Dog Talk: Most Dogs in the U.S. Seem to Have an Easy Life
与狗有关的表达：在美国 大多数狗都过得很安逸
Now, the VOA Special English program, Words and Their Stories.
你正在收听的是美国之音慢速英语节目《词汇掌故》。
Most dogs in the United States seem to have an easy life. They sleep a lot and get fed often. People take their dogs for a walk two times a day and also let them play outside. Dogs get medical care when they are sick or injured. What a great life! Right? Well, we say people with a similar, carefree existence enjoy a"dog's life." They have no troubles or responsibilities. They can come and go as they please, sleep all day, and never have to work.
在美国，大多数狗都过得很安逸。他们睡眠充足，经常被喂食。人们每天遛两次狗，并让狗在外面玩耍。狗狗受伤或生病时，还有医疗保健。这是何等美好的生活啊！是不是？同样，对于那些过着类似的无忧无虑的生活的人，我们用过着dog's life（注：这个短语原意是过着穷困潦倒的生活）来形容。这些人没有麻烦也没有责任。他们可以来去自由，可以整日睡觉，永远不需要工作。
But not everyone has it so easy. In fact, some people say we live in a "dog-eat-dog world." That means many people are competing for the same things, like good jobs. They say that to be successful, a person has to"work like a dog." This means they have to work very, very hard. Such hard work can make people "dog-tired."And, the situation would be even worse if they became "sick as a dog."
可惜不是所有人都这么轻松。事实上，人们说我们生活在“互相残杀的世界”（dog-eat-dog world），指很多人需要为一件东西而竞争，比如一份好工作。人说为了成功，一个人需要“象狗一样工作（work like a dog）。”，这是指工作非常非常努力。这样努力就会使人筋疲力尽，累成狗（dog-tired）。如果接下来他们“病得十分严重”（sick as a dog）的话，情况将会变得更糟。
Still, people say "every dog has its day." This means that every person enjoys a successful period during his or her life. To be successful, people often have to learn new skills. Yet, some people say that "you can never teach an old dog new tricks." They believe that older people do not like to learn new things and will not change the way they do things.
虽说如此，人们都说“风水轮流转”（every dog has its day），就是说，每个人在一生中总会有一段时间是成功的。为了成功人就得学习新技能。然而人们说“老狗学不了新把戏”（you can never teach an old dog new tricks），他们认为年纪大的人不喜欢学习新事物也不愿意改变老的做事习惯。
Some people are compared to dogs in bad ways. People who are unkind or uncaring can be described as "meaner than a junkyard dog." Junkyard dogs live in places where people throw away things they do not want. Mean dogs are often used to guard this property. They bark or attack people who try to enter the property. However, sometimes a person appears to be mean and threatening but is really not so bad. We say "his bark is worse than his bite."
有些人被以一些不好的方式来与狗比较。不友善或者没有爱心的人被说成“meaner than a junkyard dog”（冷漠，不友好）。垃圾场的狗住在被人们丢弃不想要的东西的地方。这些很凶的狗往往用来看守垃圾场，它们会冲着试图进入的人犬吠或攻击他们。但有时候，一个看起来很凶很有威胁的人其实并不是真的那样坏，我们会说“会叫的狗不咬人”（his bark is worse than his bite）。
A junkyard is not a fun place for a dog. Many dogs in the United States sleep in safe little houses near their owners' home. These doghouses provide shelter. Yet they can be cold and lonely in the winter.
对狗来说，垃圾场可不是什么好玩的地方。在美国，许多狗住在主人房子旁边的小小的狗窝里。这些狗窝是遮风避雨的地方，可是冬天是很凄冷的。
Husbands and wives use this "doghouse"term when they are angry at each other. For example, a woman might get angry at her husband for coming home late or forgetting their wedding anniversary. She might tell him that he is "in the doghouse."She may not treat him nicely until he apologizes. However, the husband may decide that it is best to leave things alone and not create more problems. He might decide "to let sleeping dogs lie."
夫妻之间生气的时候常用doghouse（招人恨的）一词。比如，丈夫回家晚了或者忘了结婚纪念日，妻子就会很生气。她可能会说她要被打入冷宫了（in the doghouse），他若不道歉的话，她是不会有好脸色的。丈夫可能决定适可而止不再挑起事端，也就是决定“避免招惹是非/自找麻烦。（to let sleeping dogs lie.）”
Dog expressions also are used to describe the weather. "The dog days of summer" are the hottest days of the year. A rainstorm may cool the weather. But we do not want it to rain too hard. We do not want it "to rain cats and dogs."
与狗有关的表达也用来描述天气。三伏天（The dog days of summer）是一年中最热的天气。一场大雨或许会让天凉下来。但是我们也不想让雨下的太大，不想让老天下倾盆大雨（to rain cats and dogs.）
