And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
现在，来自 VOA Learning English 的 Words and Their Stories。
 
A fort is a place of protection. It is a fortified structure with strong walls and doors, complex locks, barriers, and other security features. It is used as a defense. It is a place often protected by soldiers and occupied by officials. Someone always is in charge or responsible for a fort.
堡垒是一个保护的地方。它是一个坚固的结构，具有坚固的墙壁和门、复杂的锁、屏障和其他安全功能。它被用作防御。这是一个经常被士兵保护和被官员占领的地方。总有人负责堡垒。
 
And that is where our expression comes in.
这就是我们表达的用武之地。
 
If someone asked you to hold down the fort, you are responsible for a place while those who supervise it are away. In other words, you are in charge! You are the chief!
如果有人让你坚守堡垒，你负责一个地方，而监督它的人不在。换句话说，你是负责人！你是首领！
 
For example, once a friend and I were at my house preparing for a party. But then I got an emergency call from my brother who needed a ride. So, my friend held down the fort at home and welcomed party guests while I helped my brother.
例如，有一次我和一个朋友在我家准备聚会。但后来我接到了我哥哥的紧急电话，他需要搭便车。所以，我的朋友在家里坚守阵地，迎接聚会的客人，而我则帮助我的兄弟。
 
Sometimes we just say hold the fort. This also means staying behind to take care of things. Again, whoever is holding the fort is in charge. They are responsible for what happens. And they may be responsible for the safety of others.
有时我们只是说坚守堡垒。这也意味着留下来处理事情。同样，谁拥有堡垒谁负责。他们对发生的事情负责。他们可能要对他人的安全负责。
 
For example:
例如
Marion is the most responsible of the group. So we left her at the house to hold the fort.
Marion 是小组中最负责任的。所以我们把她留在房子里以守住堡垒。
 
There is another way we use the word "fort" in an expression.
我们在表达中使用“堡垒”一词还有另一种方式。
 
In the American state of Kentucky, there is a famous fort – Fort Knox. Fort Knox is a protected place in the United States. Why is it protected? Fort Knox is a place where lots of gold is kept.
在美国肯塔基州，有一座著名的堡垒——诺克斯堡。诺克斯堡是美国的一个受保护的地方。为什么会受到保护？诺克斯堡是一个存放大量黄金的地方。
 
Needless to say, it is heavily guarded. So, when we want to describe a place that is hard to get into, we can compare it to Fort Knox. A place that is like Fort Knox is inaccessible usually because it is locked or heavily guarded. We can also say a place is as safe or as secure as Fort Knox.
不用说，这里戒备森严。所以，当我们要描述一个难以进入的地方时，我们可以将它比作诺克斯堡。像诺克斯堡这样的地方通常是无法进入的，因为它被锁上或戒备森严。我们也可以说一个地方和诺克斯堡一样安全或安全。
 
Now, let's hear these two expressions used by two friends.
现在，让我们听听两位朋友使用的这两种表达方式。
 
A: Hi, Sam! What brings you to my place?
答：嗨，山姆！是什么让你来我家？
 
B: Well, Maxine is holding down the fort at home. So, I thought I'd stop by to see if you want to hang out.
B：嗯，Maxine 在家里坚守阵地。所以，我想我会顺便来看看你是否想出去玩。
 
A: Sure! How about a walk around the neighborhood? I feel like I've been sitting all day.
答：当然！在附近散散步怎么样？我觉得我已经坐了一整天了。
 
B: Sound good. Let's walk past that construction project down the street.
B: 听起来不错。让我们走过街上的那个建筑项目。
 
A: They've been working on that house for months. I'm curious about the renovations.
A：他们已经在那栋房子上工作了几个月。我对装修很好奇。
 
B: Maybe we can sneak into the place and look in the windows.
B：也许我们可以偷偷溜进那个地方，看看窗户。
 
A: That's a really bad idea. The property is locked up tighter than Fort Knox and probably has many security cameras. If you sneak in … you're on your own.
A：那真是个坏主意。该物业比诺克斯堡锁得更紧，可能有许多安全摄像头。如果你偷偷溜进去……你就靠你自己了。
 
And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time …
这就是我们为这个词和他们的故事所拥有的所有时间。直到下一次 …