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And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语《词汇掌故》节目。
Today we talk about an expression, or idiom, involving an animal – a monkey to be exact.
今天我们谈论一个涉及一种动物——确切地说是猴子——的习语。
Monkeys are intelligent animals, and they often do funny things.
猴子是聪明的动物，它们经常做有趣的事情。
So, the English language has some monkey expressions that describe a fun situation.
所以，英语中有一些有关猴子的短语是用来描述有趣的情况的。
For example, to monkey around means to do things that are not useful or serious.
例如，monkey around（胡闹，捣蛋）的意思是做一些无用或不严肃的事情。
And if something is more fun than a barrel of monkeys, it is very fun!
如果某件事比“一桶猴子”更有趣，那这件事就太有趣了！
But what if you had to carry a monkey around with you every minute of every day ... on your back?
但如果你每天每时每刻都背着一只猴子走来走去……会怎么样呢？
That may not be so fun.
那可能就没那么有趣了。
And that brings us to today’s expression – to have a monkey on your back.
这就引出了今天的短语——to have a monkey on your back（压力山大；重担在肩）。
If you have a monkey on your back, you have a problem that cannot be easily solved.
have a monkey on your back的意思是你有一个不容易解决的问题。
And you possibly have had that problem for a long time.
你可能已经有这个问题很长一段时间了。
To have a monkey on your back can also mean to carry a great emotional weight.
have a monkey on your back也可以表示承受巨大的情感负担。
This weight comes from a bad decision or perhaps a feeling that you have done something wrong.
这种重量来自一个错误的决定，或者可能来自你做错了某件事后的感觉。
But the expression is used in more situations than that.
但这个短语可以在更多的情况下使用。
It is often used to describe a serious problem, worry, or concern that makes life difficult or unpleasant.
它经常被用来描述使生活变得困难或不愉快的严重的问题或担忧。
Sometimes we use this idiom to describe a situation that is not our fault.
有时我们用这个习语来形容一种不是我们的错的情况。
It could be a hardship or condition from which we suffer.
这可能是一种困难，即我们所遭遇的境况。
Here are some examples.
下面是一些例子。
A man grew up in extreme poverty.
一个人在极端贫困的环境中长大。
For a time, it was a monkey on his back.
有一段时间，他压力山大。
But getting a good education was the first step to getting the monkey off his back.
但是，接受良好的教育是让他摆脱困境的第一步。
If a woman has a gambling, alcohol, or drug addiction, we could say she has a monkey on her back.
如果一个女人有赌瘾、酒瘾或毒瘾，我们可以说她赌瘾/酒瘾/毒瘾缠身。
It could last for many years or even a lifetime.
它可能会持续很多年，甚至一辈子。
However, if she could solve or end the problem, we could say she finally got the monkey off her back!
然而，如果她能解决这个问题，我们可以说她终于摆脱了困境！
There is another expression that also means having a monkey on your back.
还有另一个短语，意思和“have a monkey on your back（压力山大；重担在肩）一样”。
That expression is a millstone around someone’s neck.
这个短语是a millstone around someone’s neck。
A millstone is a very large, heavy stone used for grinding things such as grain or corn.
磨石是一种非常大、很重的石头，用于研磨谷物或玉米等东西。
It crushes things easily.
它很容易把东西压碎。
So, we also use the word millstone to describe a serious responsibility, problem, or concern.
因此，我们也用“磨石”来形容严重的责任、问题或担忧。
For example, student debt is a millstone for many young people.
例如，学生债务对许多年轻人来说是一个沉重的负担。
We could also say the debt is a millstone around their necks or a monkey on their backs.
我们也可以说，债务让他们不堪重负。
And that’s all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories! Until next time … I’m Anna Matteo.
以上就是本期《词汇掌故》节目的全部内容。下次见。我是安娜·马特奥。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
