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Are You Losing It?

I'm Susan Clark with the Special English program Words and Their Stories.

这里是美国之音慢速英语词汇掌故节目,我是苏珊·克拉克。

Tom Smith is the best hitter on his company’s baseball team. For weeks during the playing season, Tom hit a home run in every game the team played. But then suddenly he stopped hitting home runs. He could not hit the baseball at all.

汤姆·史密斯是其公司棒球队最好的击球员。在赛季期间的连续几周,他在团队比赛中的每一场中都打出了一个全垒打。但是他突然间打不出全垒打,他根本打不到棒球。

One day he struck out three times in one game. He said," I am afraid I am losing it."

有一天,他在一场比赛中被三振出局,他称:“我害怕失去它。

Mary Jones bought a dress in a woman's clothing store. She felt very happy about buying the dress until she got home. Then she remembered she had left her credit card at the store when she used it to pay for the dress. It was the third time that month that Mary had forgotten something important.

玛丽·琼斯在女装店买了一条裙子,买衣服让她感觉非常开心,直到她回到家。然后她想起当她用她的信用卡来支付这件衣服时,将其信用卡落在了商店里。这已经是玛丽这个月第三次忘记较重要的事了。

Mary was angry with herself. She said," Am I losing it?"

玛丽对自己生起气来,她说:“我正在失去它吗”

Emma Cleveland was teaching a class in mathematics at a college. She began to explain to the students how to solve a very difficult problem. She understood it very well. But somehow, at that moment, she could not explain it. Emma said," I must be losing it."

艾玛·克利夫兰在大学教数学,她开始向学生们解释如何解决一个非常困难的问题。她自己很明白,但却不知道为什么在那一刻,她不知道该怎么向学生解释这道题了。艾玛说:“我一定是正在失去它。

Americans seem to have a lot of concern about losing it. At least that is what you would think from hearing them talk. They use the expression when they feel they are losing control. It can mean losing emotional control. Or losing the ability to do something. Or losing mental powers.

美国人似乎在担心很多失去。至少听到他们这样说话,你会这样想。他们这样表达时,他们感觉自己正在失去那种控制力。这就意味着失去情绪控制力,或失做某事的能力,或失去精神力量。

Word experts differ about how the expression started. Some believe it came from television programs popular in the 1980 s. Others believe it began with psychologists and psychiatrists who deal with how people think, feel and act.

词汇专家对于这种表达是如何开始的有着不同的意见。有些人认为这种表达来自 20世纪 80年代流行的电视节目。其他人则认为这种表达开始于心理学家和精神病医生们对人们想法、感觉和行为的处理。

One psychologist said," We Americans have many concerns about controlling our lives. Perhaps we worry too much."

一位心理学家说:“我们美国人在调控我们的生活时,有很多担忧,也许是我们自己太过担心。

She continued," In many situations, to say you are ' losing it ' eases the tension. It is healthy. And most people who say they are having a problem are not ' losing it. '" People may feel more like they are losing it when they are" down in the dumps."

她继续说道:“在很多情况下,说你正在‘失去它’,来缓和紧张状况。该表达是合适的。而且大多数人称他们遇到了麻烦,而不说‘失去它’。当他们‘情绪低落’时,人们可能更喜欢用‘他们正在失去它’来表达。

People who are" down in the dumps" are sad. They are depressed.

“情绪低落”的人是难过伤心的,他们是沮丧。

Word expert Charles Funk says people have been feeling" down in the dumps" for more than 400 years. Sir Thomas More used the expression in 1534. He wrote:" Our poor family... has fallen in such dumps."

词汇专家查尔斯·方克称, 400多年以来,人们一直感觉“情绪低落”。托马斯·莫尔曾在 1534年用过该表达方式。他写道:“我们贫穷的家庭……已经沉浸于这样的低落情绪中。

Word experts do not agree what the word" dumps" means. One expert, John Ayto, says the word" dumps" probably comes from the Scandanavian countries. The languages of Denmark and Norway both have similar words. The words mean" to fall suddenly."

词汇专家并不同意“ dumps”这个词的意思,一位专家约翰·艾托称,“ dumps”这个词可能来自斯堪的纳维亚地区的国家。丹麦和挪威都有类似的单词,这个词的意思是“突然下降”。

Americans borrowed this saying. And, over the years, it has become a popular way of expressing sadness.

美国人借用了这句俗语,并且,这么多年以来,它已成为一种表达悲伤的流行方式。