'Holding Down the Fort' Is a Big Job

2023-03-26

00:00 / 00:00
复读宝 RABC v8.0beta 复读机按钮使用说明
播放/暂停
停止
播放时:倒退3秒/复读时:回退AB段
播放时:快进3秒/复读时:前进AB段
拖动:改变速度/点击:恢复正常速度1.0
拖动改变复读暂停时间
点击:复读最近5秒/拖动:改变复读次数
设置A点
设置B点
取消复读并清除AB点
播放一行
停止播放
后退一行
前进一行
复读一行
复读多行
变速复读一行
变速复读多行
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1
  • And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
  • 2
  • A fort is a place of protection.
  • 3
  • It is a fortified structure with strong walls and doors, complex locks, barriers, and other security features.
  • 4
  • It is used as a defense.
  • 5
  • It is a place often protected by soldiers and occupied by officials.
  • 6
  • Someone always is in charge or responsible for a fort.
  • 7
  • And that is where our expression comes in.
  • 8
  • If someone asked you to hold down the fort, you are responsible for a place while those who supervise it are away.
  • 9
  • In other words, you are in charge! You are the chief!
  • 10
  • For example, once a friend and I were at my house preparing for a party.
  • 11
  • But then I got an emergency call from my brother who needed a ride.
  • 12
  • So, my friend held down the fort at home and welcomed party guests while I helped my brother.
  • 13
  • Sometimes we just say hold the fort.
  • 14
  • This also means staying behind to take care of things.
  • 15
  • Again, whoever is holding the fort is in charge.
  • 16
  • They are responsible for what happens.
  • 17
  • And they may be responsible for the safety of others.
  • 18
  • For example:
  • 19
  • Marion is the most responsible of the group.
  • 20
  • So we left her at the house to hold the fort.
  • 21
  • There is another way we use the word "fort" in an expression.
  • 22
  • In the American state of Kentucky, there is a famous fort - Fort Knox.
  • 23
  • Fort Knox is a protected place in the United States.
  • 24
  • Why is it protected? Fort Knox is a place where lots of gold is kept.
  • 25
  • Needless to say, it is heavily guarded.
  • 26
  • So, when we want to describe a place that is hard to get into, we can compare it to Fort Knox.
  • 27
  • A place that is like Fort Knox is inaccessible usually because it is locked or heavily guarded.
  • 28
  • We can also say a place is as safe or as secure as Fort Knox.
  • 29
  • Now, let's hear these two expressions used by two friends.
  • 30
  • A: Hi, Sam! What brings you to my place?
  • 31
  • B: Well, Maxine is holding down the fort at home. So, I thought I'd stop by to see if you want to hang out.
  • 32
  • A: Sure! How about a walk around the neighborhood? I feel like I've been sitting all day.
  • 33
  • B: Sound good. Let's walk past that construction project down the street.
  • 34
  • A: They've been working on that house for months. I'm curious about the renovations.
  • 35
  • B: Maybe we can sneak into the place and look in the windows.
  • 36
  • A: That's a really bad idea. The property is locked up tighter than Fort Knox and probably has many security cameras.
  • 37
  • If you sneak in ... you're on your own.
  • 38
  • And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ...
  • 39
  • I'm Anna Matteo.
  • 1
  • And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
  • 2
  • A fort is a place of protection. It is a fortified structure with strong walls and doors, complex locks, barriers, and other security features. It is used as a defense. It is a place often protected by soldiers and occupied by officials. Someone always is in charge or responsible for a fort.
  • 3
  • And that is where our expression comes in.
  • 4
  • If someone asked you to hold down the fort, you are responsible for a place while those who supervise it are away. In other words, you are in charge! You are the chief!
  • 5
  • For example, once a friend and I were at my house preparing for a party. But then I got an emergency call from my brother who needed a ride. So, my friend held down the fort at home and welcomed party guests while I helped my brother.
  • 6
  • Sometimes we just say hold the fort. This also means staying behind to take care of things. Again, whoever is holding the fort is in charge. They are responsible for what happens. And they may be responsible for the safety of others.
  • 7
  • For example:
  • 8
  • Marion is the most responsible of the group. So we left her at the house to hold the fort.
  • 9
  • There is another way we use the word "fort" in an expression.
  • 10
  • In the American state of Kentucky, there is a famous fort - Fort Knox. Fort Knox is a protected place in the United States. Why is it protected? Fort Knox is a place where lots of gold is kept.
  • 11
  • Needless to say, it is heavily guarded. So, when we want to describe a place that is hard to get into, we can compare it to Fort Knox. A place that is like Fort Knox is inaccessible usually because it is locked or heavily guarded. We can also say a place is as safe or as secure as Fort Knox.
  • 12
  • Now, let's hear these two expressions used by two friends.
  • 13
  • A: Hi, Sam! What brings you to my place?
  • 14
  • B: Well, Maxine is holding down the fort at home. So, I thought I'd stop by to see if you want to hang out.
  • 15
  • A: Sure! How about a walk around the neighborhood? I feel like I've been sitting all day.
  • 16
  • B: Sound good. Let's walk past that construction project down the street.
  • 17
  • A: They've been working on that house for months. I'm curious about the renovations.
  • 18
  • B: Maybe we can sneak into the place and look in the windows.
  • 19
  • A: That's a really bad idea. The property is locked up tighter than Fort Knox and probably has many security cameras. If you sneak in ... you're on your own.
  • 20
  • And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ...
  • 21
  • I'm Anna Matteo.
  • 22
  • Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.
  • 23
  • ____________________________________________________________________
  • 24
  • Words in This Story
  • 25
  • fortified - adj. made stronger or more secure
  • 26
  • barrier - n. something material that blocks or is intended to block passage
  • 27
  • inaccessible - adj. not accessible
  • 28
  • construction - n. something built or put together
  • 29
  • renovate - v. to make like new again : put in good condition: renovation - n. the act of making new again
  • 30
  • sneak - v. to go about in a sly or secret manner
  • 31
  • ____________________________________________________________________
  • 32
  • We want to hear from you. Do you have a similar expression in your language? In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the expressions from the story.
  • 33
  • We have a new comment system. Here is how it works:
  • 34
  • Each 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.