Question

China’s new buzzword, tuhao, may be in next year’s Oxford English Dictionary.

“If its influence continues, it is very likely to appear on our updated list of words, ” said Julie Kleeman, project manager with the editing team.

In Chinese, tu means uncouth(粗野的) and hao means rich. It has traditionally been referred to rich people who throw their weight around in China’s rural areas. In recent years, people borrowed the term to describe those who spend money in an unreasonable manner. The word gained acceptance in September with the launch(上市) of Apple’s new gold-colored iPhone, an item loved by China’s rich people. The color became known as “tuhao gold”. The word is now often used by the online community to refer to people who have the cash but lack the class to go with it.

Kleeman also mentioned two other Chinese words—dama and hukou—which may also be taken in the dictionary. Hukou means household registration(登记) in Chinese and has been widely used.

Dama, meaning middle-aged women, was first used in the Western media by the Wall Street Journal in May when thousands of Chinese women were buying up record number of gold. They were the driving force in the global gold market between April and June when the gold prices had gone down.

“We have nearly 120 Chinese-linked words now in Oxford English Dictionary, ” she said. Some of them are: Guanxi, literally meaning “connection”, is the system of social networks and influential relationships which promote business and other dealings. Taikonaut is a mix of taikong, meaning outer space, and astronaut.

The new words will be first uploaded on the official website before the dictionaries arrive. The online version is also renewed every three months. “It at least broke our old rules. It used to take 10 years to include a new word but now we keep the pace with the era, ” according to John Simpson.

1. What does “Tuhao” mean now?

A. The rich who like iPhone made of gold.

B. The people who have power in the countryside.

C. The people who spend money reasonably.

D. The rich who find no class to belong to.

2.Why is the word “Dama” popular now?

A. They bought gold in the global market.

B. They are wealthy middle-aged women.

C. They brought the gold prices down.

D. They worked on the Wall Street.

3. According to John, the Oxford English Dictionary__________.

A. updates its new version every three months

B. takes 10 years to include a new word now

C. speeds up its acceptance of new words

D. has its online version to collect new words

Answer 1