Many people believe that money makes the world go around. Others believe that money buys happiness. I do not agree with either idea. But I do admit that money can make people do strange things. Let me tell you about a person I once knew who liked to play card games for money. He liked to gamble.
My friend Bob had a problem because he liked to gamble at all costs. He would play at any time and at any price. To take part in a card game such as poker, my friend would have to ante up. He would have to pay a small amount of money at the beginning of the game.
我朋友鲍勃有个毛病，他喜欢赌博乃至不惜代价（at all costs）。无论什么时间，什么价码他都会赌。参加纸牌赌博时，鲍勃需要先押注（ante up）。即在每局纸牌开始时押上点钱。
Bob always played with cold, hard cash -- onlycoins and dollar bills. Sometimes my friend would clean up. He would win a lot of money on one card game. He liked to tell me that one day he would break the bank. What a feeling it must be to win all of the money at a gambling table!
鲍勃通常使用现金（cold, hard cash）赌博。有时他会赢钱（clean up）。他喜欢告诉我，有一天他会赢得比庄家还要多的钱（break the bank），也就是说，他会赢得赌桌上所有钱。
Other times my friend would simply break even. He neither won nor lost money. But sometimes Bob would lose his shirt. He would lose all the money he had. He took a beating at the gambling table. When this happened, my friend would have to go in the hole. He would go into debt and owe people money.
有时候，鲍勃不赢不输（break even）。但有时候，他会输个精光（lose his shirt），他在赌桌上损失惨重（took a beating）。这时，他就会陷入财政困难（in the hole），背上债务。
Recently, Bob turned to crime after losing all his money. In his job, he kept the books for a small business. He supervised the records of money earned and spent by the company. Although my friend was usually honest, he decided to cook the books. He illegally changed the financial records of the company. This permitted him to make a fast buck. My friend made some quick, easy money dishonestly.
不久前，鲍勃在输光钱后走上了犯罪道路。他的工作是为一家小公司管账（ kept the books）。虽然鲍勃一向诚实，他仍决定做假账（cook the books），这能让他赚点快钱（fast buck）。
I never thought Bob would have sticky fingers. He did not seem like a thief who would steal money. But, some people will do anything for love of money.
Bob used the money he stole from his company to gamble again. This time, he cashed in. He made a lot of money. Quickly he was back on his feet. He had returned to good financial health. His company, however, ended up in the red. It lost more money than it earned. The company was no longer profitable.
鲍勃用他从公司偷来的钱又去赌。这一次，他赢钱了（cashed in）。他很快东山再起（back on his feet）。然而，他公司最终出现亏损（in the red）。
It did not take long before my friend's dishonesty was discovered. The company investigated and charged him with stealing. Bob tried to pass the buck. He tried to blame someone else for the deficit. His lie did not work, however. He ended up in jail. Today, I would bet my bottom dollar that my friend will never gamble again. I would bet all I have that he learned his lesson about gambling.
没多久，鲍勃的欺骗行为被发现。公司经过调查指控他盗窃。他试图推卸责任（pass the buck）。然而他的谎言不再生效，他最终进了监狱。今天，我愿意倾囊下注（bet my bottom dollar ）鲍勃不会再赌了。
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
Many people believe that money makes the world go around. Others believe that money buys happiness. I do not agree with either idea. But I do admit that money can make people do strange things. Let me tell you about a person I once knew who liked to play card games for money. He liked to gamble.
My friend Bob had a problem because he liked to gamble at all costs. He would play at any time and at any price. To take part in a card game such as poker, my friend would have to ante up. He would have to pay a small amount of money at the beginning of the game.
Bob always played with cold, hard cash -- onlycoins and dollar bills. Sometimes my friend would clean up. He would win a lot of money on one card game. He liked to tell me that one day he would break the bank. What a feeling it must be to win all of the money at a gambling table!
Other times my friend would simply break even. He neither won nor lost money. But sometimes Bob would lose his shirt. He would lose all the money he had. He took a beating at the gambling table. When this happened, my friend would have to go in the hole. He would go into debt and owe people money.
Recently, Bob turned to crime after losing all his money. In his job, he kept the books for a small business.He supervised the records of money earned and spent by the company. Although my friend was usually honest, he decided to cook the books. He illegally changed the financial records of the company. This permitted him to make a fast buck. My friend made some quick, easy money dishonestly.
I never thought Bob would have sticky fingers. He did not seem like a thief who would steal money. But, some people will do anything for love of money.
Bob used the money he stole from his company to gamble again. This time, he cashed in. He made a lot of money. Quickly he was back on his feet. He had returned to good financial health. His company, however, ended up in the red. It lost more money than it earned. The company was no longer profitable.
It did not take long before my friend's dishonesty was discovered. The company investigated and charged him with stealing. Bob tried to pass the buck. He tried to blame someone else for the deficit. His lie did not work, however. He ended up in jail. Today, I would bet my bottom dollar that my friend will never gamble again. I would bet all I have that he learned his lesson about gambling.
(MUSIC)
WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, in VOA Special English, was written by Jill Moss. I'm Faith Lapidus.
