'The Road to Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions'
2022-08-21
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2Roads are paved with different kinds of materials, such as concrete or asphalt.
3Older roads were paved with cobblestones.
4Some streets in Washington, DC still have the cobblestones from over a hundred years ago.
5They were meant for horses and carriages.
6So, they can be difficult to walk on.
7Today we talk about roads paved with a very different material - intentions.
8Intentions are things we mean to do or things we want to do.
9They are not things we have done.
10So, sometimes we say: The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
11This is a proverb -- a short, well-known saying containing a wise thought.
12The wise thought with this proverb is promises and plans must be put into action, or else they are useless.
13Some people talk a lot about doing things, but they don't actually do them.
14This proverb means that we intend to do something good but, in the end, we do not do it.
15And the road to hell (a bad place) is paved with all those promises that we did not keep.
16Now, let's hear it used in an example.
17There is a community event to raise money for a new playground.
18Many people promised their time and skills to raise the money, including a woman named Tara.
19But Tara did not show up at the event.
20Let's listen...
21A: Hey, have you seen Tara?
22B: No, I haven't, and I've been here all day. What was she supposed to do for the event?
23A: She promised to bring her famous bread for the event.
24She said she could raise around $500 for the new playground. Well, that was her intention anyway.
25B: You know what they say: The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
26Tara always promises and then doesn't deliver.
27A: I wish I had known that before organizing this event.
28Sometimes, we would say that talk is cheap, or actions speak louder than words.
29These are both common expressions to use when someone promises to do something but fails to come through or when they simply talk about doing something.
30We also use the road to hell is paved with good intentions to describe another situation.
31It is not enough to intend to behave well or treat others well.
32For it to count, you must actually do it.
33And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
34Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2Roads are paved with different kinds of materials, such as concrete or asphalt. Older roads were paved with cobblestones. Some streets in Washington, DC still have the cobblestones from over a hundred years ago. They were meant for horses and carriages. So, they can be difficult to walk on. 3Today we talk about roads paved with a very different material - intentions. Intentions are things we mean to do or things we want to do. They are not things we have done. 4So, sometimes we say: The road to hell is paved with good intentions. 5This is a proverb -- a short, well-known saying containing a wise thought. The wise thought with this proverb is promises and plans must be put into action, or else they are useless. 6Some people talk a lot about doing things, but they don't actually do them. 7This proverb means that we intend to do something good but, in the end, we do not do it. And the road to hell (a bad place) is paved with all those promises that we did not keep. 8Now, let's hear it used in an example. 9There is a community event to raise money for a new playground. Many people promised their time and skills to raise the money, including a woman named Tara. But Tara did not show up at the event. 10Let's listen... 11A: Hey, have you seen Tara? 12B: No, I haven't, and I've been here all day. What was she supposed to do for the event? 13A: She promised to bring her famous bread for the event. She said she could raise around $500 for the new playground. Well, that was her intention anyway. 14B: You know what they say: The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Tara always promises and then doesn't deliver. 15A: I wish I had known that before organizing this event. 16Sometimes, we would say that talk is cheap, or actions speak louder than words. These are both common expressions to use when someone promises to do something but fails to come through or when they simply talk about doing something. 17We also use the road to hell is paved with good intentions to describe another situation. It is not enough to intend to behave well or treat others well. For it to count, you must actually do it. 18And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. 19Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 20Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 21________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23pave - v. to make a hard surface on (as with concrete or asphalt) 24carriage - n. a vehicle with wheels used for carrying people 25playground - n. a piece of land used for and usually equipped with facilities for recreation especially by children