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：词汇故事baby。
英文原文
Every year, in the United States, we celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May. So, in honor of mothers and mothering, today we talk about expressions that use the words "baby," "child," or "kid." Babies need lots of love, care, and attention. Most new parents spend every waking moment caring for, worrying over, and thinking about their baby. This applies to other things too. In American English, anything that you have focused and worked on for long periods of time can become your "baby."
每年，美国都会在五月的第二个星期日庆祝母亲节。因此，为了向母亲和母性致敬，今天我们来聊聊使用“baby”（婴儿）、“child”（孩子）或“kid”（小孩）这些词的短语。婴儿需要大量的爱、关怀和注意。大多数新手父母都会把醒着的每一刻都花在照顾、担心和思考他们的婴儿上。这也适用于其他事物。在美国英语中，任何你长时间专注和努力过的东西都可能成为你的“心头好”。
Let's say your friend Sam is opening a new coffee shop. He has invested his own money into it. For months, he spends all day, every day, getting the shop ready for customers. In the evenings, he works on hiring, advertising, and menu options. And at night, as he tries to sleep, he worries about it. He really wants it to be a success. So, when Sam's friend asks about the progress of the business, she could say, "So, how's your baby coming along?" Yes, using "baby" in this way is slightly informal, but it is very common and okay to use in just about any situation.
比如说，你的朋友山姆正在开一家新咖啡店。他为此投入了自己的资金。几个月来，他每天都全天候地忙着为迎接顾客做准备。晚上，他还要负责招聘、广告和菜单选项等工作。而到了夜里，当他试图入睡时，还在为此担心。他真的希望它能成功。所以，当山姆的朋友询问生意进展时，她可能会说：“那么，你的心头好进展如何了？”是的，虽然这样用“baby”稍显非正式，但在几乎所有情况下使用它都是很常见且可以接受的。
The opposite of caring for a baby would be throwing it out with its bath water. What? That's terrible, you might be saying. Yes, it is terrible—except when we do it in conversation. Then it is a useful expression. "Throwing the baby out with the bath water" means to get rid of all of something, like the baby and the water it was bathing in, even though some parts of it were valuable and definitely worth keeping, like the baby. We often use this expression when we advise people to not act rashly or go to extremes.
与照顾婴儿相反的做法就是“连洗澡水一起倒掉婴儿”。什么？你可能会说，这也太可怕了吧。是的，这确实可怕——除非我们在对话中这样说。这时，它就是一个有用的表达。“连洗澡水一起倒掉婴儿”的意思是，为了扔掉某样东西（比如和婴儿一起洗澡的水），而连同其中一些有价值且绝对值得保留的部分（比如婴儿）也一起扔掉了。当我们建议人们不要轻率行事或走极端时，经常会使用这个表达。
For example, let's say a married couple has been working with a designer for months on redecorating their home. They choose furniture, carpeting, and wall color. But then suddenly, the designer pulls out of the project. The husband and wife are upset. The husband does not want to start from the beginning; he didn't enjoy doing it the first time. But the wife says, "Look, there's no need to throw the baby out with the bath water. Let's keep all things we have already chosen. We can hire a new designer just to help us put them in the house." Problem solved.
比如说，有一对夫妇已经和一位设计师合作了几个月来重新装修他们的家。他们选择了家具、地毯和墙色。但突然之间，设计师退出了这个项目。这对夫妇很生气。丈夫不想再从头开始；他第一次做这件事的时候就不喜欢。但妻子说：“看，我们没必要连洗澡水一起倒掉婴儿。我们保留已经选好的所有东西，只需要再雇一位新设计师来帮我们把它们放进房子里。”问题解决了。
Not all expressions related to children are actually about children. Some of them are about adults. If an adult is a "babe in the woods," he is defenseless and naive. He is easily fooled, and nobody expects much from him. The opposite of a "babe in the woods" is a "veteran," someone who is seasoned or experienced. For example, the law office had mostly seasoned professional lawyers, but one young man was just out of school. He did not even know the most basic rules for the courtroom. As a result, he lost his first case. The judge called him a "babe in the woods."
并非所有与孩子相关的表达都真的指孩子。其中一些是指成年人。如果一个成年人是“涉世未深的年轻人”，那他就是毫无防备且天真的。他很容易上当，别人对他也没什么期望。与“涉世未深的年轻人”相反的是“老手”，即那些有经验的人。比如说，那家律师事务所里大多是经验丰富的专业律师，但有一个年轻人刚毕业。他甚至不知道法庭上最基本的规则。结果，他输了第一场官司。法官称他为“涉世未深的年轻人”。
Such a person is different than a "new kid on the block." A "new kid on the block" is simply a newcomer to a group of people who know each other well. Here, "block" means part of a neighborhood. When you are the "new kid on the block," you do not know yet how things operate in a new environment.
这样的人与“初来乍到者”不同。“初来乍到者”指的是刚刚加入一个彼此都很熟悉的人群的新人。在这里，“block”指的是街区的一部分。当你是“初来乍到者”时，你还不清楚新环境中事物的运作方式。
以上便是VOA慢速英语听力训练：词汇故事baby相关内容，希望能帮助你提升听力！
