回收利用生活用品是一個好習慣，但你知道單詞也可以“再利用”嗎？隨著時代的演變，很多英語單詞被賦予了新和含義。你能舉出幾個類似的例子？你會正確地使用這些“舊詞”的“新義”嗎？通過本集《英語小測驗》，試一試自己的英語是否與時俱進。

1. ‘Feed’ means ‘to give food to people or animals’. But these days it has taken on a different meaning. What is it?

a) A slang term for a person who never seems to stop eating

b) An informal word for kitchen or other eating area

c) An expression meaning to charge a battery such as in a phone or car

d) An area on social media where new pictures, comments and content is received

2. A ‘troll’ only used to be ‘an ugly creature in Norse mythology similar to a giant or dwarf’. These days it has taken on a different meaning. What is it?

a) An extremely short or extremely tall person

b) A person who deliberately acts antisocially and seeks to offend through online posts

c) A person who is beautiful on the outside but extremely unkind

d) A type of bread similar to a roll but made with tea

3. ‘Viral’ used to only have the meaning ‘coming from or relating to a virus’. But these days it has taken on a different meaning. What is it?

a) An idea or thought which makes people feel sick or nauseous

b) A catchy song which immediately gets stuck in the listeners head

c) Becoming very popular by circulating quickly through social media

d) A synonym of the word disgusting or awful

4. ‘Spam’ only used to be ‘a type of processed ham in a can’. But these days it has taken on a different meaning. What is it?

a) A slang term referring to a person’s larger than usual forehead

b) A new type of jam made with strawberries and spinach

c) The digital equivalent of junk mail, such as advertising emails sent to your inbox

d) An object use to kill insects

5. ‘Stream’ only used to mean ‘a flow of liquid air or gas’. But these days it has taken on another meaning. What is it?

a) A type of spread like butter which is put on hot toast

b) A popular spoken expression meaning ‘amazing’

c) A type of scream which is involuntarily spoken when a person is using all their strength to move a heavy object

d) A continuous flow of video or audio material to a computer

6. A ‘catfish’ used to be ‘a type of freshwater fish with whiskers’. But these days it has taken on a new meaning. What is it?

a) A person who loves to find abandoned cats and take them home in order to look after them

b) A person who fakes their identity in order to trick someone else into giving away their personal details, such as their bank account

c) A new type of submarine which uses electronic wires, like whiskers, to ‘feel’ where it is going

d) A person who refuses to swim in swimming pools or the ocean, but only swims in freshwater

答案

1) d, 2) b, 3) c, 4) c, 5) d, 6) b.