特别广播英语第 92 课：It Never Rains but It Pours!
不雨则已，一雨倾盆-1

An hour before midnight is worth two after or so my mother used to tell me as I sat down to breakfast after a particularly late night. 每当在头一天晚上我睡得特别晚，第二天早晨坐下来去吃早餐时，我母亲过去总是会对我说"一半夜睡一个小时胜过下半夜睡两小时"之类的话。

But is it really true that sleep before 12 p.m. is twice as good for you as sleep after that hour? 但是半夜12点以前的睡眠质量真的会比半夜12点以后的睡眠要好一倍吗？

At the time, like most young people, I regarded this proverb as an old wive's tale with no relevance to my own life. 当时，我像绝大多数年青人一样，认为这一句谚语是跟我自己的生活毫无关系的，这是一句不知老太婆们瞎编的愚蠢的话。

I mean, an hour is an hour … it's 60 minutes, a.m. or p.m. However, now older and wiser, I remember my mother's words as I scramble into bed at 11 o'clock. 我认为，一小时就是一小时，不管是上半夜还是下半夜，反正都是60分钟。可是现在，因为我年龄大了，也比以前更懂事了，每当我在晚上11点钟爬进被子里时，我就想起了我妈所说的话。

I am now a firm believer in the value of getting at least one hour's sleep before midnight! 现在我坚信在半夜零点以前取低限度要提前一个小时入睡，这的确大有好处。

Advice about how to live a healthy life is one example of the type of received wisdom which is condensed and passed on to the next generation in the form of proverbs. 关于如何才能活得健康的忠告就是公认的智慧的一个很典型的例子，并把这些智慧浓缩成谚语的形式代代相传。

Proverbs also serve to express general truths in a short and colourful way, 条条谚语都能用简明生动丰富多彩的方式表达普遍的真理。

for example, There's no smoke without fire, meaning that there is generally some truth in even the wildest rumours. 例如："无火不生烟，无风不起浪。"说的就是，即使是言过其实的流言蜚语，一般说来也总会有点真实的成分在里面的。

Another type of proverb acts as a reminder of the correct way to behave, for example, Don't wash your dirty linen in public. 还有一种类型的谚语，它所起的作用就是提醒人们举止行为要得体。例如，"别在公众面前洗你的脏衬裤--家丑不可外扬。"

This means don't discuss personal or family problems in front of strangers or in public. 这意思就是说，不要在陌生人群中或当着大家的面来讨论个人隐私或者家务事。