[ti:Cornucopia: So Much of a Good Thing!]
[by:www.21voa.com]
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[00:07.60]And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
[00:18.44]On this program, we explore words and expressions in the English language.
[00:24.84]We give examples and notes on usage.
[00:30.88]Today we talk about a word connected to Thanksgiving.
[00:37.12]One of the traditional images of Thanksgiving
[00:40.96]is something called a cornucopia.
[00:45.44]This is a container shaped like a goat's horn.
[00:50.88]And it is overflowing with many kinds of fruits and vegetables,
[00:57.20]such as gourds, ears of corn, apples, and grapes.
[01:04.84]So, sometimes we call it a "horn of plenty."
[01:10.28]Plenty means to have a large amount of something.
[01:14.08]For example, if you live in the land of plenty,
[01:19.16]you live in an area with lots of resources
[01:24.20]-- natural as well as social and financial.
[01:30.40]But let's get back to the word cornucopia.
[01:34.24]This word describes a large amount or supply of something.
[01:41.28]For example, the holiday table held a cornucopia of food and drink.
[01:49.24]Anything you could possibly want for dinner was available.
[01:55.52]While the image of a cornucopia involves food,
[01:59.56]we use it for an abundance of good things.
[02:04.44]If something is abundant, there is plenty of it.
[02:09.76]Here is another example.
[02:12.72]A recent gathering offered a cornucopia of jobs
[02:18.04]from many industries.
[02:20.56]Representatives from more than 200 companies
[02:24.88]were there offering jobs.
[02:27.24]There was something for everyone!
[02:30.72]Sometimes the word cornucopia means
[02:34.76]there is an inexhaustible supply of something.
[02:40.80]If you exhaust something you use it all up.
[02:46.00]So, if something is inexhaustible
[02:49.52]it seems limitless –- like a bottomless pit.
[02:55.36]For example, a library is a cornucopia of knowledge.
[03:01.84]I could go into a library every day
[03:04.64]for the rest of my life and learn something new!
[03:10.04]These examples have an abundance of good things:
[03:13.92]food, jobs, and knowledge.
[03:18.68]We do not use the word cornucopia
[03:21.60]to describe an abundance of bad things.
[03:26.76]Also note, we often add a prepositional phrase
[03:31.40]to explain what type of cornucopia it is:
[03:36.60]a cornucopia of food, a cornucopia of jobs,
[03:41.80]or a cornucopia of knowledge.
[03:46.96]Now, let's say that – for whatever reason
[03:50.36]– you are not a fan of the word cornucopia.
[03:55.44]In the examples with jobs and knowledge,
[03:58.96]you could easily replace cornucopia with wealth.
[04:05.32]In the food example, however, I would replace it
[04:09.20]with abundance or even bounty.
[04:14.40]And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories!
[04:18.24]Don't forget to check out other programs
[04:21.32]at VOA Learning English.
[04:23.92]Our website is a cornucopia of English learning materials.
[04:29.88]Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
[04:33.72]更多听力请访问21VOA.COM