單詞背后的故事

“單詞背后的故事”是一個電臺節(jié)目，通過講故事和舉例子，讓英語學習者更系統(tǒng)地了解英語習語的意思與用法。當然，要學以致用才能真正掌握這些習語哦。三月春天伊始，萬物復蘇。記得在學雷鋒做好事之余為自己的城市增添一分綠色哦——本期為大家?guī)砼c“green”有關(guān)的習語，ready? Go!

Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.

Sometimes， the word “1)green” means young， fresh and growing. Sometimes， it describes

something that is not yet ripe or finished.

For example， a 2)greenhorn is someone who has no experience， who is new to a situation. In the 15th century， a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns had not yet developed. A century or so later， a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the 18 th century， a greenhorn had the meaning it has today – a person who is new in a job.

About one hundred years ago， greenhorn was a popular expression in the American west. Old-timers used it to describe a man who had just arrived from one of the big cities back east. The greenhorn lacked the skills he would need to live in the hard， rough country.

Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a 3)green thumb. The expression comes from the early 1900s.

A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.

The 4)Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.

Green is also the color used to describe the powerful emotion， jealousy. The 5)green-eyed

monster is not a frightening creature from outer space; it is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play Othello.

It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or， that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay raise and she does not.

In most places in the world， a 6)green light is a sign to move ahead. A green light on a traffic signal means your car can continue on. In everyday speech， a green light means approval[許可，準許] to continue with a project. We want you to know we have a green light to continue this series next week.

Notes

1) green 青春的，未成熟的，新鮮的，妒忌的，（傷口）未愈合的

2) greenhorn 生手，初學者，沒有經(jīng)驗的人，易受騙的人

3) green thumb 擅長園藝，有特殊的園藝才能

4) Green Revolution 綠色革命，通過引進高產(chǎn)良種、施用農(nóng)藥和改進管理技術(shù)而使農(nóng)業(yè)生產(chǎn)力有顯著的提高

5) green-eyed monster 出自莎士比亞戲劇《奧賽羅》，指妒忌，妒火。

6) green light 綠燈，準許，允許