VOA慢速英语听力训练素材：小池塘里的大鱼

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VOA慢速英语，作为国际英语学习者的重要资源，通过清晰缓慢的发音与简洁的词汇，为初学者及中等水平学习者搭建了通往流利英语的桥梁。它不仅帮助提升听力理解能力，还丰富了词汇量，增强了语感，是学习地道英语表达不可或缺的工具，对全球英语学习者的语言提升至关重要。让我们一起进入今天的VOA慢速英语听力训练：小池塘里的大鱼。

英文原文

We talk about an idiom involving fish and a pond. A pond is a small body of water, it is usually smaller than a lake. And our idiom today is "to be a big fish in a small pond."

我们来讨论一个涉及鱼和池塘的习语。池塘是一小片水域，它通常比湖泊小。而我们今天要讲的习语是“小池塘里的大鱼”。

"A big fish in a small pond" describes a person who is very well known or important in a small group, but is not known or important outside that small group.

“小池塘里的大鱼”描述的是在一个小团体中非常有名或重要，但在该团体之外并不出名或不重要的人。

For example, a high-performing high school student in a small town could be a big fish in a small pond. He may feel overly confident or overly important, or he may simply not know how small his pond is until he moves on to a big university. He must compete with hundreds of students who were also the best at their high schools. His pond just got much larger, and is now filled with many more fish.

例如，一个小镇上成绩优异的高中生可能是小池塘里的大鱼。他可能会过于自信或过于重要，或者他可能只是不知道自己的池塘有多小，直到他进入一所大型大学。他必须与成百上千名也在他们高中表现最好的学生竞争。他的池塘变得更大，现在里面充满了更多的鱼。

Here is another example. A young singer was famous in her small town. She wanted to move to a big city to grow her singing career. Her close friends and family supported her, but also warned her. "Here in our small town," they said, "you are a big fish in a small pond. Once you move to New York City, that is going to change. Best be ready."

再举一个例子。一个年轻的歌手在她的小镇上很有名。她想搬到一个大城市去发展她的歌唱事业。她的亲密朋友和家人支持她，但也警告她。“在我们这个小镇上，”他们说，“你是小池塘里的大鱼。一旦你搬到纽约市，情况就会改变。最好做好准备。”

For some people, this can be a painful realization, sometimes called a wake-up call. Sometimes when we use the expression "a big fish in a small pond," we add words to better describe the fish and the pond. For example, the singer's friends could say that she will be a very small but talented fish in a very big, competitive pond.

对一些人来说，这可能是一个痛苦的觉悟，有时被称为“警钟”。有时，当我们使用这个表达“小池塘里的大鱼”时，我们会添加一些词语来更好地描述这条鱼和池塘。例如，这位歌手的朋友可能会说，她将在一个非常大且竞争激烈的池塘里成为一条非常小但有才华的鱼。

Now, some people like being a big fish in a small pond. They never grow their circle of friends or work environment. Sometimes they do not take opportunities that increase their environment or pond. By staying in a small pond, it is safer; there are fewer dangers and also fewer competitors.

现在，有些人喜欢成为小池塘里的大鱼。他们从不扩大自己的朋友圈或工作环境。有时，他们不会抓住扩大自己环境或池塘的机会。留在小池塘里更安全；危险更少，竞争对手也更少。

The Miriam Webster Online Dictionary says that the expression "big fish" has been slang for an important or influential person since the early 1800s. The addition of "a small pond" to mean an unimportant organization is more recent. The dictionary goes on to explain another way to use the idiom: "a big fish in a small pond" can also describe a situation in which one person has more power, influence, knowledge, or experience than others within a small group.

米里亚姆·韦伯斯特在线词典说，“大鱼”这个表达自19世纪初以来就是重要或有影响力的人的俚语。而加上“小池塘”来表示不重要的组织则是比较新的用法。词典还继续解释了另一种使用这个习语的方式：“小池塘里的大鱼”也可以描述一个人在小团体中拥有比其他人更多的权力、影响力、知识或经验的情况。

So sometimes we use this expression to describe people in an insulting way. We are saying that they want to stay in a small pond just to feel more important. Their position of authority is not questioned by the other fish in the pond.

所以有时我们用这个表达来侮辱人。我们是在说，他们只想留在小池塘里，只是为了感觉更重要。他们在池塘中的权威地位不会被其他鱼质疑。

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