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And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
您现在收听的是VOA慢速英语《词汇掌故》节目。
On this program, we explore words and expressions in the English language.
在这个节目中，我们探索英语中的单词和表达。
We give examples, notes on usage, and sometimes, we use them in short conversations.
我们会举例说明用法，有时也会在简短的对话中使用这些表达。
Today we talk about the sweet dish at the end of a meal -- the dessert.
今天我们来谈谈一顿饭的最后一道菜--甜点。
One of the most famous kinds of dessert is pie.
馅饼是最著名的甜点之一。
With a buttery crust and sweet fillings like apple, berries, or banana cream, a well-made pie is a dreamy food, indeed.
香甜诱人的甜点一般会有黄油外壳，有苹果、浆果或香蕉奶油等甜味馅料，确实是一种让人如痴如醉的食物。
And that gives us the expression pie in the sky.
这就诞生了一个表达：pie in the sky。
Imagine a perfect pie coming down to you from the sky. That is like a dream. And a pie in the sky is a dream, too.
想象一个完美的馅饼从天而降。就像梦一样。而a pie in the sky也是一场梦。
Anything described as pie-in-the-sky is fun to daydream about but is very unlikely to happen.
任何被描述为pie-in-the-sky的事情，是指幻想起来很有趣，但实现的可能性很小。
When we act in a pie-in-the-sky manner, we are being foolishly optimistic.
当我们以pie-in-the-sky的方式行事时，就是在愚蠢地乐观。
Any industry or area of life can have pie-in-the-sky ideas.
任何行业或生活领域都可能有一些空想。
So, you can use this expression for different situations.
所以，你可以在不同的情况下使用这个表达。
In business, let’s say a company has lost money for two straight years.
在商业上，我们可以假设一家公司已经连续两年亏损。
But the company chief promised increased earnings in the coming year.
但公司首席执行官却承诺，来年收益将会增加。
Her claims, as they say, were simply pie in the sky.
正如他们所说，她的说法简直是空中楼阁。
She had no business plan or data to support them.
这些说法没有商业计划或数据来支撑。
An unpublished writer may have pie-in-the-sky dreams about her book being turned into a multi-million dollar film project.
一位未出版的作家可能会做白日梦，希望她的书能变成数百万美元的电影项目。
A teacher may have pie-in-the-sky wishes that all his students complete their homework on time.
老师可能会有空想，希望所有的学生都能按时完成作业。
Pies in the sky are empty promises or empty wishes. They are wishful thinking.
Pies in the sky是空洞的承诺或空洞的愿望。他们只是一厢情愿。
They are as unlikely as tasty pies falling from the sky.
就像天上掉下来的美味馅饼一样，都是不太可能的事情。
American English has another similar expression: pipe dream.
美式英语还有另一个类似的表达：pipe dream。
The expression is also used to describe a plan, hope, or wish that is highly unlikely to happen.
该短语也用于描述极不可能发生的计划、希望或愿望。
However, this expression does not come from a tasty bakery.
然而，这个表达并不是源自美味的面包店。
Word experts say it started in opium dens.
文字专家称，它始于鸦片窟。
Here, people would smoke opium in long pipes and then fall into a dreamlike state where nothing seemed real.
在这里，人们会用长烟斗吸食鸦片，然后陷入一种梦幻般的状态，一切都变得不再真实。
Now let’s hear two friends using the expressions pipe dream and pie in the sky.
现在我们听听两位朋友使用“pipe dream”和“pie”这两个短语。
Hey, did you hear about Sarah? She’s moving to Spain!
嘿，你听说莎拉的事了吗？她要搬到西班牙了！
Really? Last week, she told me she was having trouble paying her rent.
真的吗？上周，她还跟我说她很难支付租金。
Well, she told me this morning that she’s moving to Madrid to open a bakery.
嗯，她今天早上告诉我，她要搬到马德里开一家面包店。
Sarah? Open a bakery? That sounds like a total pie in the sky to me. She can’t even make toast.
莎拉？开面包店？对我来说，这听起来就像天方夜谭。她甚至连吐司都不会做。
You know, it sounded like a pipe dream when she told me. She didn’t have details. Just a lot of dreamy talk.
她跟我说的时候，听起来就像是一场白日梦。她没有透露细节。只有一些痴人说梦的话。
Well, if she wants to turn her pie-in-the-sky bakery dream into a reality, I’d advise her to do one thing first – learn how to bake.
嗯，如果她想把不切实际的面包店梦想变成现实，我建议她先做一件事--学习如何烘焙。
And that’s all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
以上就是本期《词汇掌故》的全部内容。
Until next time, I’m Anna Matteo.
下次见，我是安娜·马特奥。
