VOA慢速英语: 出什么事了？（双语）

发生什么事了？

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

这里是美国之音慢速英语的词语掌故。

The English language has a number of hard-working words. People use these words in many different ways and in many different expressions.

英语中有很多多词义的词汇。不同的使用方式、不同的短语中单词表达的意思也不同。

One such example is the word matter. As a matter of fact, matter can mean just about anything. When talking about science, matter is the material or substance that things are made of.

用“matter”来举例说一下，实际上，matter 可以指代任何事情。我们谈到科学时，matter就是构成万物的物质。

In fact, matter could be one of the most useful words in the English language. But that is just a matter of opinion. Actually, it is more than that. Matter is one of those words that matter a lot.

实际上，在英语中，matter是最有用的一个词汇之一。这只是一种观点而已，不仅仅如此，matter确实是个非常有用的词汇。

Let us take a minute and really get to the heart of the matter – in other words, let’s get to the most important part. Or it could be what we call a matter of principle.

让我们花点时间来真正地了解matter的核心内容部分，换句话说，我们进到最重要的部分，或者可以说是原则性的问题。

Let’s say someone claims that you owe them $50. But you don’t. A friend might say, “Well, you could pay him the $50. It’s not that much money. Then you won’t have to hear him complain anymore. But if you do not owe him the money, do not pay him the money. It’s a matter of principle.”

假如有人声称你欠他们50美元，但事实上你并没有欠他们钱。一个朋友或许会说：“好，你给他50美元，钱数目也不是很多，然后就不用再听他抱怨你欠他钱了。但是假如你不欠他钱就不用给他钱，这是原则性问题。”

Your friend raises a good point. It’s not the amount of money that is important. It’s a matter of principle.

你的朋友提出一个不错的观点，这不是钱多钱少的问题，这是个原则性问题。

Now, let us get back to two more scientific meanings of matter. Scientists say that dark matter makes up most of our universe. And when people talk about gray matter, they are talking about the brain.

现在我们来看看关于matter在科学领域的两个词义。科学家说黑暗物质是构成宇宙的最主要的物质。人们谈论灰白质时，则是指大脑。

Be Careful How You Ask, "What's The Matter With You?"

但是要小心这个词汇：“你是不是有问题？”

There is another way to use the word matter. But be careful with your choice of words.

单词matter还有另一种用法，所以要小心词汇的选择。

If you ask someone “What’s the matter?” it shows you are concerned about the other person. You usually ask someone “What’s the matter?” if the person looks angry or worried.

如果你问某人“你怎么了？”这表示你关心另一个人。倘若一个人看起来生气或者担心，通常你会问“出什么事了？”

But saying, “What’s the matter with you?” has a completely different meaning. And it usually sounds rude or offensive.

但是说：“你是不是有问题？”意思则完全相反，通常包涵粗鲁或者冒犯的意思。

In fact, when you say, “What’s the matter with you?” you are not really asking what is wrong with the person. You are suggesting that the individual did something wrong or stupid. So be careful with that one!

实际上，当你说：“你有什么问题？”时，真正的意思不是问这个人出什么事了，你的意思是在暗示别人出了些问题或者做了些蠢事。所以要小心使用这个句子。

Another expression that could sound rude is to say, “It doesn’t matter to me.” Here, it depends on the context, or situation, and how you say it.

另一个听起来粗鲁的表达是：“对我来说没什么关系。”这取决于语境、情境还有你表达的方式。

Here are two examples. Let’s say you tell someone that a friend just got a big raise at work and will be making a lot more money. That person answers with, “It doesn’t matter to me.” Here, it means he or she does not care. And it sounds rude.

这里有两个例子。假如你告诉某人：一个朋友刚升职了，会挣更多的钱，那个人就会回答：“这跟我有什么关系。”这里他的意思就是这件事与他无关。而且听起来有点粗鲁。

But saying, “Oh, you pick where we eat dinner. It doesn’t matter to me.” does not sound rude or offensive.

但是说：“你选择在哪儿吃饭吧，这对我来说都行。”这句话就没有粗鲁或者冒犯的意味了。

In this context and tone of voice, “it doesn’t matter” shows you are easy-going and are willing to do what the other person wants.

这个对话内容中：“怎么着都行”表明你很容易相处，可以迁就别人的意愿。

No matter how you slice it … no matter how you look at it … no matter what you say … matter is a very hard-working word.

不管你怎么你怎么看…不管你怎么想…不管你怎么说…matter 是个使用非常广泛的词。

Now, it is time to take matters into your own hands. Try using these expressions with the word matter.

现在需要你自己来掌握一下matter的使用表达。试着用带matter的词语来练习。

It’s only a matter of time before you will become an expert on the use of matter. And as for this program … this matter is closed.

只是时间的问题，经过一段时间的练习，你就能熟练使用带matter的各种短语、句子。今天的节目就结束了。

You can find more Words and Their Stories on our website,learningenglish.voanews.com. I’m Jonathan Evans.

你可以访问我们的,learningenglish.voanews.com网站，来学习更多的词语掌故。我是乔纳森·伊凡斯。

And I’m Anna Matteo.

我是安娜·马特奥。

Go to our website and practice using these matter expressions in the comment section. Or simply practice by saying what matters most to you.

访问我们的网站，在评论留言版块用这些有关matter的短语练习。或者用what matters most to you句型说一下对你最重要的事来练习。