www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

您現(xiàn)在的位置: Language Tips> Audio & Video> Special Speed News  
   
 





 
Words and their stories: wildcat
[ 2009-11-10 11:03 ]

 

Now, the VOA Special English program, Words and Their Stories. Today, we tell about the word wildcat.

(MUSIC)

Humans have always depended on animals. From the beginning of human history, wild animals provided food, clothing and sometimes medicine.

We may not depend as much on wild animals now. But we hear about them every day. Americans use the names of animals in many ways.

Many companies use animals to make us want to buy their goods. Automobile companies, for example, love to show fast horses when they are trying to sell their cars. They also name their cars for other fast powerful animals.

Automobile manufacturers and gasoline companies especially like to use big cats to sell their products. They like lions, tigers and wildcats.

When Americans say wildcat, they usually mean alynx, an ocelot or a bobcat. All these cats attack quickly and fiercely. So wildcats represent something fast and fierce.

What better way is there to sell a car than to say it is as fast as a wildcat. Or, what better way is there to sell gasoline than to say that using it is like putting a tiger in your tank.

An early American use of the word wildcat was quite different. It was used to describe members of Congress who declared war on Britain in 1812. A magazine of that year said the wildcat congressmen went home. It said they were unable to face the responsibility of having involved their country in an unnecessary war.

Wildcat also has been used as a name for money. It was used this way in the 1800s. At that time, some states permitted banks to make their own money. One bank in the state of Michigan offered paper money with a picture of a wildcat on it.

Some banks, however, did not have enough gold to support all the paper money they offered. So the money had little or no value. It was called a wildcat bill or a wildcat bank note. The banks who offered this money were called wildcat banks.

A newspaper of the time said those were the days of wildcat money. It said a man might be rich in the morning and poor by night.

Wildcat was used in another way in the 1800s. It was used for an oil well or gold mine that had almost no oil or gold in it. Dishonest developers would buy such property. Then they would sell it and leave town with the money. The buyers were left with worthless holes in the ground. Today, wildcat oil wells are in areas that are not known to have oil.

Yet another kind of wildcat is the wildcat strike. That is a strike called without official approval by a union. During World War Two, an American publication accused wildcat strikers of slowing government production.

(MUSIC)

This VOA Special English program, Words and Their Stories, was written by Jeri Watson. I'm Warren Scheer.

lynx: short-tailed wildcats with usually tufted ears; valued for their fur 山貓

ocelot: a nocturnal wildcat of the brush and forests of the southwest United States and Central and South America, having a grayish or yellow coat with black spots 豹貓

bobcat: a wild cat of North America, having spotted reddish-brown fur, tufted ears, and a short tail 山貓

Related stories:

Words and their stories: two heads are better than one

Words and their stories: hold your horses!

Like a rolling stone

Get your act together

(Source: VOA 英語點津編輯)

 

英語點津版權(quán)說明:凡注明來源為“英語點津:XXX(署名)”的原創(chuàng)作品,除與中國日報網(wǎng)簽署英語點津內(nèi)容授權(quán)協(xié)議的網(wǎng)站外,其他任何網(wǎng)站或單位未經(jīng)允許不得非法盜鏈、轉(zhuǎn)載和使用,違者必究。如需使用,請與010-84883631聯(lián)系;凡本網(wǎng)注明“來源:XXX(非英語點津)”的作品,均轉(zhuǎn)載自其它媒體,目的在于傳播更多信息,其他媒體如需轉(zhuǎn)載,請與稿件來源方聯(lián)系,如產(chǎn)生任何問題與本網(wǎng)無關(guān);本網(wǎng)所發(fā)布的歌曲、電影片段,版權(quán)歸原作者所有,僅供學習與研究,如果侵權(quán),請?zhí)峁┌鏅?quán)證明,以便盡快刪除。
相關(guān)文章 Related Story
 
 
 
本頻道最新推薦
 
無線上網(wǎng) Wi-Fi
《魅力》年度女性揭曉 米歇爾蕾哈娜登榜
都市美信男 Metrotextual
英98歲夫婦離婚 成世界年齡最大離婚者
戀愛中的酸甜苦辣都怎么說
翻吧推薦
 
論壇熱貼
 
萬圣節(jié)問題火熱征集!
翻譯達人評選,快來投票!
經(jīng)典英語口語,不得不看(推薦)
I chocolate you!怎么翻譯?
請教obama演講里的一句話
 

 

主站蜘蛛池模板: 亚洲爱爱天堂 | 国产欧美自拍视频 | 一级做a爰片久久毛片唾 | 韩日毛片 | 日本特黄特色 | 精品久久久久久久久免费影院 | 大陆老太xxxxxxxxhd | 国产成人毛片亚洲精品不卡 | 久久怡红院亚欧成人影院 | 国产国模福利视频 | 国产美女在线精品观看 | 免费观看欧美精品成人毛片 | 成人午夜看片在线观看 | 日韩欧美国产亚洲 | 美女脱了内裤张开腿让男人桶网站 | 成年人免费毛片 | 又黄又www| 亚洲福利影视 | 韩国免费毛片 | 久久婷婷影院 | 久久亚洲国产欧洲精品一 | 亚洲综合在线另类色区奇米 | 日本高清va不卡视频在线观看 | 手机亚洲第一页 | 好吊妞国产欧美日韩视频 | 免费在线看黄网址 | 在线视频精品一区 | 伊人久爱 | 亚洲一区免费在线 | 日本一级aaaa特黄毛片 | 欧洲成人免费高清视频 | 九九在线免费视频 | 毛片三级 | 日本黄网站高清色大全 | 国产精品一国产精品 | 国产国产成人精品久久 | 香港台湾经典三级a视频 | 亚洲线精品久久一区二区三区 | 欧美日韩在线视频不卡一区二区三区 | 日韩国产在线 | 国产欧美日韩精品一区二区三区 |