2024牛津年度词汇：Brain rot
LearnAndRecord约 16 分钟去年，2023牛津年度词汇为：Rizz。
近日，牛津大学出版社（Oxford University Press）公布2024牛津年度词汇：Brain rot.
据牛津大学出版社，Brain rot指一个人精神或智力状态的恶化或退化，特指由于过度浏览那些无聊或低质量的内容（尤指现在的网络内容）而出现的状态。
🤔️小作业：
1. Based on the article, why might “brain rot” resonate with younger generations like Gen Z and Gen Alpha?
A) They are the main creators and consumers of digital content.
B) They are more affected by dynamic pricing models.
C) They frequently reference classic literature in social media trends.
D) They prefer simplistic expressions for complex issues.
无注释原文：
'Brain rot': Oxford word of the year 2024 reflects 'trivial' use of social media
From: The Guardian
“Brain rot” has been announced as the Oxford word of the year for 2024, amid concerns over endless social media scrolling and mind-numbing content.
More than 37,000 people voted to help choose the winner from a shortlist of six words drawn up by Oxford University Press, the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Its annual award, whose previous winners have included “rizz” and “climate emergency”, aims to reflect the moods and trends of the year.
Brain rot is defined as “the supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging”.
Oxford University Press said the term “gained new prominence in 2024 as a term used to capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media”.
Despite its recent rise to prominence, its first recorded use was in Henry David Thoreau's book Walden in 1854.
Casper Grathwohl, Oxford Languages president, said: “Brain rot speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time. It feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology. It's not surprising that so many voters embraced the term, endorsing it as our choice this year.
“I also find it fascinating that the word brain rot has been adopted by gen Z and gen Alpha, those communities largely responsible for the use and creation of the digital content the term refers to.”
The five unsuccessful shortlisted words included “demure”, which rose to prominence following a social media trend during the summer that refers to reserved or responsible behaviour; “dynamic pricing”, where the price of a product or service varies to reflect demand; “lore”, a body of facts and background information related to someone or something; “romantasy”, a fiction genre combining romance and fantasy; and “slop”, low-quality content online generated using artificial intelligence.
The shortlist was decided by a panel of four experts, chaired by lexicographer Susie Dent, best known for her appearances on Channel 4's Countdown.
Oxford University Press took the public vote into account as it chose the winner, as well as public commentary and other analysis before announcing it on Sunday evening.
Recent winners of the Oxford prize include “rizz”, an abbreviation of the word charisma, which took the title last year. “Goblin mode” took the crown in 2022 and the pandemic-era “vax” won in 2021.
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注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考
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含注释全文：
'Brain rot': Oxford word of the year 2024 reflects 'trivial' use of social media
From: The Guardian
“Brain rot” has been announced as the Oxford word of the year for 2024, amid concerns over endless social media scrolling and mind-numbing content.
“脑腐化”（Brain rot）成为2024牛津年度词汇（Oxford Word of the Year），这一选择体现了公众对社交媒体过度使用和低质内容可能带来负面影响的深切关注。
rot
rot /rɒt/ 表示“腐败；腐烂；腐朽”，相当于“decay”举个🌰：Rot has got into the furniture. 家具开始朽坏。
the rot表示“形势恶化”，英文解释为“used to describe the fact that a situation is getting worse”举个🌰：The team should manage to stop the rot if they play well this week.如果球队本周比赛表现好，他们应该能够阻止形势的恶化。
scroll
作名词，scroll /skrəʊl/ 表示“长卷纸，卷轴”，英文解释为“a long roll of paper or similar material with usually official writing on it”举个🌰：The ancient Egyptians stored information on scrolls. 古埃及人把信息记载在卷轴上。
作动词，表示“滚动；滚屏”，英文解释为“to move text or other information on a computer screen in order to see a different part of it”举个🌰：Scroll to the end of the document. 滚动至文件的最后。
🎬电影《兔子洞》（Rabbit Hole）中的台词提到：Scroll down with your finger. 用手指向下滑动。
mind-numbing
mind-numbing /ˈmaɪndˌnʌm.ɪŋ/ 表示“极其乏味的，非常枯燥的”，英文解释为“extremely boring”如：a mind-numbing task 极其乏味的工作。
More than 37,000 people voted to help choose the winner from a shortlist of six words drawn up by Oxford University Press, the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary.
牛津大学出版社（Oxford University Press）是《牛津英语大词典》（Oxford English Dictionary）的出版商，它从六个候选词中选出了“牛津年度词汇”。
shortlist
shortlist /ˈʃɔːt.lɪst/ 表示“最终候选名单，决选名单；入围名单”，英文解释为“a list of people who have been judged the most suitable for a job or prize, made from a longer list of people originally considered, and from which one person will be chosen”举个🌰：We've drawn up (= decided) a shortlist for the job. 我们已经确定了该职位的最终候选名单。
📍美式：short list是分开的。有shortlist就有longlist，意思就是“初选名单”（A long-list for something such as a job or a prize is a large group that has been chosen from all the people who applied for the job, or all the people or things that are competing for the prize. The successful ones from this group are chosen to go on the shortlist.）
同时，两个词都可以作为动词，比如shortlist作动词，表示“把…列入入围名单”举个🌰：Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by the end of the week. 入围参加面试的求职者将在周末以前得到通知。
Its annual award, whose previous winners have included “rizz” and “climate emergency”, aims to reflect the moods and trends of the year.
牛津年度词汇旨在反映当年的社会趋势与情绪，此前的年度词汇包括“rizz”和“climate emergency”（气候紧急状态）。
Brain rot is defined as “the supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging”.
“脑腐化”指的是“一个人的心理或智力状态的退化，尤其是由于过度消费碎片化或缺乏挑战性的内容（现主要指网络内容）而引发的状态”。
deterioration
deterioration /dɪˌtɪə.ri.əˈreɪ.ʃən/ 表示“恶化，变坏”，英文解释为“the fact or process of becoming worse”举个🌰：When we arrived, we were appalled at her deterioration. 当我们到达时，我们对她情况的恶化感到震惊。
trivial
trivial /ˈtrɪvɪəl/ 表示“无关紧要的；微不足道的，琐碎的；没有价值的；容易解决的，不费吹灰之力的”，英文解释为“If you describe something as trivial, you think that it is unimportant and not serious.”举个🌰：He tried to wave aside these issues as trivial details that could be settled later. 他对这些问题置之不理，视它们为可以后解决的无关紧要的细节。
Oxford University Press said the term “gained new prominence in 2024 as a term used to capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media”.
牛津大学出版社称，这一词汇“在2024年获得了新的关注度，用以表达人们对过度消费低质量网络内容（尤其是社交媒体内容）影响的担忧”。
prominence
prominence /ˈprɒm.ɪ.nəns/ 表示“显著，有名；重要；突出；卓越”，英文解释为“the state of being easily seen or well known; the state of being important, well known or noticeable”如：a young actor who has recently risen to prominence 最近崭露头角的一名年轻演员，举个🌰：Most of the papers give prominence to (= put in a noticeable position) the same story this morning. 今天早上大多数报纸都在显著位置刊登了同一条新闻。
Despite its recent rise to prominence, its first recorded use was in Henry David Thoreau's book Walden in 1854.
尽管这一词汇最近才成为焦点，其首次使用可追溯到亨利·大卫·梭罗（Henry David Thoreau）1854年的经典著作《瓦尔登湖》（Walden）。
Casper Grathwohl, Oxford Languages president, said: “Brain rot speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time. It feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology. It's not surprising that so many voters embraced the term, endorsing it as our choice this year.
牛津语言（Oxford Languages）总裁卡斯珀·格拉斯沃尔（Casper Grathwohl）说：“'脑腐化'反映了虚拟生活的潜在危害及人们对闲暇时光利用方式的深思。这似乎是科技与人类关系讨论中的一个新阶段。如此多的人投票选择这一词汇，将其作为我们今年年度词汇，也就不足为奇了。”
perceived
perceive /pəˈsiːv/ 1）表示“感知，察觉，注意到，意识到”，英文解释为“to see something or someone, or to notice something that is obvious”举个🌰：He perceived a tiny figure in the distance. 他注意到远处有个很小的身影。
2）表示“认为；看待；视为”，英文解释为“to come to an opinion about something, or have a belief about something”举个🌰：How do the French perceive the British? 法国人是如何看待英国人的？
📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述比特币的文章中提到：Scarcity is a trait of many things that are perceived to have value. 稀缺性正是许多被视为有价值的事物共有的特征。
endorse
endorse /ɪnˈdɔːs/ 动词，1）表示“（公开）赞同，支持，认可”，英文解释为“to say publicly that you support a person, statement or course of action”举个🌰：I wholeheartedly endorse his remarks. 我真诚地赞同他的话。
2）表示“（在广告中）宣传，代言（某一产品）”，英文解释为“to say in an advertisement that you use and like a particular product so that other people will want to buy it”
3）表示“（在支票背面）签名，背书”，英文解释为“to write your name on the back of a cheque so that it can be paid into a bank account”
🎬电影《侏罗纪公园》（Jurassic Park）中的台词提到：After careful consideration, I've decided not to endorse your park. 仔细考虑以后 我决定不为你的公园背书。
⚠️这里补充一下，看到上面的「背书」你可能疑惑了，除了在金融上的含义，现在往往被用于政治领域。
📍例如，新华网2020年4月份一则新闻标题就为「奥巴马“背书”拜登」讲的就是奥巴马发声力挺拜登。
“I also find it fascinating that the word brain rot has been adopted by gen Z and gen Alpha, those communities largely responsible for the use and creation of the digital content the term refers to.”
“我还发现，有趣的是，这一词汇被Z世代和Alpha世代广泛使用，而他们正是使用和创造该词所指数字内容的主体。”
fascinating
fascinating /ˈfæs.ən.eɪ.tɪŋ/ 表示“极有趣的；吸引人的”，英文解释为“extremely interesting”举个🌰：I found the whole movie fascinating. 我觉得整部电影都很吸引人。
The five unsuccessful shortlisted words included “demure”, which rose to prominence following a social media trend during the summer that refers to reserved or responsible behaviour; “dynamic pricing”, where the price of a product or service varies to reflect demand; “lore”, a body of facts and background information related to someone or something; “romantasy”, a fiction genre combining romance and fantasy; and “slop”, low-quality content online generated using artificial intelligence.
5个入围的候选词为：“demure”（端庄的），这个词在夏季的社交媒体上流行起来，指矜持或负责任的行为；“dynamic pricing”（动态定价），指产品或服务的价格随需求而变化；“lore”（事实背景），指与某人或某事相关的事实和背景信息；“romantasy”（浪漫奇幻），指一种结合了浪漫和奇幻元素的小说类型；以及 “slop”（劣质内容），指利用人工智能生成的低质量在线内容。
demure
demure /dɪˈmjʊər/ 表示“端庄的，文静的，安静的”，英文解释为“(especially of women) quiet and well behaved”举个🌰：She gave him a demure smile. 她朝他文雅地一笑。
reserved
reserved /rɪˈzɜːvd/ 表示“拘谨；矜持；内向”，英文解释为“Reserved people do not often talk about or show their feelings or thoughts.”如：a quiet, reserved woman 一位安静、矜持的女子。
lore
lore /lɔːr/ 表示“（祖辈流传下来的）知识，传说”，英文解释为“traditional knowledge and stories about a subject”举个🌰：According to local lore, the water has healing properties. 根据当地的传说，这种水有治病的功效。
genre
genre /ˈʒɑ̃ː.rə/ /ˈʒɒn.rə/ 表示“（尤指艺术的）风格，类型，体裁”，英文解释为“a style, especially in the arts, that involves a particular set of characteristics”举个🌰：What genre does the book fall into - comedy or tragedy? 这本书属于什么体裁——喜剧还是悲剧？
The shortlist was decided by a panel of four experts, chaired by lexicographer Susie Dent, best known for her appearances on Channel 4's Countdown.
候选词由四位专家组成的评审团决定，评审团主席是词典编纂专家苏西·登特（Susie Dent），她因在第四频道的“倒计时”节目中亮相而闻名。
panel
panel /ˈpæn.əl/ 1）表示“嵌板，镶板”，英文解释为“a flat, usually rectangular part, or piece of wood, metal, cloth, etc., that fits into or onto something larger”如：a beautiful old door with oak panels 一扇嵌有橡木板的漂亮的老式门；
2）表示“（选定的）专家小组；讨论小组”，英文解释为“a small group of people chosen to give advice, make a decision, or publicly discuss their opinions as entertainment”。
lexicographer
lexicographer /ˌleksɪˈkɒɡrəfə(r)/ 表示“词典编纂者”，英文解释为“a person who writes and edits dictionaries”
Oxford University Press took the public vote into account as it chose the winner, as well as public commentary and other analysis before announcing it on Sunday evening.
牛津大学出版社在选择年度词汇时综合考虑了公众投票以及公众评论以及其他分析，最终在周日晚间宣布最终结果。
Recent winners of the Oxford prize include “rizz”, an abbreviation of the word charisma, which took the title last year. “Goblin mode” took the crown in 2022 and the pandemic-era “vax” won in 2021.
近年来的牛津年度词汇包括2023年的“rizz”，2022年的“Goblin mode”（哥布林模式），以及2021年与疫情相关的“Vax”（疫苗）。
abbreviation
abbreviation /əˌbriːviˈeɪʃn/ 表示“略语；缩写词；缩写形式”，英文解释为“short form of a word, etc.”举个🌰：What's the abbreviation for ‘LearnAndRecord’? LearnAndRecord的缩写是什么？
charisma
charisma /kəˈrɪz.mə/ 表示“超凡的个人魅力；吸引力；超凡气质”，英文解释为“a special power that some people have naturally that makes them able to influence other people and attract their attention and admiration”举个🌰：On screen she had this great charisma so that you couldn't take your eyes off her. 在银幕上，她魅力非凡，让人无法将眼光从她身上移开。
crown
crown /kraʊn/ 作动词，1）表示“为…加冕”，英文解释为“to put a crown on the head of a new king or queen as a sign of royal power”举个🌰：Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1952. 伊丽莎白女王于1952年加冕。
2）表示“（尤指通过增添成就、成功等）使圆满，使完美”，英文解释为“to make sth complete or perfect, especially by adding an achievement, a success, etc.”举个🌰：The award of the Nobel Prize has crowned a glorious career in physics. 荣获诺贝尔奖使其物理学研究的辉煌事业达到了顶点。
作名词，表示“王冠，皇冠；冕”，英文解释为“a circular decoration for the head, usually made of gold and jewels (= precious stones), and worn by a king or queen at official ceremonies”
📍crowning /ˈkraʊ.nɪŋ/ 表示“（事件，成就）最伟大的，最重要的”，英文解释为“A crowning event or achievement is the best or most important one.”如：the crowning achievement of her long career 她漫长职业生涯的最高成就。
vax
Vax /væks/ 可以作动词，也可以作名词，表示“（打）疫苗”。The Oxford Languages Dictionary defines vax as a vaccine or vaccination when used as a noun. As a verb, vax is defined as “vaccinate” or “treat (someone) with a vaccine to produce immunity against a disease”.
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