18 march, 2017--spring is in the air

18 March, 2017-Spring Is in the Air By Anna Matteo 18 March, 2017 Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories. This program explores（勘查） the history and usage（用法） of common（普通的） expressions in American English. Today we talk about a time when half the world is waking from the dark, cold winter months. Spring! We often describe spring as a time of rebirth（轮回、复兴）, renewal and awakening. Many trees are blossoming（开花） and early flowers are pushing through(通过推进) the earth. Things are coming to life! When the weather turns warm, many people suffer from spring fever（发烧）. Common “symptoms（征兆; 症状）“ of spring fever include not being able to focus on school or work, taking long walks, or falling in love. So, are you actually（实际上; 确实; 竟; 事实上） sick when you have spring fever? Originally, yes. Spring fever used to refer to an actual illness. When the weather turned warm, some people developed sore throats,（喉咙痛） headaches, or stuffy（闷热的，不通气的; 古板的， 保守的; 枯燥无味的; 一本正经的） noses. The definition of “spring fever“ slowly changed in the early 1800s. People came to use the term to mean a sudden increase of romantic （浪漫主义的; 浪漫的，谈 情说爱的，多情的，风流的，香艳的; 空想的，虚构的，怪诞的，想入非非的，不实际的，难实行的（计 划等）; 传奇（式）的，小说般的，情节离奇的;）feelings. Elvis Presley describes this feeling in the song “Spring Fever.“ “Spring fever, comes to everyone. Spring fever, its time for fun. Theres no doubt now, love is everywhere. Get up, get out, spring is everywhere“ These days, we use “spring fever“ to describe a restless（焦躁不安的; 坐立不安的; 不耐烦的; 难以入睡的） feeling after the long, cold days of winter. But the word “spring“ is not just a season. It is also a verb（动词） that means something happening or appearing quickly. When you put “spring“ and “life“ together, you get spring to life. This expression means something suddenly becomes very active or perhaps seems more alive! You may spring to life after hearing that a distant friend will be visiting you. Or maybe your favorite soccer team finally sprang v. 口语花（钱）(for)( spring 的过去式 ); 使（木材等）裂开 ; 使断裂; 使弯曲; to life in the second half, played well, and won the match. But this is just the beginning. There are so many more “spring“ expressions that mean to happen suddenly. Imagine that you are resting on the couch when suddenly you see a mouse run across the floor. You spring into action! You jump from the couch and run after the mouse! But you miss. So, that night you leave some cheesen.奶酪; 微笑;in a small device 装置，设备; 方法; 策略; 手段 that will snap 折断; 猛地咬住; 呵斥 quickly: you want to spring a trap 圈套; （对付人的） 计谋; （练习射击用的） 抛靶器; （捕捉动物的） 夹子; And it works! But when you tell your roommate that you caught a mouse in a trap, tears spring from her eyes. You feel badly, but she really should have told you about her pet mouse Charlie! After all, your apartment doesnt allow pets. And you dont want to get in trouble with your landlord 房东. See, your neighborhood is finally turning into a really nice place to live. There are more places to eat and shop. In fact, stores, restaurants and cafs seem to have sprung up 迅速地发 生 overnight! They moved in quickly. As you can see, American English has so many phrases that use “spring“ to mean “something happens quickly.“ The ones we have heard are just the ones that sprang to mind. In other words, they were the first ones I thought of, without spending much time thinking about it. But perhaps those examples are confusing. Maybe I should have prepared you instead of just springing them on 突然告知 you. And, I did it again. If you spring something on other people, you have surprised them, usually not in a good way. Lets go back to the roommate story. Lets say one day your roommate, the one with the pet mouse, says to you, “Oh, by the way, Im still really upset 难过 about Charlie. So, Im moving out tomorrow. Youll have to find someone else to share the rent.“ You say to her, “You cant just spring that on me! Ill need time to find another roommate!“ But then you think about. Maybe its for the best. Every time you see her you feel guilty 有罪 的; 内疚的 about Charlie, her pet mouse. And anyway, she does something that really annoys 打扰( annoy 的第三人称单数 ); 干扰; 使烦 恼; 使恼怒 you. She always expects you to buy her things: she wants you to spring for lunch, spring for movie tickets, and sometimes even spring for groceries 杂货店; 杂品; 食品，杂货; 杂货 业. When you spring for something, you pay for someone else. This expression can also be an informal invitation 招待，邀请; 请柬，请帖; 引诱，吸引，诱惑; . At work you can say to a colleague, “I have spring fever. Lets leave early and go to an outdoor caf.卡费 Ill spring for coffee.“ Now, besides being a season and a verb, the noun “spring“ refers to a metal coil 金属线圈; that is wound tightly 缠紧. When the coil unwinds 松开, it often jumps. So, we often say a person has a spring in his step if he is lively and active. He might even appear to jump, or bounce 弹, a little when he walks. There is another way we use “spring“ as a description. In the case of a spring chicken, “spring“ means young. Also called a “springer,“ these young chickens have very tender meat. However, “spring chicken“ is also an informal, humorous way to refer to someone who isnt young at all. So, we use this expression in the negative form, as in “no spring chicken.“ For example, lets say you know an 85-year old man who decides to run a marathon, even though he has never exercised before. You could say, “Thats amazing! After all, hes no spring chicken.“ But be careful when using this expression. It could be a little disrespectful. Lets say your boss shows you a picture of his wife, and you say, “Wow, shes no spring chicken.“ That response would be disrespectful 不尊重的; 失礼的，无礼的 and a bad career move 职业生涯. We end this Words and Their Stories back on the season spring. Here is a short poem by Oliver Herford titled “I Heard a Bird Sing.“ It tells how a simple bird song brings a longing for spring during the month of December. I Heard a Bird Sing In the dark of December A magical thing And sweet to remember. “We are nearer to Spring Than we were in September,“ I heard a bird sing In the dark of December. Im Anna Matteo. Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. _ Words in This Story rebirth 轮回、复兴 n. a period of new life, growth, or activity renewal n. the state of being made new, fresh, or strong again : the state of being