Expressions for New Year's Resolution
2023-01-01
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2During a new year, many of us decide to try something new.
3With a new year's resolution, we resolve to do something we have not done in the past.
4Sometimes new things are risk-free - like eating healthier food or getting more exercise.
5Sometimes we decide to learn a new skill, like a language or a musical instrument.
6Again, these things are not risky, nor do they have bad consequences.
7If you do not learn how to play the guitar, nothing bad will happen - probably.
8However, sometimes we need to shake up our lives and do something different that does have consequences.
9That means there are risks if things do not work out.
10Such a change could involve moving to a new city, starting a new job, or ending a relationship.
11These new things do have a level of risk .
12Things could go wrong. On the other hand, things could go very right.
13So, for these situations, we introduce two expressions that encourage you to take a chance.
14The first expression is nothing ventured, nothing gained.
15This means that without doing something risky or difficult, a bad situation will not improve.
16You could also sum it up this way: If you try something risky, you could fail.
17But if you do not try at all ... you will surely fail.
18The word "venture" can be both a noun and a verb.
19As a verb, it means to proceed in a dangerous or risky plan.
20As a noun, it means an action that involves chance, risk, or danger.
21For example, starting a new restaurant is a risky business venture these days.
22And venturing into an unknown area could be dangerous.
23A friend of mine wanted to learn how to drive a stunt car and then move to Los Angeles to become a stunt car driver.
24A stunt car is a vehicle used in the movies to perform crashes and wild driving.
25There are not many women in this profession.
26So, I told her that her decision involved lots of risk.
27She said to me: "Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained."
28Our second expression is fortune favors the bold.
29"Fortune" usually means wealth or fame.
30But it can also mean being in a good situation.
31And, if you are bold, you are brave.
32So, this expression means that people who are brave and take chances help themselves.
33Their bold, brave actions put them in a good place.
34When using this expression, keep this in mind.
35The person who finds a fortune has done something to get it.
36It just doesn't happen to them by chance.
37So, if someone happens to win a lot of money in a lottery, you wouldn't use the expression fortune favors the bold.
38However, let's say you quit your job and moved to a new city.
39That is a bold decision.
40But you are sure that it will be good for you.
41In the new city, you find your dream job.
42It might even pay more money than your old job.
43Here, you could definitely say, "Fortune favors the bold!"
44And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
45For the start of 2023, I wish you and yours health and wealth.
46Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2During a new year, many of us decide to try something new. With a new year's resolution, we resolve to do something we have not done in the past. 3Sometimes new things are risk-free - like eating healthier food or getting more exercise. 4Sometimes we decide to learn a new skill, like a language or a musical instrument. Again, these things are not risky, nor do they have bad consequences. If you do not learn how to play the guitar, nothing bad will happen - probably. 5However, sometimes we need to shake up our lives and do something different that does have consequences. That means there are risks if things do not work out. 6Such a change could involve moving to a new city, starting a new job, or ending a relationship. These new things do have a level of risk . Things could go wrong. On the other hand, things could go very right. 7So, for these situations, we introduce two expressions that encourage you to take a chance. 8Nothing ventured, nothing gained. 9The first expression is nothing ventured, nothing gained. 10This means that without doing something risky or difficult, a bad situation will not improve. You could also sum it up this way: If you try something risky, you could fail. But if you do not try at all ... you will surely fail. 11The word "venture" can be both a noun and a verb. As a verb, it means to proceed in a dangerous or risky plan. As a noun, it means an action that involves chance, risk, or danger. 12For example, starting a new restaurant is a risky business venture these days. And venturing into an unknown area could be dangerous. 13A friend of mine wanted to learn how to drive a stunt car and then move to Los Angeles to become a stunt car driver. A stunt car is a vehicle used in the movies to perform crashes and wild driving. There are not many women in this profession. So, I told her that her decision involved lots of risk. She said to me: "Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained." 14Fortune favors the bold. 15Our second expression is fortune favors the bold. 16"Fortune" usually means wealth or fame. But it can also mean being in a good situation. And, if you are bold, you are brave. 17So, this expression means that people who are brave and take chances help themselves. Their bold, brave actions put them in a good place. 18When using this expression, keep this in mind. The person who finds a fortune has done something to get it. It just doesn't happen to them by chance. So, if someone happens to win a lot of money in a lottery, you wouldn't use the expression fortune favors the bold. 19However, let's say you quit your job and moved to a new city. That is a bold decision. But you are sure that it will be good for you. In the new city, you find your dream job. It might even pay more money than your old job. Here, you could definitely say, "Fortune favors the bold!" 20And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. For the start of 2023, I wish you and yours health and wealth. 21Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 22Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. 23___________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25resolution -n. a promise to yourself to do something you believe you should do 26consequence -n. the result of an action usually that is meaningful or serious 27encourage -v. to make someone likely to take some action 28shake up -v. (phrasal) to make a lot of changes or to make a big change 29venture -v. to do something that involves risk and reward 30fortune -n. wealth, fame or good conditions (often because of influences beyond direct control of an individual) 31favor -v. to approve of or to support 32bold -adj. not afraid of danger of difficult situations 33_______________________________________________________________ 34We want to hear from you. Do you have a similar expressions in your language? In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the expressions from the story. 35We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 36Write your comment in the box. 37Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter, and Google. 38Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with "D" on it. It is free. 39Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.