Question

    The dictionary isn’t forever. What happens to a word when its popularity starts to decline? Here’s how the process of deleting a word from the dictionary works.

The dictionary is actually a steadily enlarging volume. 1. New words arise from emerging and expanding disciplines. Definitions also change and shift, so common words gain new meanings. On the other hand, there are also words that become outdated. 2.

Who decides which words to delete? 3. While adding a word to the dictionary is a precise process, it’s even more difficult for a word to get deleted. Editors maintain and study vast language databases to keep up-to-date on the words in circulation across various media.

The Oxford English Dictionary covers the English language over the last 1,000 years, and it’s considered definitive and authoritative. 4. And each has its own process for additions and removals.

5. A 2019 petition(请愿)with 30,000 signatures calls for the Oxford English Dictionary to remove sexist language and definitions, especially those terms under the word “woman.” And Merriam-Webster recently changed definitions of identity-related words to reflect new cultural meanings around fairness.

A. Some new words might be out of date one day.

B. As a result, words get removed from the dictionary.

C. Dictionary additions and deletions reflect social changes.

D. It’s up to the dictionary editors to make the final decision.

E. That’s because the English language constantly develops and changes.

F. These are often the types of words that will make it into dictionaries.

G. However, there are many other dictionaries that are reliable and trustworthy.

Answer

1.E

2.B

3.D

4.G

5.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。文章主要说明了英语是不断发展和变化的。新词汇产生于新兴和扩展的学科，定义也会变化，所以常用词有了新的含义。另一方面，有些词也会过时。结果，有些单词就从字典中删除了。文章说明了从字典中删除一个单词的过程。

1.根据前文The dictionary is actually a steadily enlarging volume.（这本词典实际上是一本不断扩大的书。）故推测本句应介绍字典不断扩大的原因。故E选项“这是因为英语语言不断发展和变化。”符合上下文语境。故选E。

2.根据前文On the other hand, there are also words that become outdated.（另一方面，有些词也会过时。）可推测本句说明一些词过时的结果。结果就是这些单词被从字典中删除。故B选项“结果，单词就从字典中删除了。”符合上下文语境。故选B。

3.根据前文Who decides which words to delete？（谁来决定删除哪些单词。）上文提出问题，故本空应是对上文谁决定删除那些单词的回答。故D选项“词典的最终决定权在编辑手中。”符合上下文语境。故选D。

4.根据前文The Oxford English Dictionary covers the English language over the last 1，000 years， and it's considered definitive and authoritative（《牛津英语词典》涵盖了过去1000年的英语，被认为是权威的。）以及下文And each has its own process for additions and removals.（每个都有自己的添加和移除流程。）可推知本句是说明除了《牛津英语词典》之外，其他许多可靠的字典也有自己的添加和移除单词的流程。故G选项“然而，有许多其他的字典是可靠的和值得信赖的。”符合上下文语境。故选G。

5.根据下文A 2019 petition（请愿）with 30，000 signatures calls for the Oxford English Dictionary to remove sexist language and definitions.（2019年，一份有3万人签名的请愿书呼吁《牛津英语词典》删除性别歧视语言和定义。）可推知社会的变化也会影响词典的增删。故C选项“词典的增删反映了社会的变化。”符合上下文语境。故选C。