VOA慢速：韦氏词典将Authentic选为年度词汇
Merriam-Webster Chooses 'Authentic' as Word of the Year
刘立军 供稿
TRANSCRIPT
The dictionary company Merriam-Webster chose the word "authentic" as its word of the year for 2023.
Something that is authentic is real or true.
The publisher celebrated its 20th anniversary of choosing a word of the year on Monday. Speaking to The Associated Press, or AP, dictionary editor Peter Sokolowski said the world is in a "crisis of authenticity" in 2023. "What we realize," he said, "is that when we question authenticity, we value it even more."
Sokolowski said the word is often looked up on Merriam-Webster's website, but in 2023 it was searched for even more than usual.
He noted that "authentic" is an important word in a world where artificial intelligence software permits people to create "deepfakes" or false videos that look real.
Often, Sokolowski said, words become "words of the year" because searches match world events. However, this year, there was a general increased interest in the word "authentic."
The AP noted that authenticity was a popular subject for discussion in 2023. People such as Taylor Swift and Prince Harry looked for authenticity in their performances and writing. Even businessman Elon Musk discussed authenticity at an event in February when he urged company leaders and politicians to operate their own social media accounts in order to "speak authentically."
Authenticity is important in education, Sokolowski said. He said we are in a time when students can use artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT to complete writing assignments to avoid work.
"We don't always trust what we see anymore," he said.
The dictionary includes a number of descriptions to help people understand the word's meaning. It notes something that is authentic is "not false," "true to one's own personality," and "something made or done the same way as an original."
Merriam-Webster says it filters out some common search words such as "effect" and "affect" that are always among the top searches. The online word game "Wordle" also increases searches for some words as players check letters and words before they play them.
Some other possible words for 2023 included "X" after Musk changed the name of the social media service formerly known as Twitter. Others include "EGOT" after the actress Viola Davis won a Grammy award and "elemental" after Pixar released a new movie in June.
However, the company settled on "authentic" one year after choosing "gaslighting." Gaslighting is a word that is used to discuss the act of misleading someone over a long period of time. In a way, it is the opposite of authentic.
Other words that were popular in 2023 but did not win "word of the year" included "rizz," a slang word that has to do with charm or appeal. It is a shortened form of the word charisma.
"Implode" became a popular search in 2023 after a vessel used for undersea exploration was lost in June. Experts say the Titan vessel likely imploded or broke apart because of the high water pressure in the deep sea.
"Coronation" was looked up often in May when Charles III was crowned King of England.
"Kibbutz" is a word that came up in recent weeks after Hamas attacked the Israeli "communal farms or settlements" near Gaza on October 7.
You can visit Merriam-Webster's website to look at more words that did not quite make the cut to become "word of the year."
I'm Dan Friedell.
VOCABULARY
1. elemental adj. 基本的，元素的
2. gaslighting n. 煤气灯效应
3. charisma n. 个人魅力，超凡领导力
4. titan n. 巨人；在某领域有重大影响的人物
5. implode v. 向心聚爆；内爆；向内坍塌
6. coronation n. 加冕仪式
7. Kibbutz n. 以色列的集体农场或工厂
QUESTIONS
Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.
1. What phenomenon has made the word "authentic" more significant, according to Peter Sokolowski?
A. The consistent truth in what people see.
B. Celebrating the company's milestone.
C. The increase of deepfakes produced by AI technology.
D. Its frequent appearance in top search results.
2. What subject did Elon Musk address related to authenticity in February?
A. He created deepfakes.
B. He changed the name of Twitter.
C. He urged company leaders and politicians to operate their own social media accounts.
D. He advised students on using ChatGPT.
3. What was the previous word of the year chosen by Merriam-Webster before "authentic"?
A. Coronation.
B. Imploded.
C. Gaslighting.
D. Charisma.
4. What made the word "coronation" widely searched in May?
A. A new Pixar movie premiere.
B. The crowning of a British monarch.
C. A submarine exploration vessel incident.
D. An assault on communal settlements.
5. Which of the following is not among popular searches according to the recording?
A. Rizz.
B. Titan.
C. Implode.
D. Kibbutz.
KEY
1. What phenomenon has made the word "authentic" more significant, according to Peter Sokolowski?
A. The consistent truth in what people see.
B. Celebrating the company's milestone.
C. The increase of deepfakes produced by AI technology.
D. Its frequent appearance in top search results.
【答案】C
【解析】推理题。文章中提到Peter Sokolowski强调"authentic"在AI软件可以制造看似真实的“深度伪造”（deepfakes）的世界变得重要，由此推断C选项为正确答案。
2. What subject did Elon Musk address related to authenticity in February?
A. He created deepfakes.
B. He changed the name of Twitter.
C. He urged company leaders and politicians to operate their own social media accounts.
D. He advised students on using ChatGPT.
【答案】C
【解析】细节题。文章中述及Elon Musk在二月份的一个活动上讨论了真实性问题，指出了他对于公司领导和政治家应该亲自运营社交媒体账户以实现“真实发声”的观点。
3. What was the previous word of the year chosen by Merriam-Webster before "authentic"?
A. Coronation.
B. Imploded.
C. Gaslighting.
D. Charisma.
【答案】C
【解析】细节题。文中提到Merriam-Webster在选择"authentic"之前一年选择了"gaslighting"作为年度词汇，因此C是正确答案。
4. What made the word "coronation" widely searched in May?
A. A new Pixar movie premiere.
B. The crowning of a British monarch.
C. A submarine exploration vessel incident.
D. An assault on communal settlements.
【答案】B
【解析】细节题。文中提到，在查尔斯三世被加冕为英国国王的时期，“coronation”这个词被频繁查找，这表明人们对这一事件产生了浓厚兴趣，从而增加了对该词的搜索量。
5. Which of the following is not among popular searches according to the recording?
A. Rizz.
B. Titan.
C. Implode.
D. Kibbutz.
【答案】B
【解析】细节题。文中提到rizz、implode和Kibbutz都是流行词汇，但是Titan不是，所以选B。
（封面图片来源于摄图网，版权归摄图网所有）