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So You Think You Know English? 韦氏字典，新字报到！

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Are you a mouse potato? Do you like showing off your bling? How many of you have ever googled something? Or supersized something? If you’re confused, don’t worry. These are some of the newest words to join the ever growing dynamic entity that we know as the English language.

你是「鼠标马铃薯（mouse potato）」吗？你喜欢炫耀你的「闪亮饰品（bling）」吗？多少人曾google过？或「加大（supersize）」某样东西？如果你对上述感到困惑，别担心，这些不过是英语这种不断发展的动态语言中，最新加入的众多词条里的一些罢了！

The Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, which is now celebrating its 200-year anniversary, adds 100 new words and phrase in this year’s update. They come from a broad spectrum of sources such as science, technology, pop culture and industry. The editors at Merriam-Webster spent months analyzing books, magazines and even food labels. They searched for words that have become widely used in the English language.

欢度200周年纪念的《韦氏大学辞典》（Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary）」，在今年的更新版中加入了100个新字词及词组。这些新字词、词组的来源很广，包含科学、科技、流行文化及产业界。《韦氏辞典》的编辑群花了数月时间分析书籍、杂志甚至是食物标签，找寻已在英语里广为使用的字词。

So you’re probably still wondering what some of those words mean. Well, mouse potatoes are just like couch potatoes, except they spend their time on a computer instead of a couch. Bling is any shiny, jeweled clothing accessory, and probably costs more than you make in a month. To “google” is now an accepted verb for searching the Internet. And if you’ve ever gone to a fast-food joint, chances are you’ve supersized your meal. This means you got more fries and a larger drink for a little more money.

你可能还是对上述某些字词感到一头雾水。其实，「鼠标马铃薯」的意思就像「沙发马铃薯」，不过「鼠标马铃薯」指的是将时间花在计算机前，而非坐在沙发上看电视的人。「闪亮饰品」指任何闪闪发光、缀有珠宝的服装饰品，其要价可能比你一个月的薪水还多。Google则已被接受成为「搜寻网络」这个动作的动词。另外，如果你光顾过某间快餐连锁店，你很可能曾经「加大」你的餐点，意指多付一点钱，就可以得到更多的薯条或更大杯的饮料。

So now you know some of the latest words. You’re at the cutting edge of the English language – at least for a little while!

现在，你知道一些最新的英文单字了。你走在英语这个语言的尖端──至少目前暂时如此。

−by Joe Henley

Vocabulary

update [ʌpˋdet] n. 最新版; 最新的情况

spectrum [ˋspɛktrəm] n. 范围；幅度

accessory [ækˋsɛsərɪ] n. 附件，配件

cutting edge 最前线；尖端

More Information

show off 炫耀

bling n. 珠光宝气；闪亮饰品

google  v. 搜索（利用Google搜索引擎在网络上查找数据）

dynamic [daɪˋnæmɪk] adj. 动态的

entity [ˋɛntətɪ] n. 实体

collegiate [kəˋlidʒɪɪt] adj. 大学的; 学院的

anniversary [͵ænəˋvɝsərɪ] n. 周年纪念日

editor [ˋɛdɪtɚ] n. 编辑

analyze [ˋæn!͵aɪz] v. 分析

joint [dʒɔɪnt] n. 小餐厅;廉价娱乐场所

chances are 可能

Reading Questions

1.   The word “spectrum” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.

A.  meaning

B.  importance

C.  dictionary

D.  range

2.   Which of the following is the purpose of this article?

A.  To teach readers the meanings of new words.

B.  To explain new trends in English.

C.  To describe how a dictionary is staying up to date.

D.  To show how complicated English is becoming.

3.   What can we infer about how the author feels?

A.  He is excited about how English is evolving.

B.  He is confused about how to explain English.

C.  He thinks it’s a good idea to buy the new dictionary.

D.  He is overwhelmed by all the new English words.

Answer