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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。
Bad news can be hard to hear.
可能会很难听到坏消息。
It can be even harder to share with someone.
和别人分享坏消息可能会更难。
So, we may tell someone bad news in a way that is easier for them to hear.
因此，我们可能会以一种他们更容易听到的方式告诉别人坏消息。
In other words, we may try to sugarcoat it.
换句话说，我们可能会试图粉饰它。
And that is our expression for today -- "sugarcoat."
这就是我们今天的词语——“sugarcoat”。
When you sugarcoat something you try to make it more pleasant or acceptable than it really is.
当你粉饰某事时，你试图让它变得比实际情况更令人愉快或更容易接受。
You try to make an event or situation seem not so bad.
你试图让一件事或一种情况看起来不那么糟糕。
So, you don't share all the upsetting or otherwise bad details.
所以，你不会分享所有令人心烦或不好的细节。
It might surprise you to learn that a United States president was criticized for using the term "sugarcoat" in an official message.
当你得知一位美国总统曾因在官方信息中使用“sugarcoat”一词而受到批评时，你可能会感到惊讶。
I will tell you which one later in the program.
稍后我会在节目中告诉你们是哪一位总统。
But first, let's talk about the word "coat."
但首先，让我们谈谈“coat”这个词。
A coat can be a layer, such as a coat of paint.
coat可以指一层，例如一层油漆。
As a verb, "coat" also means to cover something with a substance.
作为动词，“coat”也表示用某种物质覆盖某物。
So, you could say the walls were coated with a layer of paint.
所以，你可以说墙壁上涂了一层油漆。
Sugar, as you know, is a sweet substance.
如你所知，糖是一种甜的物质。
It makes so many things taste good--things like cakes, cookies, pies, and candy.
它让很多东西都很好吃——比如蛋糕、饼干、馅饼和糖果。
But sugar can also make things like medicine taste better too and therefore easier to take.
但是糖也可以使药物等东西味道更好，因此更容易服用。
So, medicine makers began adding sweet flavorings to their products to help people, especially children, take the medicine.
因此，制药商开始在他们的产品中添加甜的调味品，以帮助人们，特别是儿童服用药物。
Now, pills can taste bitter too.
现在，药片也可能尝起来很苦。
So, pill makers started doing the same.
因此，药片制造商开始做同样的事情。
They began coating pills with a hard sugar coating.
他们开始在药片上涂上一层糖衣。
This made them easier to swallow.
这使得它们更容易下咽。
These days we use the term sugarcoat for actual sugar coatings and when we share news and information.
如今，我们用sugarcoat这个词来表示真正的糖衣，也用于我们分享新闻和信息的时候。
Here is a quick example.
下面是一个简单的例子。
Let's listen to these co-workers talk about their business.
让我们来听听这些同事谈论他们的生意吧。
Okay, give it to me straight. How much money did we lose last year?
好吧，跟我直说吧。我们去年亏损了多少钱？
Let me start by saying … we'll make up our losses this year.
首先，我们今年会弥补我们的损失的。
Stop sugarcoating it! I want numbers. How much did we lose?
别再粉饰了！我要数字。我们亏损了多少钱？
All of it. We lost all of our profits from last year.
所有。我们损失了去年所有的利润。
Wow. That is bad. You could have broken the news to me a bit easier.
哇。那太糟糕了。你本可以更容易地把这个消息告诉我的。
You said not to sugarcoat anything!
你说过不要粉饰任何东西！
Now, back to our earlier question.
现在，回到我们之前的问题。
Which U.S. president was criticized for using this informal term in an official address?
哪位美国总统曾因在官方讲话中使用这个非正式用语而受到批评？
In a message to Congress on July 4, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln wrote:
1861年7月4日，亚伯拉罕·林肯总统在给国会的一封信中写道：
"With rebellion thus sugar-coated they have been drugging the public mind of their section for more than thirty years, and until at length they have brought many good men to a willingness to take up arms against the government…"
30多年来，他们粉饰叛乱，蛊惑着他们所在部门的公众思想，直到最后，他们才使许多好人愿意拿起武器反对政府……
Often on this show we talk about whether a term or expression is formal or informal.
在这个节目中，我们经常谈论一个术语或短语是正式的还是非正式的。
Formal language is well suited for professional and official situations, such as a presidential address.
正式语言非常适合于专业和官方场合，如总统演讲。
Informal is the type of language we use with those close to us.
非正式语言是我们与亲近的人使用的语言。
Well, reportedly, some government officials at the time did not like President Lincoln's use of the informal term "sugar-coat" in an official message.
据报道，当时一些政府官员不喜欢林肯总统在官方信件中使用非正式的术语“sugar-coat”。
Experts at the website History.com explain that the official government printer objected to Lincoln using "sugar-coat," saying the word was beneath the dignity of the office of the president.
History.com网站的专家解释说，官方的政府印刷商反对林肯使用“sugar-coat”，称这个词有损总统办公室的尊严。
Also, reportedly, Lincoln didn't care.
此外，据报道，林肯并不在意。
History.com experts claim Lincoln said, "The time will never come in this country when the people won't know exactly what sugar-coated means."
History.com网站专家声称，林肯说过：“在这个国家，人们知道sugar-coated到底是什么意思的时候会到来的。”
And he was right. Sugarcoat in all its forms remains commonly used and clear in meaning.
他是对的。各种形式的“糖衣”仍然被广泛使用，含义也很清晰。
Feel free to use it in any situation, even if it is formal.
在任何情况下都可以随意使用它，即使是正式场合。
You will be in good company.
你会有很多同伴。
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！
