VOA慢速英语:雨与云的好坏之分

Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.
现在是美国之音慢速英语词汇掌故节目。
On this program we explore common words and expressions in American English.
在这个节目中，我们将会探讨美式英语中的常见词汇和表达。

Some are very common. For example, I'm sure that most of you have heard the expression "raining cats and dogs." We use it when it is raining very, very hard. In other words, when it is pouring!
有些很常见。例如，我相信大多数人都听过“瓢泼大雨”。当雨下得非常大的时候我们经常会用到这句。换句话说，就是倾盆大雨。

Now, we have another useful expression about hard rain: "When it rains, it pours!" This means that when something bad happens, other bad things usually happen at the same time. We often use this saying after someone describes a lot of bad things, one after the other, like in this example.
现在我们有了另一种关于大雨的常用表达：“When it rains, it pours！（祸不单行）”这句话的意思是当发生不好的事情时，通常就会同时发生其它不好的事情。我们会在有人讲述一个接一个的许多不好的事情之后用到这种说法，例如下面的例子：

Boy, my sister is really having a hard time these days.
老弟，我妹妹这些天太倒霉了。

Why? What's wrong?
为啥？出什么事了？

First, someone stole her car. Then she broke her arm in a biking accident and a falling tree cut a hole in her house – all in one week!
先是有人偷走了她的车，然后她骑车出事摔断了胳膊，一棵树倒了把她家砸了个洞，这些都发生在同一个星期。

That is one unlucky week. You know what they say: When it rains, it pours.
倒霉的一周！人们常说：祸不单行！

When using this expression, know that it can be helpful in any situation. You can say it to your best friend or to your employer. Also, we often say it in a sing-song way, like this – "When it rains ... it pours."
当使用这种表达时，要知道凡事都会有有利的一面。你可以对你最好的朋友或老板说。此外我们经常像唱歌一样念出来，就像这样，“祸不单行呐。”

Now, the Merriam-Webster dictionary says that English speakers use this idiom for a series of bad things. However, other websites say you can also use it to describe many good things. While I have heard it used to describe many good things, more often than not, the "rain" in this expression represents bad things.
韦氏在线词典称英语人士使用这句俗语来谈论一系列倒霉事。然而另一些网站称，它也可以用于描述很多美好的事情。虽然我听过它用于描述很多美好的事情，但通常情况下，这句表达里面的雨都代表倒霉事。

So, even though we mostly use "When it rains, it pours" for bad situations, you can also use it in good ones. However, we only use the next one in bad times.
所以，即使我们大多把“When it rains, it pours”用于倒霉事，它也可以用于美好的事情。然而，下一种表达就只用于倒霉事。

If a person is under a cloud, they are thought to have done something bad or dishonorable. A person might even be a under a certain type of cloud, such as a cloud of suspicion. If you are living under a cloud of suspicion, other people believe that you have done something wrong.
如果我们说一个人笼罩在一片云之下，他们通常被认为是做了什么不好的事情。我们可以说某人笼罩在某种特定类型的阴云之下，例如笼罩在一片疑云之下。如果你笼罩在一片疑云之下，意思就是其他人认为你做了不好的事情。

But, we use this expressions for companies and organizations as well – not just people. For example, currently many scandals surround some women's gymnastic organizations and some universities in the United States. They are under a cloud of suspicion.
但是，我们也可以将这种表达用于公司和组织，而不仅仅是个人。例如，目前许多丑闻围绕着美国一些女子体操组织和大学，它们都笼罩在一片疑云之下。

However, if you add a few extra words to the phrase, the meaning changes greatly. If I am living under a dark cloud, it means I am depressed and sad all the time. We can make this phrase even more descriptive by saying "living under the dark cloud of depression" or "living under the dark cloud of poverty." So, you see -- there are different types of dark clouds you can live under.
然而，如果给这句短语添加一些额外的单词，则意义就会发生很大变化。例如，如果说我生活在一片乌云之下，意思就是我总是感到诅丧和悲伤。我们可以说生活在萧条的乌云之下，或生活在贫穷的乌云之下，使这句话更具体。所以，你看，有各种不同类型的乌云。

But even for people living under a dark cloud, there is hope. There is always hope. And that brings us to our last expression: Every cloud has a silver lining.
但是即使生活在乌云之下的人们也有希望。希望总是在的。这就给我们带来了最后一种表达：“守得云开见月明。”

This expression means there is always something hopeful in even the most difficult or unhappy situation. A silver lining on a cloud shows that the sun is behind it. Even a really terrible, bad event may produce something happy or hopeful.
这种表达的意思是即使是最困难或悲伤的情况下，也总会有一线希望。云朵的银边表明太阳躲在背后。即使是非常糟糕的事情也会产生一些快乐或充满希望的事情。

For example, let's say a friend of yours is in a car crash. She is not badly hurt but her car is too damaged to fix. When the tow truck driver comes to take her car off the road, she starts talking to him. They find out that they share a love of old cars. So, they plan to meet the following weekend at a car show. Soon they become great friends. When she tells this story to her friends and family, they often say the same thing: Every cloud has a silver lining!
例如，假如某位朋友发生了车祸，她受伤不重，但是车损严重。当拖车司机来给她拖车时，她开始跟他交谈。他们发现他们都喜欢旧车。所以，他们打算在下周车展上见面。很快他们就成为了好朋友。当她给亲朋好友讲述这件事情的时候，他们通常都会说：塞翁失马焉知非福。

And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories!
以上就是本次词汇掌故节目的全部内容。