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
Allan Metcalf s new book claims that the word "OK" is America’s greatest invention. This offers a pair of provocations. How can
Allan Metcalf s new book claims that the word "OK" is America’s greatest invention. This offers a pair of provocations. How can
admin
2014-01-07
26
问题
Allan Metcalf s new book claims that the word "OK" is America’s greatest invention. This offers a pair of provocations. How can "OK" be an invention? On a certain day, a certain guy just dreamed up the expression that has become the most frequently spoken word on the planet? And even if it is an invention, can one little word really be greater than jazz, baseball, and the telephone? Is it better than The Simpsons?
The answer to the first question, implausible as it sounds, is yes. In OK: The Improbable Story of America’s Greatest Word, Metcalf locates the first use of OK in an obscure corner of a Boston newspaper on March 23, 1839. As for the alleged greatness of the word, Metcalf s slim volume doesn’t entirely persuade you that OK is a more valuable invention than, say, electric light. But the fact that he even raises the question is intriguing. If it does nothing else, Metcalf makes you acutely aware of how universal and vital the word has become.
True story: the world’s most popular word began as a joke. In the late 1830s, America’s newspapers had great enthusiasm for abbreviations—also, to judge by Metcalf s account, a sorry sense of humor. He devotes a chapter to trying to explain why readers of the Boston Morning Post might have been amused to see "o. k." used as a jokey abbreviation for "oll korrect," an intentional misspelling of "all correct." Apparently you had to be there. But the word soon got an enormous boost from Andrew Jackson—or his enemies, anyway. They circulated the rumor that the man of the people was barely literate and approved papers with the initials "O. K." for "oll korrect." It was a joke, Metcalf concludes, "but without it there’d be no OK."
The word didn’t remain a joke for long. Telegraph operators began using it as a way to say "all clear." It became ubiquitous, turning up in all corners of the world, and beyond. Metcalf points out that OK was technically the first word spoken on the surface of the moon.
When you pause to consider what a weird and wonderful little word OK is, the most remarkable thing isn’t that it’s so great or that it was invented but that it’s American. To foreigners in the 20th century, Metcalf writes, the word embodied "American simplicity, pragmatism, and optimism." To us today, the word sums up "a whole two-letter American philosophy of tolerance, even admiration for difference."
Which of the following is true about Andrew Jackson?
选项
A、He was the inventor of "OK".
B、He was poor in writing and reading.
C、He was a household name in America.
D、He was the editor of the Boston Morning Post.
答案
C
解析
Andrew Jackson的名字出现在第3段倒数第3句,而下一句则将其称为the man of the people(人民之子),文中说到OK一词是由于他的传闻而被传播开来的,而他能被誉为“人民之子”,可推断此人的知名度一定非常高,故选C。第3段倒数第3句指出因为Andrew Jackson,OK一词得以推广,结合上文对OK的产生经过的说明,可知他不是发明该词的人,故A不正确;第3段倒数第2句提到AndrewJackson的敌人散布谣言说他“几乎不识字”,但这只是“谣言(minor)”,并不一定是事实,故B不正确;原文没有根据可以推断出Andrew Jackson是编辑,D排除。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/pCFK777K
0
专业英语四级
相关试题推荐
______isknowntotheworld,MarkTwainisagreatAmericanwriter.
TheMedicine-manAmongtheIndiansofNorthAmerica,themedicine-manwasaveryimportantperson./Heplayedacrucialrol
InAmerica,thetraditionaltimeforgraduationsis______.
InAmerica,thetraditionaltimeforgraduationsis______.
Whatisthepurposeofgovernment’sproposalsintheUnitedStates?
Accordingtothepassage,ifallstudentsattendyear-roundschoolsinU.S.theywould
Accordingtothepassage,whatisappliedinteachingtoday?
Inthisexperiment,theyarewakenedseveraltimesduringthenight,andaskedtoreportwhatthey______.
Whilethoseearningmaster’s,doctoral,orprofessionaldegreesstillearnmoreduringtheircareersthanthosewithlesseducat
Whatisthemainsubjectofthedebate?
随机试题
对于市场价值的理解,应着重从哪几个方面来把握?
下列哪些现象中存在正反馈?
病人女性,56岁,突发寒战高热达40℃,伴头痛、头晕、恶心、呕吐、面色潮红,白细胞计数显著增高,血细菌培养阳性,应首先考虑为
承担产品侵权责任的要件包括( )。
关于砌体结构房屋设置圈梁的目的和构造处理措施,正确的有()。
甲公司是一家软饮料企业,经营历史长达上百年,消费者对其品牌认知度较高,市场占有率世界第一。拥有产品配方专利,资金充沛。根据以上信息可以判断,该企业拥有的无形资源包括()。
有人说:“认真做事,只能把事情做对;用心做事,才能把事情做好”。这句话所蕴含的意思是()。
某高校教师刘某,在教学实践中深刻体会到,为了更好地教学,首先要提高自身的素质。为此,他攻读了在职研究生,开始了他的因教促学、以学促教的在职进修,坚持三载,终以优异的成绩获得硕士学位。从此,刘老师立下誓言“学习,学习,再学习”,每天的业余时间和节假日都被他合
设f(x)在[a,6]上连续,且f"(x)>0,对任意的x1,x2∈[a,b]及0
在Excel中,A1,A2,B1,B2,C1,C2单元格的值分别为1、2、3、4、3、5,在D1单元格中输入函数“=SUM(A1:B2,B1:C2)”,按回车键后,D1单元格中显示的值为______。
最新回复
(
0
)