首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
In a year filled with political wrangling, natural disasters and pop culture curiosities, Americans turned to Merriam-Webster to
In a year filled with political wrangling, natural disasters and pop culture curiosities, Americans turned to Merriam-Webster to
admin
2009-06-24
56
问题
In a year filled with political wrangling, natural disasters and pop culture curiosities, Americans turned to Merriam-Webster to help define it all.
Filibuster, Refugee and Tsunami, each was among the dictionary publisher’s 10 most frequently looked-up words among some 7 million users of its online site.
But topping the list is a word that some say gives insight into the country’s collective concern about its values: Integrity.
The noun, formally defined as a "firm adherence to a code" and "incorruptibility", has always been a popular one on the Springfield-based company’s Website, said Merriam-Webster president John Morse. But this year, the true meaning of integrity seemed to be of extraordinary concern. About 200,000 people sought its definition online.
"I think the American people have isolated a very important issue for our society to be dealing with", Morse said. "The entire list gives us an interesting window that opens up into what people are thinking about in their lives".
Ralph Whitehead, a journalism professor at the University of Massachusetts, said it may indicate the continuing discussion about American values and morality, or perhaps that integrity itself is becoming scarce so its definition is unfamiliar.
"You hope integrity is a word everyone understands", he said.
No. 10 on the list is "inept", a word that Morse said was getting a lot of attention in the days after President Bush delivered a live prime time news conference that came to an awkward end when some television networks cut him off to return to their regularly scheduled programs.
Sandwiched between "integrity" and "inept" is a cluster of nouns and an adjective or two obviously plucked from the headlines.
"Tsunami" jumped in popularity after one ravaged countries along the Indian Ocean last December, while "levee" and "refugee" are linked to the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Interest in the definition of the latter word—"one that flees; especially: a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution"—grew after media organizations including The Associated Press were criticized for using it to describe hurricane victims.
"Filibuster" gained in popularity as Democrats threatened to use it to block federal judicial nominees, and "contempt" drew plenty of attention when former New York Times reporter Judith Miller was jailed for refusing to reveal a source in the CIA leak case.
The election of a new pope following the death of John Paul II left thousands wondering exactly what a conclave is, and news about the spread of infectious diseases brought up the term "pandemic".
But the top 10 list is by no means an indication that Americans were curious or baffled only by weighty topics.
Immediately after Simon Cowell, the acid-tongued host of the popular television show American Idol, called one aspiring singer "insipid", Merriam-Webster noticed a dramatic spike in the number of lookups for the word, which the dictionary defines as "lacking in qualities that interest, stimulate or challenge: dull, flat".
"This guy hit exactly the right word for the performance and it resonated", Morse said. ’People engaged the word, but they asked themselves "what does it exactly mean?"
选项
A、They want to learn the important social issues.
B、They want to enlarge their vocabulary.
C、The definitions of those often-cited words confuse them.
D、They are in fashion to make the hot words clear.
答案
C
解析
网民想理解常被引用词汇的真实含义。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/VWTd777K
本试题收录于:
公共英语五级笔试题库公共英语(PETS)分类
0
公共英语五级笔试
公共英语(PETS)
相关试题推荐
ACountry’sStandardofLivingThe"standardofliving"ofanycountrymeanstheaverageperson’sshareofthegoodsandserv
Ford1Ford’sgreatstrengthwasthemanufacturingprocess—notinvention.Longbeforehestartedacarcompany,hewasaworker
Thepolicemenactedquicklybecauseliveswere(atstake).
WhyistheNativeLanguageLearntSoWellHowdoesithappenthatchildrenlearntheirmothertonguesowell?Whenwecompare
A.thetimely(及时的)discoveryB.convenienceC.sexequalityD.itsconnectionwithhumansE.thehugepowerF.
ThreeWaystoBecomeMoreCreativeMostpeoplebelievetheydon’thavemuchimagination.Theyarewrong.Everyonehasimagin
WashoeLearnedAmericanSignLanguage1Ananimalthatinfluencedscientificthoughthasdied.AchimpanzeenamedWashoeandbor
ParentsintheUnitedStatestendtoasktheirchildrenWhichofthefollowingisNOTtrueofworkingclassAmericans?
Thefirstparagraphpointsoutthatoneoftheadvantagesofafamilywithbothparentsis______.Thewriter’smainpointinw
Whendidaeroplanesbegintocarrypassengers?
随机试题
1925年闻一多留美回国后,目睹旧中国的种种腐败现实,心情十分悲痛,不久即写出了著名的《死水》一诗。阅读这首诗的后四句,然后回答下列小题。这是一沟绝望的死水,这里断不是美的所在,不如让给丑恶来开垦,看他造出个什么世界
债券的票面利率也被称为(),是债券年利息与债券票面价值的比率。
根据《中华人民共和国行政诉讼法》,下列事项中,可以提起行政诉讼的是()。
为了保证日清日结法得到有效的贯彻和实施。需要坚持()。
甲乙丙丁四个国家的基尼系数分别为0.306、0.415、0.378、0.406。据此分析上述四个国家的收入分配情况,判断正确的是()。
二、根据以下资料,回答下列题。 2010年,全国各类高等教育总规模达到3105万人,高等教育毛入学率达到26.5%。全国共有普通高等学校和成人高等学校2723所,比上年增加34所。其中,普通高等学校2358所(含独立学院323所),比上年增加53所,成
关于根尖周炎的特点,哪项是正确的()。
支持子程序调用的数据结构是( )。
伟大艺术的美学鉴赏和伟大的科学观念的理解都需要智慧。但是,随后的感受升华和情感又是分开的。没有情感的因素,我们的智慧很难开创新道路;没有智慧,情感也无法达到完美成果。艺术和科学事实上是一个硬币的两面。它们源于人类活动最高尚的部分,都追求着深刻性、普遍性、永
TheOlympicGamesoriginatedin776B.C.inOlympia,asmalltowninGreece.ParticipantsinthefirstOlympiadaresaidtohave
最新回复
(
0
)