And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
A fort is a place of protection.
It is a fortified structure with strong walls and doors, complex locks, barriers, and other security features.
它是一个坚固的结构，具有坚固的墙壁和门，复杂的锁，障碍和其他安全设施。
It is a place often protected by soldiers and occupied by officials.
Someone always is in charge or responsible for a fort.
And that is where our expression comes in.
If someone asked you to hold down the fort, you are responsible for a place while those who supervise it are away.
如果有人让你“hold down the fort”，那你就要在监督这个地方的人不在时对这个地方负责。
In other words, you are in charge!
For example, once a friend and I were at my house preparing for a party.
But then I got an emergency call from my brother who needed a ride.
So, my friend held down the fort at home and welcomed party guests while I helped my brother.
所以，我的朋友暂时承担起了我的工作，在家负责接待聚会上的客人，而我则去帮我弟弟。
Sometimes we just say hold the fort.
This also means staying behind to take care of things.
Again, whoever is holding the fort is in charge.
They are responsible for what happens.
And they may be responsible for the safety of others.
Marion is the most responsible of the group.
So we left her at the house to hold the fort.
There is another way we use the word "fort" in an expression.
In the American state of Kentucky, there is a famous fort – Fort Knox.
Fort Knox is a protected place in the United States.
Fort Knox is a place where lots of gold is kept.
Needless to say, it is heavily guarded.
So, when we want to describe a place that is hard to get into, we can compare it to Fort Knox.
所以，当我们想描述一个很难进入的地方时，我们可以把它比作诺克斯堡。
A place that is like Fort Knox is inaccessible usually because it is locked or heavily guarded.
像诺克斯堡这样的地方通常很难进入，因为它被封锁或戒备森严。
We can also say a place is as safe or as secure as Fort Knox.
Now, let's hear these two expressions used by two friends.
Hi, Sam! What brings you to my place?
Well, Maxine is holding down the fort at home.
So, I thought I'd stop by to see if you want to hang out.
Sure! How about a walk around the neighborhood?
I feel like I've been sitting all day.
Let's walk past that construction project down the street.
They've been working on that house for months.
I'm curious about the renovations.
Maybe we can sneak into the place and look in the windows.
That's a really bad idea.
The property is locked up tighter than Fort Knox and probably has many security cameras.
那处房产封锁得比诺克斯堡还要严密，而且可能还有很多安保摄像头。
If you sneak in … you're on your own.
And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
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