Whether It Matters or Not
文章来源:未知 文章作者:meng 发布时间:2009-09-30 01:59 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

Thousands of new words are invented each year. Most of these come from science. When scientists discover something new, if they do not have a word for their discovery1, they make one up. Young people too often make up new meanings for old words. One good example is the word "bad". When young Americans use this word, it often means2 "good".

Words are often made up by big companies for their new products. If a product becomes popular, then everyone will know both the product and the new word. Other companies quickly make similar products, but they can not use similar words. It is against the law to copy other people's ideas or inventions.

Sometimes a product becomes so popular that it becomes a general word in the language. Whether the first company likes it or not, many customers may use the new word generally3. They may use it for both the original4 product and the copies of it.

Other companies, however, still cannot print the new word on their products. For example, We have all listened to a Walkman, haven't we? Maybe not! The company which developed this product, Sony, owns the word "Walkman." And no other company can print it on the tape machines.

The word "Coke" is also owned by a company. It is the name of a soft drink made by the Coca Cola company. But most people use the word generally for any soft drink. If you order a Coke at a fast-food restaurant but get a Pepsi, would it matter? Whether it matters or not, you should be satisfied5 with what you get.

The word "Frisbee6" is owned by a company, too. However, it has become a general word for all similar products. There are "Frisbees" and there are Frisbees, but only one company makes Frisbees. It may be hard for a new word to become popular, but it is easy to make one up. You can try yourself!



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1 discovery OucxW     
n.发现,发觉;被发现的事物;发明
参考例句:
  • I congratulate you on your great discovery.我祝贺你的伟大发现。
  • It is a discovery that made medical history.这是载入医学史册的重大发现。
2 means 9oXzBX     
n.方法,手段,折中点,物质财富
参考例句:
  • That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
  • We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。
3 generally KgYxu     
adv.一般地,通常;普遍地,广泛地
参考例句:
  • We generally go to the sea for our holidays.我们通常去海边度假。
  • Generally speaking,parents love their children.一般说来,父母爱他们的孩子。
4 original jJXxm     
adj.最初的,原始的;有独创性的
参考例句:
  • This is a translation.The original is in French. 这是译文。原文是法文。
  • The plan of the work is original with the author.这篇作品的构思是作者个人的独创。
5 satisfied YjLzFT     
adj.满意的,满足的;清偿过的;确信的,毫无疑问的v.使满意( satisfy的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • She's never satisfied with what she's got. 她对自己的所得从不感到满足。
  • He had a self-satisfied smirk on his face. 他脸上挂着得意扬扬的笑容。
6 frisbee pzrz1     
n.飞盘(塑料玩具)
参考例句:
  • We always go to the park on weekends and play Frisbee.我们每个周末都会到公园玩飞盘。
  • The frisbee is a light plastic disc,shaped like a plate.飞盘是一种碟形塑料盘。
TAG标签: words new science invent
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