Is It Good to Be an 'Eager Beaver?'
2020-01-19
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1Now, it's time for Words and Their Stories, a program from VOA Learning English.
2Each week, we explore words and expressions in American English.
3Today's expression comes from the world of animals!
4The expression is "eager beaver."
5By definition, an eager beaver is a person who seems full of energy and a good attitude.
6These people are willing to do what others expect and often do things as quickly as they can.
7 And they are enthusiastic!
8A great word that means the same thing (a synonym) is go-getter.
9A person who is a real go-getter gets the job done!
10For an example of how to use the term eager beaver, try to imagine a mathematics class.
11The teacher tells students that they must solve 100 math problems before coming to school the next day.
12Most of the students are unhappy about having so much homework!
13But not all.
14A few students do not mind the work at all.
15They are eager beavers.
16They love to do math problems and cannot wait to get started.
17In fact, they do more than 100 math problems!
18Eager beavers often go above and beyond.
19Eager beavers can work in any industry.
20From law to I.T. from medicine to fashion - these people arrive before anyone else, and are usually the last ones to leave.
21These men and women work hard because they enjoy their jobs.
22Speaking of the word "industry," makes me think of another synonym: industrious.
23Eager beavers are nothing if not industrious.
24This expression, of course, comes from the name of the hardworking animal the beaver!
25Beavers are not just hard-working.
26They are strange-looking creatures.
27They are rodents, like mice and rats.
28But beavers are much larger.
29Beavers have a large flat tail to help them swim.
30They also have thick brown fur, or hair, to keep them warm in cold water.
31And they have front teeth sharp enough to cut down large trees.
32Beavers spend a lot of time in the water, building dams to create small lakes or ponds.
33They work hard to cut down trees, remove branches, and put them together with mud to make dams.
34That is why we call the beaver nature's architect.
35Few other animals work so hard.
36Historians say the beaver had an important part to play in the European settlement of North America.
37There were many millions of beavers when European settlers first arrived.
38The settlers put great value on the fur of the beaver.
39In fact, beaver was the most valuable fur in North America.
40Beaver skins often were used as money.
41People looking for adventure traveled west across the country to search for beaver.
42In their search, they explored much of the western territories.
43Trading posts are the places where trappers exchanged beaver skins for the goods they needed.
44Some trading posts became villages and later towns and cities.
45Many of the beaver trappers became guides in these territories as more people moved into them.
46They led groups of settlers to new homes in the West.
47So many beavers were trapped and killed that there was a time when beavers were in danger of disappearing completely.
48But laws were passed to protect the beaver.
49And, like the animal, the expression "eager beaver" is alive and well in the United States!
50And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1Now, it's time for Words and Their Stories, a program from VOA Learning English. 2Each week, we explore words and expressions in American English. Today's expression comes from the world of animals! 3The expression is "eager beaver." 4By definition, an eager beaver is a person who seems full of energy and a good attitude. These people are willing to do what others expect and often do things as quickly as they can. And they are enthusiastic! 5A great word that means the same thing (a synonym) is go-getter. A person who is a real go-getter gets the job done! 6For an example of how to use the term eager beaver, try to imagine a mathematics class. The teacher tells students that they must solve 100 math problems before coming to school the next day. Most of the students are unhappy about having so much homework! 7But not all. 8A few students do not mind the work at all. They are eager beavers. They love to do math problems and cannot wait to get started. In fact, they do more than 100 math problems! Eager beavers often go above and beyond. 9Eager beavers can work in any industry. From law to I.T. from medicine to fashion - these people arrive before anyone else, and are usually the last ones to leave. These men and women work hard because they enjoy their jobs. 10Speaking of the word "industry," makes me think of another synonym: industrious. Eager beavers are nothing if not industrious. 11This expression, of course, comes from the name of the hardworking animal the beaver! 12Beavers are not just hard-working. They are strange-looking creatures. They are rodents, like mice and rats. But beavers are much larger. Beavers have a large flat tail to help them swim. They also have thick brown fur, or hair, to keep them warm in cold water. And they have front teeth sharp enough to cut down large trees. 13Beavers spend a lot of time in the water, building dams to create small lakes or ponds. They work hard to cut down trees, remove branches, and put them together with mud to make dams. That is why we call the beaver nature's architect. Few other animals work so hard. 14Historians say the beaver had an important part to play in the European settlement of North America. 15There were many millions of beavers when European settlers first arrived. The settlers put great value on the fur of the beaver. In fact, beaver was the most valuable fur in North America. Beaver skins often were used as money. 16People looking for adventure traveled west across the country to search for beaver. In their search, they explored much of the western territories. 17Trading posts are the places where trappers exchanged beaver skins for the goods they needed. Some trading posts became villages and later towns and cities. Many of the beaver trappers became guides in these territories as more people moved into them. They led groups of settlers to new homes in the West. 18So many beavers were trapped and killed that there was a time when beavers were in danger of disappearing completely. But laws were passed to protect the beaver. 19And, like the animal, the expression "eager beaver" is alive and well in the United States! 20And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 21David Jarmul wrote this story for VOA Learning English back in 1993. Anna Matteo wrote additional parts for this rebroadcast. 22________________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24attitude - n. the way you think and feel about someone or something 25enthusiastic - adj. feeling or showing strong excitement about something 26go-getter - n. a person who works very hard and who wants very much to succeed 27above and beyond expression : to do more than is expected 28industry - n. a group of businesses that provide a particular product or service 29branch - n. a part of a tree that grows out from the trunk 30architect - n. a person who designs buildings and advises in their construction 31adventure - n. an exciting or dangerous experience