时间:2019-03-09 作者:英语课 分类:2019年VOA慢速英语(二)月


英语课

 


Now, the VOA Learning 1 English program Words and Their Stories.


Our world is home to thousands of different kinds of birds. No two bird species 2 are the same. Each one has its own unique qualities – like its feathers!


Feathers keep a bird warm and dry. Feathers also help it to fly. And they can be very colorful, making a woodpecker with its bright red feathers stand out in the woods on a cold, wintry day.


And people have been wearing bird feathers on hats for hundreds of years. But feathers were not just worn for decoration – to improve a person’s appearance. Hundreds of years ago it often meant something else. A feather could represent a person’s standing 3, success or even, in some cases, a kill.


Feathers have made their way into many common English expression. Today we talk about one: “To have a feather in your cap.”


'Cause I don't wanna go on with you like that


Don't wanna be a feather in your cap


(I Don’t Want to Go on With You Like That by Elton John)


A feather in your cap is something you are really happy about. The feather gives you bragging 4 rights – a chance to tell the world about your success.


A feather in your cap also gives you an upper hand, meaning it puts you in a better position. For example, on social media, having a million followers 5 on Twitter can be considered a feather in your cap. Getting a pay raise or winning an award can both be feathers in your cap.


So it is something you can be proud of and something you can use in the future to get ahead.


The Etymology 6 Online website notes that the act of placing a feather in a hat or on your head has meant success in many cultures, “apparently independently.”


As an example, the site uses the early English travel writer Richard Hansard and his 1599 Description of Hungary:


"It hath (has) been an antient (ancient) custom among them [Hungarians] that none should wear a fether (feather) but he who had killed a Turk …”


And some Native American tribes 7 would give feathers to someone for a brave act.


The saying "a feather in your cap" is widely used in conversation and even in some songs. Many American children sing these words without even knowing what they mean.


Let’s listen to part of a well-known song called Yankee Doodle.


Yankee Doodle went to town riding on a pony 8;


He stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni.


Yankee Doodle keep it up, Yankee Doodle dandy,


Mind the music and the step, And with the girls be handy 9.


(Traditional American song)


This song dates back to the days of the American War of Independence. Some people say British soldiers sang it as a way of making fun of the opposing forces.


“Doodle” was an 18th century British term for a stupid person. And “macaroni” meant a well-dressed person, someone who likes the finer things in life. So, saying “stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni” meant that the colonists 10 thought they could look good by simply placing feathers in their caps.


By the way, we still use both “doodle” and “macaroni” today, except the meanings have changed completely. A “doodle” is a quickly made and simple artwork. And “macaroni” is a small noodle.


One last note on this expression: The word “cap” can belong to anyone. In fact, you can use whatever descriptive words you need to explain who is wearing the cap. For example, winning an Oscar is surely a feather in the cap of any movie director. And getting accepted to a great university is a feather in the cap of any student.


Hopefully, speaking English is now a feather in your cap!


And that brings us to the end of another Words and Their Stories.


Until next time, I’m Anna Matteo.


Disappointment is a feather in your cap,


You want the truth so you can crush 11 it in your hand.


(Feather in Your Cap by Beck)


Words in This Story


unique – adj. being the only one


feather – n. any one of the light growths that make up the outer covering of the body of a bird


upper hand – n. advantage


proud – adj. having a feeling of pleasure or satisfaction especially with a person's own achievements or with someone else's achievements : very pleased


well-dressed – adj. wearing attractive or fashionable clothes


conversation – n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people : the act of talking in an informal way



n.学问,学识,学习;动词learn的现在分词
  • When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时,常会从车上掉下来。
  • Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。
n.物种,种群
  • Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗?
  • This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
v.自夸,吹嘘( brag的现在分词 );大话
  • He's always bragging about his prowess as a cricketer. 他总是吹嘘自己板球水平高超。 来自辞典例句
  • Now you're bragging, darling. You know you don't need to brag. 这就是夸口,亲爱的。你明知道你不必吹。 来自辞典例句
追随者( follower的名词复数 ); 用户; 契据的附面; 从动件
  • the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
  • The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。
n.语源;字源学
  • The hippies' etymology is contentious.关于嬉皮士的语源是有争议的。
  • The origin of OK became the Holy Grail of etymology.OK的出典成了词源学梦寐以求的圣杯。
n.部落( tribe的名词复数 );(动、植物的)族;(一)帮;大群
  • tribes living in remote areas of the Amazonian rainforest 居住在亚马孙河雨林偏远地区的部落
  • In Africa the snake is still sacred with many tribes. 非洲许多部落仍认为蛇是不可冒犯的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
adj.小型的;n.小马
  • His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。
  • They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。
adj.方便的;手边的,近便的;手巧的
  • A few more traveler's checks may come in handy on holiday.多带几张旅行支票,度假时会有用的。
  • She is a handy girl who can turn her hand to anything.她是个心灵手巧的姑娘。
n.殖民地开拓者,移民,殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )
  • Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
v.压垮,压倒,压服,镇压;压碎,碾碎
  • This machine is made to crush the rock into powder.这台机器是用来把石头压成碎末的。
  • You can't crush so many people into the classroom.不能让这么多人挤进教室。
学英语单词
Abeele
ablative coatings
absorption conductor cathode
acoustic grating
albedo particles
amplitude contour
angiocardiograms
apex pin
asarylic acid
ASTM (American Standard of Testing Materials)
audio track circuit
avalanche injection diode
ayah
become a prey to
biacidic base
blood-and-guts
brain-mapping
buccal tablets
c-suite
calibrated radiation source
cam shaft thrust bearing
capital goods in the agricultural sector
carroch
cetrelia sinensis
cluster compound
cocultures
coefficient of evaporation
coracesium (alanya)
count me in
dissipating phlegm and resolving masses
Dry Ridge
ellen
enzyme hydrolysis
eucriotettix oculatus
everglades national parks
forboded
get long
Goldschmidt classification
homuncle
hot landing
in-by
initially
internal photoeffect
King's Park
lent
LESP
lithocyte
lustration
mainshaft synchronizer gear
markee
multiple-purpose communication
Nansen Basin
navicula cryptocephala
non staining
North Canadian R.
nulliparae
oval bush
parallel planing machine
pickup arms
polyarthra trigla
pre-milk stimulator
progressive apoplexy
Puerto Valdés
rear end compaction
red worms
resolution refutation system
ringworm of nails
RMETS
rubus niveus wall.subsp inopertus focke
sales associates
salvage gear
sarabands
saron
segmental brownian motion
selected text
shavuoths
sigma notation
simian virus
strongly connected automation
Särkisalmi
tank duel
tensor shear strain
territorial dominion
theatre sister
titanium(ii) oxide
top cutting edge
transthoracic
trickments
triple reassortant
unicameral
unprincess
unrightful
unsovable labeling procedure
vecinos
veinlets
vickerl's hardness number (vhn)
Warrington hammer
well-to-do
wesleyan methodist churches
wintling
Witheridge
x-knife stereotactic radiosurgery system