2022年10月22日 VOA慢速英语：它是无意义的还是徒劳的？

Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between "pointless" and "futile."
你好！本周在Ask a Teacher上，我们将回答一个关于“无意义”和“徒劳”的区别的问题。
 
Question:
问题：
 
Dear teacher,
亲爱的老师，
 
I am Aiping from California.
我是来自加利福尼亚的爱平。
 
I read the article "Who Brings Sand to the Beach?" I wondered what is the difference between the words "pointless" and "futile?"
我读过文章“谁把沙子带到海滩上？” 我想知道“无意义”和“徒劳”这两个词有什么区别？
 
Thank you! I wish you all the best!
谢谢！祝你一切顺利！
 
Aiping, your loyal reader.
爱萍，您的忠实读者。
 
Answer
回答
 
Dear Aiping,
亲爱的爱平，
 
These two words are often used as synonyms or words that can be used to mean the same thing.
这两个词通常用作同义词或可用于表示同一事物的词。
 
But there are slight differences in usage.
但在用法上有细微差别。
 
Let's start with "pointless."
让我们从“无意义”开始。
 
Pointless
无意义
 
"Pointless" is an adjective that means having no point, sense or purpose. To be "pointless" is to be without meaning or aim.
“毫无意义”是一个形容词，表示没有意义、意义或目的。“无意义”就是没有意义或目标。
 
For example, we can say:
例如，我们可以说：
 
It is pointless trying to talk to her… She will not listen.
跟她说话是没有意义的……她不听。
 
Driving home right now is pointless because traffic is so heavy.
现在开车回家是没有意义的，因为交通太拥挤了。
 
In a game or competition, "pointless" can also mean without a point scored.
在游戏或比赛中，“无意义”也可能意味着没有得分。
 
The game remained pointless at the end of the first half.
比赛在上半场结束时仍然毫无意义。
 
Futile
徒劳的
 
"Futile" is also an adjective. It means not able to produce a desired result. It can mean ineffective or useless.
“徒劳”也是一个形容词。这意味着无法产生预期的结果。它可能意味着无效或无用。
 
We worked on the project for hours, but failed to fix the problem. All of our attempts were futile.
我们在这个项目上工作了几个小时，但未能解决问题。我们所有的尝试都是徒劳的。
 
Voting for that candidate would be futile as he did not win the nominating election.
投票给该候选人将是徒劳的，因为他没有赢得提名选举。
 
Summary
概括
 
The main difference between these two words, is that with "futile" there is a goal or aim that can not be reached by the methods attempted. With "pointless" there is no goal or aim.
这两个词之间的主要区别在于，“徒劳”是指尝试的方法无法达到的目标或目的。“无意义”没有目标或目的。
 
Please let us know if these explanations have helped you, Aiping!
请让我们知道这些解释是否对您有所帮助， 爱平！
 
And that's Ask a Teacher.
那就是问老师。