I'm Susan Clark with the Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
我是苏珊·克拉克，以下是本期美国之音慢速英语词汇掌故节目。

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.
汤姆·史密斯（Tom Smith）是他们公司棒球队最好的击球手。在赛季期间的好几个星期，汤姆在球队的每场比赛中都打出本垒打。但突然他打不出本垒打了，他完全击不中球。

One day he struck out three times in one game. He said, "I am afraid I am losing it."
有一天，他在一场比赛中三次三振出局。他说，“恐怕我没能力继续打球了。”

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.
玛丽·琼斯（Mary Jones）在一家女装店买了一件衣服。到家前她都沉浸在买衣服的快乐中。然后她想起结账时把信用卡落在那家店了。这是这个月中，玛丽第三次遗忘非常重要的东西了。

Mary was angry with herself. She said, "Am I losing it?"
玛丽非常气恼。她说，“难道我真没用了吗？”

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."
艾玛·克利夫兰（Emma Cleveland）在一所大学教数学。她开始向学生们解释如何解决一个难题，她理解得非常透彻，但那一刻不知何故她解释不出来。艾玛说，“我一定是无法解出来这题了。”

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.
美国人似乎对losing it很是担忧。至少你听到他们这么说时会这么想。他们在感到失去对局面的控制时会用到这个表述。它可以意味着失去情绪控制，或者失去做某事的能力，或失去精神动力。

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.
词汇专家对这种表述的出处持不同意见。一些人认为它出自20世纪80年代的热门电视节目。另一些人则认为它出自心理学家和精神病医生，这两种职业的人经常与人们如何思考、感觉和行为打交道。

One psychologist said, "We Americans have many concerns about controlling our lives. Perhaps we worry too much."
一位心理学家说，“我们美国人对把握人生有诸多担忧。可能我们有点杞人忧天了。”

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."
她接着说，“在很多情况下，说自己无能为力可以缓解紧张情绪，这是相当有益的。而且大多数说自己遇到困难的人并非无力解决。”

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.
人们在情绪低落时可能更加觉得自己无能为力。down in the dumps的意思是伤感，情绪低落。

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."
词汇专家查尔斯·芬克（Charles Funk）说，人们使用down in the dumps这种表述已经有400多年历史。1534年，托马斯先生使用了这种表述，他当时写到，“贫困家庭的情绪已经跌入谷底。”

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.
词汇专家对dumps的意思有不同见解。其中一位词汇专家约翰·艾托（John Ayto）表示，dumps这个词可能来自斯堪的纳维亚国家。丹麦和挪威语中都有类似的单词，意思是急速跌落。

Americans borrowed this saying. And, over the years, it has become a popular way of expressing sadness.
美国人借用了这种说法。长年累月下来，它已经变成表达感伤的一种常用方式。