Now, the VOA Special programmer WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
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Today, we will show the word “waste”. It is something people tell us not to do. At home, parents tell us not to watch food in the classroom, teachers tell us not to waste time. On sports team, coaches tell us not to waste energy.
Waste often happens because we use something too much or because we do not use it well, we often use “waste” in arguments. lf we are unhappy with someone, we can say: “Don’t waste my time.” And if you are not happy with something you did, you can say, “Well, that was a complete waste of time.”
We also find it in some useful expressions. The first one is “Haste makes waste.” “Haste” means doing something very quickly. “Haste makes waste” means if you move or do something in a hurry, you could make mistakes. And then it takes more time to correct mistakes. So, if you see your friends doing homework in a hurry, you can suggest, “Be careful with your work, you might make mistakes and then our teacher will make you do it again. Haste makes waste, you know.”
The other common expression is: “Waste Not, Want Not.” This means that if you never waste anything, especially food or money, you will always have it when you need it the most.
Now Let’s hope learning about “waste” in this Words and Their Stories was not a “complete waste of your time.”
(MUSIC)
I’m Anna Matteo!
Listen again next week for another Words and Their Stories programme from VOA.
【小题1】This passage nay be from ________.| A．a story book | B．a grammar book |
| C．an English dictionary | D．a radio programmer |
| A．by telling stories | B．by giving examples |
| C．by using pictures | D．by describing facts |
| A．白费口舌 | B．水滴石穿 | C．欲速则不达 | D．万事开头难 |
| A．Don t waste energy. | B．Don’t waste my time. |
| C．Haste makes waste. | D．Waste Not, Want Not. |
| A．The speaker wishes her programme can help a lot. |
| B．The speaker suggests her programme is boring. |
| C．The speaker is worried about her programme. |
| D．The speaker thinks nobody believes her words. |
