VOA慢速英语 2015-12-28 晚 小楠笔记.docxVIP

阿喀琉斯之踵What is Your Achilles’ Heel2015-12-28 晚Hello! And welcome to Words and Their Stories, a VOA Learning English program about American expressions大家好，欢迎收听VOA英语学习栏目《词语掌故》，学习美语表达。The Greek poet Homer has given us many phrases.希腊诗人荷马留下了很多短语表达。A famous one is ＂Achilles＇ heel.＂其中很有名的一个是“阿喀琉斯之踵”。On your body, your Achilles＇ heel is the tendon on the back of your ankle.从身体上来说，阿喀琉斯之踵是指脚后跟的跟腱。In spoken English, your Achilles＇ heel is your weak spot. You can say either ＂Achilles＇ heel＂ or ＂Achilles＇(s) heel.＂英语口语中，这表示你的弱点。你可以说＂Achilles＇ heel＂，也可以说＂Achilles＇(s) heel＂。Both are correct.这两种表达都是正确的。The Greek story of Achilles＇ heel is the one Homer tells in the long poem called ＂The Iliad.＂讲述阿喀琉斯之踵的希腊神话来自荷马的长篇诗作《伊利亚特》。Here is how the story goes.以下是故事的梗概。When Achilles was a baby his mother bathed him in the river Styx.在阿喀琉斯还是婴儿的时候，他的母亲带他去冥河洗浴。She believed the river had magical powers.她认为冥河具有神奇的力量。Bathing her son in its waters, she thought, would make Achilles immortal, deathless, like a god.在冥河中洗浴可以让她的儿子阿喀琉斯如神一样获得永生。But one part of his body did not get wet: his heel但是阿喀琉斯身体有一部分没有浸入河水：他的后脚跟。where his mother held him.因为母亲拎着后脚跟给他洗浴。His heel, therefore, was the one spot where Achilles could be hurt.因此后脚跟成为阿喀琉斯唯一会受伤的部位。Achilles grew up.阿喀琉斯长大了。He became a great warrior.成为了一名英勇的战士。During the Trojan War, he fought with the Greek army.特洛伊战争期间，他同希腊军队一起作战。None of the Trojan weapons was able to hurt Achilles.特洛伊的武器都伤不了阿喀琉斯。The god Apollo, however, knew of Achilles＇ weak spot.然而太阳神阿波罗知道他的弱点。Apollo told the prince of Troy, named Paris, all about it.阿波罗将其弱点告知特洛伊的王子帕里斯。While not actually written in ＂The Iliad,＂ legend says Paris shot an arrow at Achilles＇ heel and killed him.虽然《伊利亚特》中没有这样的记载，但传说帕里斯一箭射中了阿喀琉斯的后脚跟并杀了他。We all have an Achilles＇ heel.我们每个人都有弱点（阿喀琉斯之踵）。Even the toughest among us has a weak spot.即便是那些最坚强的人也有弱点。This weakness may change as we get older.随着我们的成长，弱点可能会有所改变。For many young people their ego, or over-confidence, could be their Achilles＇ heel.对很多年轻人来说，自尊、过于自信可能使他们的阿喀琉斯之踵。For ot