VOA慢速英语，作为国际英语学习者的重要资源，通过清晰缓慢的发音与简洁的词汇，为初学者及中等水平学习者搭建了通往流利英语的桥梁。它不仅帮助提升听力理解能力，还丰富了词汇量，增强了语感，是学习地道英语表达不可或缺的工具，对全球英语学习者的语言提升至关重要。让我们一起进入今天的VOA慢速英语听力训练：genie out of the bottle。

英文原文

The words we say are weightless sounds in the air, but they are powerful. What we say can greatly affect people, situations, just about everything. That is why sometimes it is a good idea to walk away from a heated argument. If we feel angry, we might say something we regret. Perhaps anger is not the problem; maybe your thoughts on a situation or issue are not fully formed, but you speak anyway. Or maybe you simply have a secret, one that you are dying to share. Whatever the reason, sometimes we speak when maybe we shouldn't. And once those words are out there, there is no taking them back. The damage is done, or we could say the genie is out of the bottle.

我们说的话在空中只是无重量的声音，但它们却很有力量。我们说的话可以极大地影响他人、局势，甚至几乎一切。这就是为什么有时在激烈的争论中走开是一个好主意。如果我们感到愤怒，可能会说出让自己后悔的话。也许愤怒不是问题所在；也许你对某种情况或问题的想法还没有完全形成，但你还是说了出来。或者也许你只是有一个秘密，一个你迫切想分享的秘密。不管出于何种原因，有时我们可能不该说却说了出来。而一旦这些话说了出来，就无法收回。伤害已经造成，或者我们可以说，瓶中的精灵已经释放。

Let's take apart this saying. A genie is a trouble-causing spirit with magical powers from Middle Eastern folk tales. Some experts say this expression may be connected to the centuries-old stories of Aladdin. He is a young man who releases a genie trapped in a small container—that's the bottle. Once out, the genie is powerful and tricky, the result a lot of trouble. So if you let the genie out of the bottle, undesirable results or consequences will follow.

让我们来解析一下这个说法。精灵是中东民间传说中一种会惹麻烦的魔法生物。一些专家说，这个表达可能与几个世纪以来流传的阿拉丁故事有关。阿拉丁是一个年轻人，他释放了一个被困在小容器里的精灵——这就是那个瓶子。一旦精灵出来，它就会变得强大而狡猾，结果是带来很多麻烦。所以，如果你让瓶中的精灵出来，就会招致不良的结果或后果。

To let the cat out of the bag has a similar meaning. The cat is in the bag for a reason; when you let it out, there will be consequences. And both the genie and the cat, as well as the words we say, cannot be recaptured. But how do we use these expressions? Here is one example: The politician says she misspoke about her plans to run for president, but the press had already reported on it. The genie was out of the bottle and could not be put back in.

“让猫从袋子里跑出来”有类似的含义。猫在袋子里是有原因的；当你把它放出来时，就会有后果。而且，无论是精灵还是猫，以及我们说的话，都无法再收回。但我们如何使用这些表达呢？这里有一个例子：一位政治家说她关于竞选总统的计划是口误，但媒体已经报道了。瓶中的精灵已经释放，无法再收回。

Here is another example: Two co-workers use both expressions. “Tony really let the cat out of the bag at work today. He told everyone that Mary found another job and was leaving the company next month.” “What? But she hasn't told management yet.” “I know. So they fired her.” “That's awful. That means she'll lose a whole month's pay.” He apologized, but there's no putting that genie back in the bottle. “I bet Mary would like to put Tony in a bottle, huh?”

这里还有另一个例子：两位同事都使用了这两个表达。“托尼今天在工作中真的让猫从袋子里跑出来了。他告诉每个人玛丽找到了另一份工作，下个月就要离开公司了。”“什么？但她还没有告诉管理层呢。”“我知道。所以他们把她解雇了。”“太可怕了。这意味着她将失去整整一个月的薪水。”他道歉了，但无法再将那个精灵收回瓶子里。“我打赌玛丽想把托尼装进瓶子里，嗯？”

A genie is far more dangerous than a cat and harder to catch. So the two sayings are not always interchangeable. Here is an example: Some experts say social media is damaging users, especially children, but the technology and its appeal is here to stay. No one can put that genie back in the bottle. In that example, you would not use "let the cat out of the bag." Instead, use it when someone has said something that was supposed to remain a secret. You can't take words back and you can't rehide a secret. Something has been done and can't be undone.

精灵比猫更危险，也更难抓住。所以这两个说法并不总是可以互换使用的。这里有一个例子：一些专家说，社交媒体正在损害用户，尤其是儿童，但这项技术和它的吸引力会一直存在。没有人能把那个精灵收回瓶子里。在那个例子中，你不会使用“让猫从袋子里跑出来”。而是当有人说了本应是秘密的话时使用它。你说出去的话无法收回，秘密也无法再隐藏。事情已经发生，无法挽回。

以上便是VOA慢速英语听力训练：genie out of the bottle相关内容，希望能帮助你提升听力！