پادکست VOA: اصطلاحات انگلیسی – احتیاط و پیشگیری

سلام با بیست و ششمین قسمت از مجموعه “Words and Their Stories” (کلمات و داستان آن ها) از سری پادکست‌های VOA در خدمت شما هستیم. این مجموعه پادکست به توضیح اصطلاحات رایج زبان انگلیسی، داستان ایجاد شدنشون و نحوه استفاده از آن ها در مکالمه می پردازه. در این قسمت از پادکست VOA: اصطلاحات انگلیسی – احتیاط و پیشگیری قراره با معنی، کاربرد و تاریخچه اصلاح “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” آشنا میشی. در کنارش چندین کلمه ی جالب و کاربردی دیگه هم یاد میگیری که لیست این کلمه ها به همراه معنی اون ها در پایان مطلب قرار گرفته.

اصطلاح “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” (یک اونس پیشگیری به اندازه یک پوند درمان می ارزد) به این معنی است که پیشگیری کردن از ابتلا به بیماری خیلی ارزون تر از هزینه ی درمان و معالجه است، یعنی همون پیشگیری بهتر از درمانه. اونس واحد اندازه گیریه و  یک‌شانزدهم پونده (تقریبا ۲۸ گرم). هر پوند تقریبا ۵۰۰ گرمه.

VOA – Words and Their Stories – 26: An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure

متن انگلیسی پادکست VOA: اصطلاحات انگلیسی – احتیاط و پیشگیری:

And now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.

Sometimes in life, you need to act quickly. Thinking too much about a problem does not always help. It can hold us back.

We have expressions that describe this way of thinking.“No time like the present.”“A rolling stone gathers no moss.”“Just do it!”

But sometimes slower is better.

Many things in life require careful thought and preparation. Sometimes we need to be cautious and take precautions.

A great expression for that kind of behavior is, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

This saying comes to us from Benjamin Franklin. In addition to being a writer, Franklin was a printer, political thinker, politician, scientist, inventor and diplomat. He was also one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

So, he was a busy man. But Franklin still found time to write and offer his advice to others. If he were alive today, he could probably make a good living as a life coach.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” is one of his most famous sayings. Now, Franklin lived during the 1700s, before the metric system took effect in Europe. The word ounce means something really small – just two one-hundredths of a kilogram to be exact.

So, his expression meant that, when dealing with a problem, spending a small amount of time and effort early on is a good investment. It can save you more trouble in the end.

For example, if a country announces strong measures for containing a virus, we could say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

It is better to take severe precautions than to suffer severe consequences later.

Word historians say that when Franklin first used this expression, he was not talking about disease but rather fire prevention.

During a visit to Boston in 1733, Franklin was impressed with the city’s fire prevention methods. He tried to bring some of these practices to the city of Philadelphia, where he lived.

Supposedly, Franklin sent an unsigned letter to his own newspaper The Pennsylvania Gazette. Published on February 4, 1735, his letter — “Protection of Towns from Fire” — began with the expression “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Then he wrote about how a city should prepare itself for a fire.

From protecting yourself against sickness to preventing a house fire, this expression can be used in serious situations. It is a fixed expression, meaning we don’t change the wording when we use it. We simply repeat it as is.

Let’s listen to this example:

How is the deal going with your real estate agent? Are you ready to buy your new house?

Just about. I have a few more questions about home insurance. So, I’m meeting with a financial advisor and an insurance agent this week.

They are sure to give you a lot of information. Do you really think it’s necessary?

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If I get anything wrong, it will be difficult to fix later on. And it will cost more, too!

Didn’t you lose a lot of money on repairs to your house because it was under-insured?

Um … Good point. Let’s change the subject!

Now, another way to say this expression is “Better safe than sorry.” We use this one for many different situations – serious and not so serious.

Let’s listen to this dialogue.

What a great day to be at the park! Thanks for the invite!

Sure thing. The weather is great! So, why did you bring an umbrella?

Well, the weather forecast said it could rain later today.

I heard that too. But look — there’s not a cloud in the sky!

Oh, no! You cannot be serious!

Quick! Come under my umbrella! See. Better safe than sorry.

Okay, okay! Good point. Now, let’s get out of this rain.

Here it is better to say “better safe than sorry.” Benjamin Franklin’s advice would have sounded a little too serious.

And that’s the end of this Words and Their Stories!

The next time you want to take care and avoid problems down the road … use the expressions you heard here.

لیست واژگان این پادکست

moss (خزه) – n. a type of green plant that has very small leaves and no flowers and that grows on rocks, bark, or wet ground

cautious (محتاط) – adj. careful about avoiding danger or risk

consequence (نتیجه) – n. something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions

impressed ( تحت تاثیر قرار گرفته) – v. to affect especially forcibly or deeply : gain the admiration or interest of

real estate ( املاک و مسکن) – n. property in buildings and land

insurance (بیمه) – n. the amount of money a person regularly pays an insurance company as part of an insurance agreement

dialogue (گفتگو) – n. a conversation between two or more people

weather forecast (پیش بینی آب و هوا) – n. a statement saying what the weather will be like the next day or for the next few days.

امیدوارم از پادکست VOA: اصطلاحات انگلیسی – احتیاط و پیشگیری لذت برده باشید. برای دسترسی به قسمت های دیگر این پادکست می توانید از صفحه ی پادکست VOA – اصطلاحات انگلیسی آکادمی مجازی آموزش زبان ۲۴talk دیدن کنید.

همچنین برای گوش دادن به پادکست های سطح بندی شده British Council می توانید به صفحه ی پادکست British Council آکادمی مجازی آموزش زبان ۲۴talk یا برای گوش دادن به پادکست های BBC به صفحه ی پادکست ۶ دقیقه انگلیسی (BBC) آکادمی مجازی آموزش زبان ۲۴talk مراجعه کنید.

گوش دادن به پادکست روش خوبی برای تقویت مهارت شنیداری و هم چنین یادگرفتن کلمات در بستر یک موضوع خاصه که این به تقویت مهارت مکالمه انگلیسی نیز کمک زیادی می کنه.

اگه دنبال این هستی که مهارت های مکالمه زبان انگلیسیت رو بیشتر از این تقویت کنی بهت پیشنهاد میکنم در دوره‌ی مکالمه زبان انگلیسی آکادمی مجازی آموزش زبان انگلیسی ۲۴talk شرکت کنی که با یه برنامه منسجم و خلاقانه کمک میکنه در زمان کوتاه بتونی به راحتی و روانی انگلیسی صحبت کنی.