A Leopard Doesn't Change Its Spots
2021-10-10
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2Today we talk about change.
3The world changes.
4Situations change.
5But what about people?
6Do we ever really change?
7To answer this, we turn to the animal world to describe changes in personality and behavior.
8A common expression states that as we get older it gets harder to change and harder to learn new behavior.
9That expression is: You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
10This expression does not mean that it is impossible for an older person to learn something new.
11Anyone can learn a new skill later in life -- from speaking a new language to playing an instrument.
12But sometimes as a person gets older, they get used to doing things in a certain way.
13It is more difficult for them to learn a new way of doing things.
14Some people, this expression claims, get very set in their ways.
15They do not like to change.
16They like to wake up at the same time, eat the same thing for lunch, and watch the same news program.
17People who fit this description take comfort in routines.
18Of course, this is not true for everyone.
19Many older people adapt and change very easily to new situations.
20But perhaps they were always like that, even when they were younger.
21They are just staying true to their nature.
22And that brings us to our next expression:
23A leopard doesn't change its spots
24This expression means that a person will stay true to their nature.
25They are who they are and cannot change -- even if that person claims otherwise.
26We often use this expression when talking about someone who says they have changed their ways.
27They no longer do something bad that they used to do.
28Here is a very short story using these expressions.
29Listen for other expressions that relate to a person not changing.
30Years ago, I lived in a beautiful apartment.
31But it was too big for me.
32So, to save some money, I invited a woman to move in.
33She was a friend of a friend of a friend.
34So, I did not know her.
35But I was told she would be a very good roommate.
36And at first, she was. Then her "true colors" came out.
37First, she was messy.
38She left her stuff everywhere.
39When I told her to pick up after herself, she just laughed and said.
40"I was messy as a little girl, and I'm still messy. You know what they say, 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks.'"
41Well, I didn't think that was very funny.
42Besides she was too young to be an "old dog" stuck in her ways.
43Then she starting doing other things - worse things.
44She would take my stuff and lie about it.
45She would eat all of my food and not buy any food herself.
46Finally, she started throwing loud, all-night parties and inviting all kinds of strange people to the apartment.
47That was the last straw!
48I had had enough.
49I told her she had to find a new place to live.
50Well, after only a week of looking she said she could not find one.
51This I found hard to believe.
52There were always "apartment for rent" signs around town.
53But we had a serious talk and she promised me that she would change her ways.
54She would turn over a new leaf.
55She would clean up her act, so to speak.
56So, I let her stay.
57That was a mistake.
58She soon fell back into her old ways.
59It turns out the old saying is true:
60A leopard doesn't change its spots.
61In the end, I found her another place to live.
62She is now living with that friend of a friend of a friend.
63Problem solved!
64And that's all the time we have for this Words and their Stories.
65Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2Today we talk about change. The world changes. Situations change. But what about people? Do we ever really change? 3To answer this, we turn to the animal world to describe changes in personality and behavior. 4A common expression states that as we get older it gets harder to change and harder to learn new behavior. That expression is: You can't teach an old dog new tricks. 5This expression does not mean that it is impossible for an older person to learn something new. Anyone can learn a new skill later in life -- from speaking a new language to playing an instrument. 6But sometimes as a person gets older, they get used to doing things in a certain way. It is more difficult for them to learn a new way of doing things. 7Some people, this expression claims, get very set in their ways. They do not like to change. They like to wake up at the same time, eat the same thing for lunch, and watch the same news program. People who fit this description take comfort in routines. 8Of course, this is not true for everyone. Many older people adapt and change very easily to new situations. But perhaps they were always like that, even when they were younger. They are just staying true to their nature. 9And that brings us to our next expression: A leopard doesn't change its spots 10This expression means that a person will stay true to their nature. They are who they are and cannot change -- even if that person claims otherwise. 11We often use this expression when talking about someone who says they have changed their ways. They no longer do something bad that they used to do. 12Here is a very short story using these expressions. Listen for other expressions that relate to a person not changing. 13Years ago, I lived in a beautiful apartment. But it was too big for me. So, to save some money, I invited a woman to move in. She was a friend of a friend of a friend. So, I did not know her. But I was told she would be a very good roommate. 14And at first, she was. Then her "true colors" came out. 15First, she was messy. She left her stuff everywhere. When I told her to pick up after herself, she just laughed and said. "I was messy as a little girl, and I'm still messy. You know what they say, 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks.'" 16Well, I didn't think that was very funny. Besides she was too young to be an "old dog" stuck in her ways. 17Then she starting doing other things - worse things. She would take my stuff and lie about it. She would eat all of my food and not buy any food herself. Finally, she started throwing loud, all-night parties and inviting all kinds of strange people to the apartment. 18That was the last straw! I had had enough. I told her she had to find a new place to live. 19Well, after only a week of looking she said she could not find one. This I found hard to believe. There were always "apartment for rent" signs around town. But we had a serious talk and she promised me that she would change her ways. She would turn over a new leaf. She would clean up her act, so to speak. 20So, I let her stay. That was a mistake. She soon fell back into her old ways. It turns out the old saying is true: A leopard doesn't change its spots. 21In the end, I found her another place to live. She is now living with that friend of a friend of a friend. Problem solved! 22And that's all the time we have for this Words and their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 23Anna Matteo wrote this lesson or VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor. 24________________________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26personality - n. he qualities (as moods or habits) that make one human being different from others 27comfort - n. a state or situation in which you are relaxed and do not have any physically unpleasant feelings caused by pain, heat, cold, etc. 28routine - n. a regular way of doing things in a particular order 29adapt - v. to change your behavior so that it is easier to live in a particular place or situation 30apartment - n. a usually rented room or set of rooms that is part of a building and is used as a place to live 31roommate - n. one of two or more persons sharing the same room or living quarters 32messy - adj. not clean or tidy 33last straw - expression the last of a series (as of events or insults) that brings one beyond the point of endurance 34turn over a new leaf - expression turn over a new leaf