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VOA词汇掌故2023--'Tis the Season!

时间:2024-01-02 02:45来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
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'Tis the Season!

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

Today we talk about the word "season." We use this word in many different ways.

"Season" can refer to one of the four parts of the year. For example, Washington, D.C. is in a part of the United States that has four seasons: winter, spring, summer, and autumn. Some parts of the U.S. do not have four seasons.

"Season" can also describe the periods marked by warmth and growth or cold weather and falling leaves. For example, when the weather becomes warmer and days are lighter1 longer, the growing season begins for some plants. When the weather gets colder and the days darker, the hibernation2 season begins for some animals.

We also use "season" to describe periods that are only related to the weather. For example, some areas of the world have rainy seasons and dry seasons. Some parts of the U.S. have tornado3 season. And in other parts of the world there are monsoon4 seasons.

"Season" can also refer to the time before and during a major holiday. December is a busy holiday season in many parts of the world. Holidays include Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Winter Solstice. December is often a time to take a break from work and spend time with loved ones.

Speaking of Christmas, when we say ‘tis the season we are talking about something dealing5 with this holiday – its good side and its not-so-good side. For example, let's say I give a co-worker a big box of homemade cookies. They might say to me, "Thanks! But why are you giving me so many cookies?" I can answer, "'Tis the season!"

Here is another example. If I go out to a store and it is packed with holiday shoppers, I could complain to a friend. And they could respond, "Well, ‘tis the season!" What they really mean is this: At this time of the year, stores are usually very busy with Christmas shoppers.

In fact, Christmas is like open season on shopping deals. "Open season on" something means that it is being hunted, targeted, or in this case ... bought.

"Open season" also describes a period of time when a particular activity or opportunity is unrestricted. It is widely available. This term probably comes from hunting. Hunting traditionally has many restrictions6. People can hunt only at certain times of the year and even then, there are restrictions on which animals and how many you can hunt. Fishing too has similar restrictions. But if it is open season, there are few restrictions.

As in our earlier shopping example, we can use this term for just about anything that is targeted with few restrictions. When talking about the best times to travel, for example, it is a good idea to travel off-season. If few people are traveling, it is a good time to find cheap air travel, hotels, and rental7 cars. It is open season on travel deals.

And like hunting season, we can have other "seasons" too. For example, beach areas are popular during tourist season. And people with allergies8 probably do not like hay fever season or allergy9 season.

So, "season" can simply mean a time of the year marked by a special activity. Sports seasons, for example, are popular with fans of sports.

We also have different seasons in our lives: Our time as children, going off to college, becoming parents, helping10 our aging parents, starting new careers or starting retirement11. These are all different seasons of life. And they all have different aspects to enjoy and to be thankful for.

And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ...

Words in This Story

refer to –v. (phrasal) to talks about or describe

hibernate12 –v. to pass winter in a resting state : hibernation –n.

complain –v. to say that you are unhappy with something

cheap –adj. not costly13; low cost

rental –adj. something you have paid for the temporary use of

allergy –n. a condition of being especially sensitive to things like pollen14, mold or foods which can make a person suffering from it feel sick

career –n. the period of working and doing a job in one's life, especially within one field or profession

aspect –n. a part of something


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1 lighter 5pPzPR     
n.打火机,点火器;驳船;v.用驳船运送;light的比较级
参考例句:
  • The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色,色调明朗了一些。
  • The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。
2 hibernation cdjxK     
n.冬眠
参考例句:
  • Bears wake up in the spring after a winter of hibernation.熊经过一个冬天的冬眠后在春季苏醒。
  • The tortoise spends the winter months in hibernation.乌龟在冬眠中度过寒冬季节。
3 tornado inowl     
n.飓风,龙卷风
参考例句:
  • A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
  • The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。
4 monsoon 261zf     
n.季雨,季风,大雨
参考例句:
  • The monsoon rains started early this year.今年季雨降雨开始得早。
  • The main climate type in that region is monsoon.那个地区主要以季风气候为主要气候类型。
5 dealing NvjzWP     
n.经商方法,待人态度
参考例句:
  • This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
  • His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。
6 restrictions 81e12dac658cfd4c590486dd6f7523cf     
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则)
参考例句:
  • I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
  • a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制
7 rental cBezh     
n.租赁,出租,出租业
参考例句:
  • The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
  • We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。
8 allergies 2c527dd68e63f119442f4352f2a0b950     
n.[医]过敏症;[口]厌恶,反感;(对食物、花粉、虫咬等的)过敏症( allergy的名词复数 );变态反应,变应性
参考例句:
  • Food allergies can result in an enormous variety of different symptoms. 食物过敏会引发很多不同的症状。 来自辞典例句
  • Let us, however, examine one of the most common allergies; hayfever. 现在让我们来看看最常见的变态反应的一种--枯草热。 来自辞典例句
9 allergy 8Vpza     
n.(因食物、药物等而引起的)过敏症
参考例句:
  • He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。
  • The patient had an allergy to penicillin.该患者对青霉素过敏。
10 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
11 retirement TWoxH     
n.退休,退职
参考例句:
  • She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
  • I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。
12 hibernate SdNxJ     
v.冬眠,蛰伏
参考例句:
  • Bears often hibernate in caves.熊常在山洞里冬眠。
  • Some warm-blooded animals do not need to hibernate.一些温血动物不需要冬眠。
13 costly 7zXxh     
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
参考例句:
  • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
  • This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。
14 pollen h1Uzz     
n.[植]花粉
参考例句:
  • Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
  • He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。
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TAG标签:   VOA英语  慢速英语  词汇掌故
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