慢速英语词汇与典故节目。
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American English is full of colorful expressions. One such expression is to touch all bases. It comes from the sport of baseball.
美式英语中有很多丰富多彩的词汇。其中一个词汇源自棒球运动的to touch all bases（在棒球运动中，它的意思是“接触到所有的垒垫，完成一次本垒打”，语义延伸为“谈到有关的所有细节”。）

There are four bases in baseball -- first, second and third. The fourth is home plate. Together, the bases form a diamond shape.  When a baseball player hits the ball, he must run to each base -- in order -- and touch it with his foot. It is the only way to score a point. If the player hits the ball and fails to touch all the bases, the point will not be counted.
棒球运动中设有四个垒位 --  一垒，二垒和三垒，以及本垒。四个垒围成一个菱形区域。球员击球后，他必须依次跑遍每个垒位 -- 用脚触垒，只有这样才能得分。如果球员击球后，未能触垒成功，将不得分。

The importance of touching all the bases was shown at the start of the nineteen seventy-four baseball season.
触垒的重要性在1974年棒球赛季刚开始的时候展示得淋漓尽致。

Hank Aaron was a player with the Atlanta Braves team. He was seeking the record for hitting the most home runs. A home run is a ball that is hit over the wall. Aaron needed just one home run to equal the record held by Babe Ruth, the greatest hitter in baseball history. Aaron got that home run the very first time he had a chance to hit the ball. He sent the ball over the wall that surrounded the playing field. That gave him seven hundred and fourteen home runs -- the same as Babe Ruth.
汉克•艾伦（Hank Aaron）是亚特兰大勇士队的球员。他一直希望创造本垒打（home run）的记录。本垒打是指将球击出外野护栏。艾伦只需再打出一个本垒打就能打破棒球历史上最伟大的击球手贝比•鲁斯（Babe Ruth）创下的历史记录。艾伦第一次击球就打出了本垒打，他将球打出了外野护栏。他打出了714个本垒打--与鲁斯相同。

After that day, baseball fans held their breath every time it was Hank Aaron's turn to hit. When would he hit home run number seven hundred and fifteen?
从那以后，每次艾伦击球的时候球迷们都屏住呼吸，他什么时候能打出715个本垒打呢？

The wait was not long. In the second week of the season, Aaron again hit the ball over the wall. He had beaten Babe Ruth's record. But first, he had to run around the four bases. The other players on his team watched carefully to make sure he touched each one. If he did not, the home run would not have counted. There would have been no new record.
这个期待并不漫长。在该赛季的第二周，艾伦又一次把球击过了外野护栏。他打破了鲁斯的纪录。但是，他首先必须围着四垒跑一圈。其他球员都仔细观察着他是否触到每个垒。如果没有，这次本垒打就不计分，也就不会有新纪录产生了。

So, to touch all bases means to do what is necessary to complete an activity.
因此，to touch all bases意思就是去做完成一个活动所必须的一切事情。

The expression is used in business and politics. No business deal or political campaign is really complete until you discuss all the issues involved. Or, as it is said, until you touch all bases.
这种词汇也经常用于商业和政治领域，除非探讨清楚所有相关细节，否则任何一项商业交易或政治活动都不真正完美。也就是说直到你touch all bases（考虑到了每个细节）。

Even professional diplomats use this expression, as well as others that come from baseball.
甚至职业的外交官也会使用这个以及其他源自棒球运动的词汇。

A diplomat in reporting on negotiations with diplomats from different countries may say they "touched all bases" during many hours of talks. This means they explored all issues involved in the situation. Perhaps they did this after expressing hope that they could play ball with each other, meaning that they could learn to cooperate.
一位正在汇报与外国同行谈判情况的外交官可能会说，在数小时的谈判中，他们讨论到了每个细节（touched all bases）。这话的意思是，他们探讨了该情况下可能牵涉到的所有问题。或许在此之前，他们还表达了能够彼此合作（play ball，美国口语，合作，协作，互相帮忙）的愿望。play ball的意思是他们能够合作并互相帮忙。

Sports reporters write about fast-moving, lively events. They must develop a way of writing that goes straight to the point. Their duty is to give the reader a complete picture of the event in as few words as possible. They must touch all bases as quickly as they can.
体育记者要报道瞬息万变的现场赛事。他们必须形成一种直奔主题的写作风格。他们的职责是用尽可能少的词语给读者描绘一幅完整的比赛画面，因此，他们必须尽可能快地touch all bases。

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