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I'm Susan Clark with the Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
我是蘇珊?克拉克，以下是本期美國之音慢速英語詞匯掌故節(jié)目。
Tom Smith is the best hitter on his company's baseball team. For weeks during the playing season, Tom hit a home run in every game the team played. But then suddenly he stopped hitting home runs. He could not hit the baseball at all.
湯姆?史密斯（Tom Smith）是他們公司棒球隊(duì)最好的擊球手。在賽季期間的好幾個(gè)星期，湯姆在球隊(duì)的每場比賽中都打出本壘打。但突然他打不出本壘打了，他完全擊不中球。

One day he struck out three times in one game. He said, "I am afraid I am losing it."
有一天，他在一場比賽中三次三振出局。他說，“恐怕我沒能力繼續(xù)打球了。”

Mary Jones bought a dress in a woman's clothing store. She felt very happy about buying the dress until she got home. Then she remembered she had left her credit card at the store when she used it to pay for the dress. It was the third time that month that Mary had forgotten something important.
瑪麗?瓊斯（Mary Jones）在一家女裝店買了一件衣服。到家前她都沉浸在買衣服的快樂中。然后她想起結(jié)賬時(shí)把信用卡落在那家店了。這是這個(gè)月中，瑪麗第三次遺忘非常重要的東西了。

Mary was angry with herself. She said, "Am I losing it?"
瑪麗非常氣惱。她說，“難道我真沒用了嗎？”

Emma Cleveland was teaching a class in mathematics at a college. She began to explain to the students how to solve a very difficult problem. She understood it very well. But somehow, at that moment, she could not explain it. Emma said, "I must be losing it."
艾瑪?克利夫蘭（Emma Cleveland）在一所大學(xué)教數(shù)學(xué)。她開始向?qū)W生們解釋如何解決一個(gè)難題，她理解得非常透徹，但那一刻不知何故她解釋不出來。艾瑪說，“我一定是無法解出來這題了。”

Americans seem to have a lot of concern about losing it. At least that is what you would think from hearing them talk. They use the expression when they feel they are losing control. It can mean losing emotional control. Or losing the ability to do something. Or losing mental powers.
美國人似乎對losing it很是擔(dān)憂。至少你聽到他們這么說時(shí)會(huì)這么想。他們在感到失去對局面的控制時(shí)會(huì)用到這個(gè)表述。它可以意味著失去情緒控制，或者失去做某事的能力，或失去精神動(dòng)力。

Word experts differ about how the expression started. Some believe it came from television programs popular in the nineteen eighties. Others believe it began with psychologists and psychiatrists who deal with how people think, feel and act.
詞匯專家對這種表述的出處持不同意見。一些人認(rèn)為它出自20世紀(jì)80年代的熱門電視節(jié)目。另一些人則認(rèn)為它出自心理學(xué)家和精神病醫(yī)生，這兩種職業(yè)的人經(jīng)常與人們?nèi)绾嗡伎肌⒏杏X和行為打交道。

One psychologist said, "We Americans have many concerns about controlling our lives. Perhaps we worry too much."
一位心理學(xué)家說，“我們美國人對把握人生有諸多擔(dān)憂。可能我們有點(diǎn)杞人憂天了。”

She continued, "In many situations, to say you are losing it eases the tension. It is healthy. And most people who say they are having a problem are not losing it."
她接著說，“在很多情況下，說自己無能為力可以緩解緊張情緒，這是相當(dāng)有益的。而且大多數(shù)說自己遇到困難的人并非無力解決。”

People may feel more like they are losing it when they are "down in the dumps." People who are down in the dumps are sad. They are depressed.
人們在情緒低落時(shí)可能更加覺得自己無能為力。down in the dumps的意思是傷感，情緒低落。

Word expert Charles Funk says people have been feeling down in the dumps for more than four-hundred years. Sir Thomas More used the expression in fifteen thirty-four. He wrote, "Our poor family ... has fallen in such dumps."
詞匯專家查爾斯?芬克（Charles Funk）說，人們使用down in the dumps這種表述已經(jīng)有400多年歷史。1534年，托馬斯先生使用了這種表述，他當(dāng)時(shí)寫到，“貧困家庭的情緒已經(jīng)跌入谷底。”

Word experts do not agree what the word dumps means. One expert, John Ayto, says the word dumps probably comes from the Scandinavian countries. The languages of Denmark and Norway both have similar words. The words mean to fall suddenly.
詞匯專家對dumps的意思有不同見解。其中一位詞匯專家約翰?艾托（John Ayto）表示，dumps這個(gè)詞可能來自斯堪的納維亞國家。丹麥和挪威語中都有類似的單詞，意思是急速跌落。

Americans borrowed this saying. And, over the years, it has become a popular way of expressing sadness.
美國人借用了這種說法。長年累月下來，它已經(jīng)變成表達(dá)感傷的一種常用方式。

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