And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. The last Friday in April is National Arbor Day in the United States.

现在是美国之音慢速英语词汇掌故节目。4月的最后一个星期五是美国的植树节。

Arbor Day celebrates the role of trees in the world around us. Each year, organizers call on Americans to plant trees and care for them.

植树节是为了庆祝树木在我们周围的世界中的作用。每年，组织者都号召美国人种树并照顾它们。

In 1872, a Nebraska man named J. Sterling Morton proposed the first Arbor Day. It became a legal holiday in the state 13 years later.

1872年，内布拉斯加州一位名叫J·斯特林·莫顿的人提议设立第一个植树节。13年后，它成为该州的法定假日。

Today many states observe Arbor Day on different dates throughout the year based on best planting times in their area. In North Dakota and Vermont, for example, Arbor Day is celebrated on the first Friday in May.

今天，许多州根据他们地区的最佳种植时间，在全年不同的日子庆祝植树节。例如，在北达科他州和佛蒙特州，植树节是在五月的第一个星期五庆祝的。

A non-profit group called the Arbor Day Foundation operates the ArborDay. org website. It notes that &34;tree planting festivals are as old as civilization.

一个名为&34;植树节基金会&34;的非营利组织运营着 ArborDay。or网站。它指出，&34;植树节和人类文明一样古老。

The tree has appeared throughout history and literature as the symbol of life&34;. Trees do a lot for the environment.

树，作为生命的象征，一直出现在历史和文学作品中。&34;树木对环境有很大的影响。

They clean the air around us. Some trees, such as apple and pear, give us fruit.

它们清洁我们周围的空气。有些树，如苹果和梨，为我们提供果实。

Trees also provide shade for us and other creatures. Some animals build their homes inside trees or on strong tree branches.

树木也为我们和其他生物提供阴凉。有些动物把它们的家建在树里面或强壮的树枝上。

People and animals can use the wood from trees for building materials. You might find this strange, but trees can be fun to watch.

人和动物可以用树木的木材做建筑材料。你可能会觉得这很奇怪，但是观察树会很有趣。

You can just sit back and watch birds high up in the trees. If you live in an area with squirrels, watching them run up and around trees,

你可以坐下来，看鸟儿高高站在树上。如果你住在一个有松鼠的地方，看着它们在树上跑来跑去，

jumping from one to the next can be a lot of fun. And that brings us to our expression for today: to bark up the wrong tree.

从一棵树跳到另一棵树会很有趣。这就引出了我们今天要学的表达：to bark up the wrong tree。

In fact, this expression is more like an idiom. Now, you might think that &34;bark&34; in &34;to bark up the wrong tree&34; means the strong, outer covering of a tree.

事实上，这个表达更像是一个习语。现在，你可能认为&34;bark up the wrong tree&34;中的&34;bark&34;指的是一棵大树坚硬的树皮。

But that is not the right &34;bark&34;. In our expression today, &34;bark&34; means the sound a dog makes.

但这不是&34;bark&34;在此处正确的意思。在我们今天的表达中，&34;树皮&34;意味着狗发出的声音。

Dogs bark a lot. They bark when they want to go outside for a walk.

狗经常叫。它们想出去散步时就叫。

They bark with they see other dogs. They bark when they chase other animals, such as cats and squirrels.

它们看到别的狗就叫。当追逐其它动物，如猫和松鼠时，它们会叫。

Now, imagine that a dog chases a squirrel up a tree. That is a lot of work – for the dog, that is.

现在，想象一只狗为了追赶一只松鼠，去爬树。对狗来说，这是一项艰巨的任务。

Dogs cannot climb trees. Squirrels, on the other hand, are expert climbers -- of trees and just about anything else.

狗不会爬树。另一方面，松鼠是攀爬树木和其它任何东西的能手。

A squirrel may go up one tree but then jump to another. The dog simply can&39;t follow the squirrel.

松鼠可能会爬上一棵树，然后跳到另一棵树上。狗根本跟不上松鼠。

So, it stays on the ground barking and barking up the wrong tree. And that is where we get our idiom.

所以，它呆在地上不停地对着错误的树吠叫。这就是我们习语的来源。

When a dog barks up a wrong tree, they are barking up a tree that no longer has their prey – the squirrel. For people, barking up the wrong tree means following a mistaken plan of action.

当狗在朝着一棵错误的树吠叫时，它们是在对着一棵不再有猎物（松树）的树吠叫。对人来说，对错误的树叫就意味着采取了错误的行动计划。

If I bark up the wrong tree, I am doing something that will not get the result I want. I am wrong about the reason for something or possibly the way to get something.

如果我采取了错误的行动计划，我做的事情就不会得到我想要的结果。我搞错了事情的原因，也可能是w为了得到某些东西用错了方法。

For example, at a party I notice that my co-worker Jonas is interested in a good friend of mine named Ursula. But Ursula is happily married, which is bad news for Jonas.

例如，在一个聚会上，我注意到我的同事乔纳斯对我的一个好朋友乌苏拉感兴趣。但乌苏拉婚姻很幸福， 这对乔纳斯来说是个坏消息。

So, I say to him, &34;Jonas, I know you want to ask Ursula out on a date. But you are barking up the wrong tree!

所以，我对他说，&34;乔纳斯，我知道你想约乌苏拉出去约会。可是你找错对象了！

She is very happily married&34;. Now, let me tell you about another person who used the wrong way to get something.

她是一个有夫之妇，生活非常幸福。&34;现在，让我告诉你另一个人为了得到一些东西，用了错误的方式。

A friend of mine, Sharon, needed money for her new business idea. So, she went to an event to meet possible investors.

我的一个朋友莎伦需要钱来实现她的新经营理念。因此，她参加了一个活动，会见可能的投资者。

However, the only people she met were other people looking for money. She spent the whole time barking up the wrong tree!

然而，她遇到的人都是跟她一样想要寻找投资的人。她把整个时间都花在错误的对象身上了！

Now, keep this in mind when using this expression. While Americans do say &34;bark up the wrong tree,&34; we would not say &34;bark up the right tree&34;.

现在，在使用这个表达时要记住这一点。虽然美国人说&34;bark up the wrong tree&34;，但我们不会说&34;bark up the right tree&34;。

So, if you came to the VOA Learning English website to learn English, I would not say you are barking up the right tree. I would just say, &34;Welcome! You&39;ve come to the right place&34;!

所以，如果你到美国之音英语学习网站来学习英语，我不会说&34;you are barking up the right tree&34;。我只想说，&34;欢迎！你来对了地方！&34;

Join us again next week when we explore words and expressions in American English. Until next time … I&39;m Anna Matteo.

下周我们继续学习美式英语中的单词和短语。下期节目再见…我是安娜·马特奥。