开启新的一年
📖 逐句对照翻译
And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
现在是VOA学英语的《词汇掌故》节目。
One of the most popular sports in the United States is American football.
美式橄榄球是美国最受欢迎的运动之一。
In the U.S., “football” is a sport that involves a lot of contact.
在美国，“football”是一项身体接触很多的运动。
What people around the world call “football,” Americans call soccer.
世界各地的人所称的“足球”，美国人称之为soccer。
For today’s show, we talk about some idioms and expressions that come from American football.
在今天的节目中，我们将讨论一些源自美式足球的习语和表达。
The American sport mainly involves carrying or throwing the ball.
美式运动主要涉及持球或投球。
But there are times when a player must use their feet to kick the ball.
但有时球员必须用脚踢球。
The kicker can kick field goals to get points.
踢球手可以通过踢任意球来得分。
In addition to that, the game starts with a kickoff and, after scoring points, a team will kick off to the other side, beginning their turn on offense.
除此之外，比赛以开球开始，得分后，一队会向对方开球，从而开始他们的进攻回合。
Kicks and punts
踢球和弃踢
The term kickoff is commonly used to describe the start of an event or project.
Kickoff一词通常用来描述活动或项目的开始。
For example, we could say experts from all over the world attended the kickoff of the new language museum.
例如，我们可以说来自世界各地的专家参加了新语言博物馆的启动仪式。
You can use it as a phrasal verb, as well.
你也可以把它当作短语动词来用。
For example, people often like to “kick off” the new year with a resolution, or promise to yourself, to reach a goal or to do something.
例如，人们常常喜欢以立下新年决心来“开启”新的一年，或者向自己承诺要达成某个目标或做某件事。
Football also has the term “punt.”
足球中也有“弃踢”这个术语。
Punting is another sort of kick a team uses when they cannot score.
弃踢是球队无法得分时使用的另一种踢球方式。
The punter kicks a ball with the top of his foot.
踢球者用脚背踢球。
“Punt,” like “kick,” can be both a noun and a verb.
“Punt”和“kick”一样，既可以作名词，也可以作动词。
When you punt the ball, you put it in play for the other team.
当你踢球时，你实际上是把球交给了对方球队来开始比赛。
The same can be said for punting in life.
人生中的决策亦是如此。
When we punt something, we give our task, job, or responsibility to someone else.
当我们把某件事推给别人时，就是把我们的任务、工作或责任交给别人。
For example, if I’m not good at a certain task or I just don’t want to do it, I can punt it to someone else.
例如，如果我不擅长某项任务，或者只是不想做，我可以把它推给别人。
It can also mean to delay a decision.
它也可以表示推迟做出决定。
If I’m not sure about taking a trip, for example, I can punt the decision until later.
如果我不确定是否要去旅行，比如，我可以把决定推迟到以后再做。
Another way to say this in American English is to table it.
美式英语中另一种说法是“table it”。
If you are not ready to think about something, it can or must wait until later.
如果你还没准备好考虑某件事，那它可以或者必须等到以后再说。
In football, the kicker not only starts the game with a kickoff but also kicks field goals.
在橄榄球比赛中，踢球员不仅通过开球来启动比赛，还负责踢任意球得分。
To do this, the kicker must kick the football between the goalposts at either end of the football field.
要做到这一点，踢球者必须将足球踢过球场两端的球门柱之间。
If he succeeds, his team gets three points.
如果他成功了，他的队伍将获得三分。
Kicking a field goal can be difficult if the kicker is far from the goalposts or if the weather in an outdoor stadium is windy, rainy or snowy.
如果踢球手离球门柱很远，或者户外体育场天气多风、下雨或下雪，踢定位球可能会很困难。
But imagine if the goalposts were moving?
但想象一下，如果球门柱在移动呢？
That would make kicking the ball between them much more difficult.
那会使得在他们之间踢球变得更加困难。
To move the goalposts
改变规则
We can face this problem in everyday life.
我们在日常生活中会面临这个问题。
Imagine if you are given a task at work with specific goals to reach.
想象一下，你在工作中被分配了一项任务，需要达到特定的目标。
For example, if you are a social media manager you could be asked to increase followers by 10,000 by the end of the month.
例如，如果你是一名社交媒体经理，你可能会被要求在本月底前将粉丝数增加10,000。
But when the end of the month comes, your boss tells you that now you need to add 20,000 followers, not 10,000.
但到了月底，老板却告诉你，现在你需要增加两万名粉丝，而不是一万名。
In this case, your boss has moved the goalpost.
在这种情况下，你的老板改变了规则。
Sometime a person moves the goalposts on purpose.
有时，人会故意改变规则。
They have a reason for doing so.
他们这样做是有原因的。
If the goalposts keep moving, it is difficult or even impossible to reach the goal.
如果目标不断变化，达到目标就会变得困难，甚至不可能。
So, if you say that someone has “moved the goalposts,” you are accusing them of changing the rules or end goals to make it difficult for you to succeed.
所以，如果你说某人“移动了球门柱”，你是在指责他们改变规则或最终目标，让你难以成功。
We can also say to move the target to mean the same thing.
我们也可以说“移动目标”来表达同样的意思。
A moving target is a changing goal or result.
移动目标是指不断变化的目标或结果。
A desired goal, end, or objective that changes all the time is difficult or perhaps even impossible to reach.
一个不断变化的目标、终点或目的，是难以甚至不可能达成的。
Both expressions – to move the goalposts and to move the target – can be used in the same way and in similar situations.
“移动球门柱”和“移动目标”这两种表达方式可以在相同的情境中以同样的方式使用。
However, moving the goalposts is a classic football expression.
然而，“移动球门”是一个经典的足球表达。
While moving the target can refer to several sports.
移动目标可以指代多种体育运动。
And that’s Words and Their Stories.
以上就是“词汇与他们的故事”。
Until next time, I’m Anna Matteo.
下次见，我是安娜·马特奥。
Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English.
安娜·马特奥为VOA英语学习频道撰写了这篇故事。
