The last Friday in April is National Arbor Day in the United States.
上個月也就是4月的最后一個星期五正值美國的植樹節(jié)。
Arbor Day celebrates the role of trees in the world around us.
植樹節(jié)用于頌揚(yáng)樹木在人類周圍所扮演的角色。
Each year, organizers call on Americans to plant trees and care for them.
每一年都會有相關(guān)組織者號召美國人參與栽護(hù)樹木。
In 1872, a Nebraska man named J. Sterling Morton proposed the first Arbor Day.
在1872年，內(nèi)布拉斯加州一位名叫j.斯特林莫頓的人提議設(shè)立首個植樹節(jié)。
It became a legal holiday in the state 13 years later.
在提出這個倡議十三年之后，植樹節(jié)成為合法節(jié)日。
Today many states observe Arbor Day on differentdates throughout the year based on best planting times in their area.
如今，各個州依照當(dāng)?shù)匾荒曛凶钸m宜植樹的時期設(shè)立了植樹節(jié)。
In North Dakota and Vermont, for example, Arbor Day is celebrated on the first Friday in May.
例如，在北達(dá)科他州和佛蒙特州，人們在五月的第一個星期五慶祝植樹節(jié)。
A non-profit group called the Arbor Day Foundation operates the Arbor Day.org website.
一個名為"植樹節(jié)基金會"的非盈利組織運(yùn)營著一個植樹網(wǎng)站。
It notes that "tree planting festivals are as old as civilization. The tree has appeared throughout history and literature as the symbol of life.'
它指出，"植樹節(jié)和人類文明一樣古老。樹作為生命的象征出現(xiàn)在歷史和文學(xué)中。
Trees do a lot for the environment.
樹對環(huán)境做出了巨大貢獻(xiàn)。
They clean the air around us.
它們凈化空氣
Some trees, such as apple and pear, give us fruit.
還有的，例如蘋果樹和梨樹，給與我們果實(shí)的饋贈。
Trees also provide shade for us and other creatures.
樹木還為各種生物提供陰涼。
Some animals build their homes inside trees or on strong tree branches.
有的動物在樹洞里或樹枝上筑巢而居。
People and animals can use the wood from trees for building materials.
對于人類和動物來說，木材都是良好的建筑材料。
You might find this strange, but trees can be fun to watch.
聽著可能有些奇怪哈，可看樹本身就挺有趣。
You can just sit back and watch birds high up in the trees.
你可以坐下來看著藏在樹尖上的小鳥解悶兒。
If you live in an area with squirrels, watching them run up and around trees, jumping from one to the next can be a lot of fun.
要是住的地方附近有松鼠，看它們在樹上跳來蹦去何嘗不是一件樂事。
And that brings us to our expression for today: to bark up the wrong tree.
于是也就引出了我們今天要介紹的這個短語了:找錯對象。
In fact, this expression is more like an idiom.
事實(shí)上，這個表達(dá)更像是一個習(xí)語。
Now, you might think that "bark" in "to bark up the wrong tree" means the strong, outer covering of a tree.
你可能認(rèn)為這里面的"bark (剝) "指向的是是指樹木堅(jiān)硬的外殼。
But that is not the right "bark."
但這個單詞在這里其實(shí)不是這個意思。
In our expression today, "bark" means the sound a dog makes.
在我們今天的表達(dá)習(xí)慣里，"bark"意指狗吠的聲音。
Dogs bark a lot.
狗總是叫個不停。
They bark when they want to go outside for a walk.
想出去遛彎兒的時候叫;
They bark with they see other dogs.
見到其他狗的時候叫;
They bark when they chase other animals, such as cats and squirrels.
追趕像貓咪、松鼠這些動物的時候也叫。
Now, imagine that a dog chases a squirrel up a tree.
想象有只狗在追樹上的松鼠。
That is a lot of work--for the dog, that is.
對狗來說，這可難了。
Dogs cannot climb trees.
狗爬不了樹。
Squirrels, on the other hand, are expert climbers--of trees and just about anything else.
而另一方面，松鼠是攀爬領(lǐng)域的一流高手。
A squirrel may go up one tree but then jump to another.
本來松鼠是在這棵樹上的，眨眼就到另一棵樹上去了。
The dog simply can't follow the squirrel.
狗狗想趕上松鼠，那是門兒也沒有。
So, it stays on the ground barking and barking up the wrong tree.
所以它就只能帶在地面.上對著一棵空空的樹白白地叫啊叫。
And that is where we get our idiom.
這就是所謂的習(xí)語的來源。
When a dog barks up a wrong tree, they are barking up a tree that no longer has their prey--the squirrel.
當(dāng)狗對著錯誤的樹狂叫時，那棵樹上早已沒有了它們的獵物。
For people, barking up the wrong tree means following a mistaken plan of action.
對人來說，"找錯對 象"就意味著采取了錯誤的行動計(jì)劃，也就是南轅北轍。
If I bark up the wrong tree, I am doing something that will not get the result I want.
我在南轅北轍，也就是說我在做一件永遠(yuǎn)也不會有結(jié)果的事。
I am wrong about the reason for something or possibly the way to get something.
原因是我找錯了事情的根因，亦或是找錯了做事的方法。
For example, at a party I notice that my co-worker Jonas is interested in a good friend of mine named Ursula.
例如，在一次聚會上，我注意到我的同事喬納斯對我一個叫厄休拉的好朋友感興趣。
But Ursula is happily married, which is bad news for Jonas.
不過很遺憾，厄休拉婚姻幸福。
So, I say to him, "Jonas, I know you want to ask Ursula out on a date.
于是，我對喬納斯說: "喬納斯，我知道你想約厄休拉出去。
But you are barking up the wrong tree! She is very happily married."
可你找錯對象了!人家可是婚姻美滿。"
Now, let me tell you about another person who used the wrong way to get something.
現(xiàn)在，我再告訴你一個有人找錯做事方法的例子。
A friend of mine, Sharon, needed money for her new business idea.
我的一個朋友莎倫需要錢來做一筆新生意。
So, she went to an event to meet possible investors.
她為此參加了一個活動，好會見可能的投資者。
However, the only people she met were other people looking for money.
然而，她遇到全是像她一樣找錢而不是投錢的人。
She spent the whole time barking up the wrong tree!
她在錯的對象.上浪費(fèi)了大把的時間。
Now, keep this in mind when using this expression.
現(xiàn)在注意了，在使用這個表達(dá)式時要記住下面這一點(diǎn)。
While Americans do say "bark up the wrong tree,'we would not say "bark up the right tree.'
并不是美國人有"bark up the wrong tree(找錯對象)"的說法，那么他們也就有"bark up the right tree"的說法。
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