wOOt!!!

1. wOOt!!! By Cathy Chang

2. Article "w00t," an expression of joy coined by online gamers, was crowned word of the year by the publisher of a leading U.S. dictionary. Massachusetts-based Merriam-Webster Inc. said "w00t" -- typically spelled with two zeros -- reflects a new direction in the American language led by a generation raised on video games and cell phone text-messaging. It's like saying "yay," the dictionary said. "It could be after a triumph or for no reason at all," Merriam-Webster said. Merriam-Webster President John Morse said "w00t" reflected the growing use of numeric keyboards to type words. "People look for self-evidentnumeral-lettersubstitutions: 0 for O; 3 for E; 7 for T; and 4 for A," he said. "This is simply a different and more efficient way of representing the alphabetical character.“ "w00t belongs to gamers the world over. It seems to have been derived from the obsolete 'whoot' which essentially is another way to say 'hoot' which itself is a shout or derisive laugh," Think Geek said on its Web site.

3. Questions • What are some phrases in Chinese that are new? • Do you think that these kinds of phrases should be put into textbooks or used in tests? • Do you think that these phrases will long lasting or just a passing phase?

4. Coined 創造,杜撰(新詞等) Gamers 線上遊戲玩家 Crowned 為...加冠 Triumph 獲得勝利 Numeric 數字的 Self-evident 不證自明的 Numeral-letter 數的;示數的 Substitutions 代替;代用;替換 Derived 衍生出,導出 Obsolete 過時的,老式的 Essentially 實質上;本來 Derisive 嘲笑的;可付之一笑的 Vocabulary

5. Reference • "w00t" crowned word of year by U.S. dictionary • http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN1256278120071212?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0