Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
Today's program is all about eyes. When it comes to relationships, people's eyes can be a window into their hearts. This means that their eyes can tell a lot about how they feel. We will tell a story about a man and woman who are teachers at the same school. The woman is interested in the man. She uses many methods to catch his eye, or get him to notice her. Once he sets eyes on her, or sees her, she might try to get him interested in her by acting playful. In other words, she might try to make eyes at him or give him the eye.
Let us suppose that this man gets hit between the eyes. In other words, the woman has a strong affect on him. He wants to spend time with her to get to know her better. He asks her out on a date.
She is so happy that she may walk around for days with stars in her eyes. She is extremely happy because this man is the apple of her eye, a very special person. She might tell him that he is the only person she wants, or "I only have eyes for you."
On their date, the couple might eat a meal together at a restaurant. If the man is really hungry, his eyes might be bigger than his stomach. He might order more food than he can eat. When his food arrives at the table, his eyes might pop out. He might be very surprised by the amount of food provided. He might not even believe his own eyes. If fact, all eyes would be watching him if he ate all the food. This might even cause raised eyebrows. People might look at the man with disapproval.
During their dinner, the couple might discuss many things. They might discover that they see eye to eye, or agree on many issues. They share the same beliefs and opinions. For example, they might agree that every crime or injury should be punished. That is, they firmly believe in the idea of an eye for an eye. They might also agree that it is wrong to pull the wool over a person's eyes. This means to try to trick a person by making him believe something that is false. But the man and woman do not believe in the evil eye, that a person can harm you by looking at you.
The next day, at their school, the woman asks the man to keep an eye on, or watch the young students in her class while she is out of the classroom. This might be hard to do when the teacher is writing on a board at the front of the classroom. To do so, a teacher would need to have eyes in the back of his head. In other words, he would know what the children are doing even when he is not watching them.
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WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, in VOA Special English, was written by Jill Moss. I'm Faith Lapidus.
catch one's eye: 吸引某人的注意
set eyes on: 注視;注意到
make eyes at/give sb. the eye: 拋媚眼;送秋波
get hit between the eyes: 被吸引
stars in one's eyes: 眼里充滿喜悅
apple of one's eye: 掌上明珠;珍愛之物
I only have eyes for you: 我的眼里只有你
eyes might be bigger than one's stomach: 眼大肚子小
eyes might pop out: 很驚奇,眼睛都快瞪出來了
all eyes: 所有的目光
raised eyebrows: (因不相信而)揚(yáng)起的眉毛
see eye to eye: 看法一致
an eye for an eye: 以眼還眼;以牙還牙
pull the wool over a person's eyes: 蒙蔽某人
evil eye: the magic power to harm somebody by looking at them 惡毒的眼光,惡目(傳說能傷人)
keep an eye on: 照看;留神;留意
eyes in the back of one's head: 眼觀六路
Words and their stories: expressions involving the nose and the ears
(來源:VOA 編輯:崔旭燕)