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down。

英文原文

Up and down, high and low, these short words describe more than just directions. They also connect to our feelings and experiences. In this episode of "words and their stories," we will start down low and end up high. Many cultures around the world connect the words "low" or "down" with something negative. This is because our minds can easily connect low places like the floor or the ground with dirt. So when someone says, "How low can you go?" they are expressing their opinion that another person's behavior is bad in a moral or ethical sense. If you are "down and out," that means you are poor, without enough money for the things you need. And if you are "down in the dumps," that means you feel unhappy or depressed.

“起起伏伏，高高低低”，这些简短的词语不仅仅描述方向。它们还与我们的感受和经历紧密相连。在本期的“词汇掌故”中，我们将从“low”开始，向“high”结束。世界上许多文化都将“low”或“down”与负面事物联系起来。这是因为我们的思维很容易将像地板或地面这样的低洼之地与污垢联系起来。因此，当有人说“你能有多low？”时，他们是在表达自己对另一个人行为在道德或伦理上不端的看法。如果你“down and out”，那就意味着你生活贫困，没有足够的钱来满足自己的需求。而如果你“down in the dumps”，那就意味着你感到不开心或沮丧。

Next, let's look at two "down" expressions that relate to either getting or keeping information. They sound similar but have different meanings. The following exchange uses one of these expressions: "So did Maria tell you anything?" "She did, but keep this on the down low. She's going to quit her job next month." "Oh my gosh, wow, that is big news." "I know, but she doesn't want anyone else to know." "No worries, I'll keep it on the DL." "To keep something on the down-low" means to keep information secret. Speakers often say the shortened form "on the DL" when using the expression. On the other hand, if you want the "lowdown" on a situation, that means you want to get the information. For example, "Did Jane give you the lowdown on the budget?" "Yeah, she said they can't afford to do a summer project this year." So, getting the low-down means you are getting information, and keeping it on the down-low means you are keeping information away from people.

接下来，我们来看两个与获取或保留信息相关的“down”的表达。它们听起来相似，但意思不同。以下对话使用了其中一个表达：“玛丽亚告诉你什么了吗？”“她说了，但这件事要保密。她下个月要辞职了。”“天哪，哇，这可是个大新闻。”“我知道，但她不想让其他人知道。”“别担心，我会保密的。” “To keep something on the down-low”意味着将信息隐藏起来。使用这一表达时，说话者通常会使用缩写形式“on the DL”。另一方面，如果你想知道某事的“内幕”，那就意味着你想获取相关信息。例如，“简告诉你预算的内幕了吗？”“是的，她说他们今年负担不起暑期项目的费用。”因此，“getting the low-down”意味着你正在获取信息，而“keeping it on the down-low”则意味着你将信息隐藏起来，不让其他人知道。

Now, let's move up to a few expressions with "high." Imagine you're driving in an area with a lot of traffic. You see a car waiting to turn onto your street, so you stop and let that car make the turn. But this makes the car behind you slow down. The driver of this car now hogs the horn for a long time, leans out the car window, and shouts at you. At this point, you have a choice: you can also shout in return, or you can take the high road and not answer. "To take the high road" means to behave in a way that is morally correct, even when other people around you are not behaving well.

现在，让我们来看看与“high”相关的几个表达。想象一下，你正在一个交通繁忙的地区开车。你看到一辆车正等着拐进你的街道，所以你停下来让那辆车转弯。但这导致你后面的车减速了。那辆车的司机现在长时间按着喇叭，从车窗探出头来对你大喊大叫。这时，你有两个选择：你也可以大喊回去，或者你可以走高尚之路，不予理会。“To take the high road”意味着即使周围的人表现不佳，你也以道德正确的方式行事。

Our next expression relates to time. Sometimes there are things that people should do, but they wait longer than necessary to do them. By waiting, they sometimes create problems or make things worse. In these situations, we can use the phrase "it's high time" to say that people have delayed doing something for too long. For example, someone can say, "It's high time you cleaned up that apartment. It is so dirty."

我们的下一个表达与时间有关。有时人们应该做一些事情，但他们却拖延了太长时间。由于拖延，他们有时会制造问题或使事情变得更糟。在这些情况下，我们可以使用短语“it's high time”来表示人们已经拖延了太长时间去做某事。例如，有人说，“你该是时候打扫一下公寓了。它太脏了。”

Next, we look at the word "highfalutin." If you say someone is "highfalutin," that means you think the person is overly fancy or pompous. "Highfalutin" is usually a negative way of referring to ways of speaking and behaving.

接下来，我们来看“highfalutin”这个词。如果你说某人是“highfalutin”，那就意味着你认为这个人过于花哨或浮夸。“highfalutin”通常用来负面地指代说话和行事的方式。

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