托福口语那些“异国”词汇

1、Karaoke 卡拉OK

Language of Origin: Japanese

来源语：日语

About the Word:

It comes from the Japanese kara ("empty") + ōke, short for ōkesutora ("orchestra").

该词来源语日语的kara(空的)和ōke(“乐团”的缩写)，即“空荡荡的乐团”。

Karaoke became popular in Japan among businessmen in the late 1970s, and gained widespread popularity in the U.S. in the late 1980s.

上世纪70年代后期，卡拉OK开始在日本商务人士当中流行起来，上世纪80年代后期盛行于美国。

2、Kowtow 屈从、献媚

Language of Origin: Chinese

来源语：汉语

About the Word:

It comes from the Chinese kòutóu – kòu ("to knock") plus tóu ("head") – and originally referred to kneeling and touching one's head to the ground as a salute or act of worship to a revered authority.

该词来源语汉语里的“叩头”一词，即以双膝跪地、头触地的形式对权重人士表示尊敬。

The noun arrived in English in the early 1800s, and within a few decades had taken on the "fawn" or "suck up" verb meaning we use today.

该词在19世纪早期被吸纳进英语词汇，后来几十年间，该词在英语中的意思逐渐固定为“巴结、献媚”。

3、Ketchup 番茄酱

Language of Origin: Malay

来源语：马来语

About the Word:

This all-American condiment started out as a spicy, fermented fish sauce in Malaysia.

如今已成为美国标志性佐料的番茄酱最开始在马来西亚起源时其实是一种带辣味的发酵鱼露。

That version, known as kěchap, made its way first to Europe and then to the New World, where tomatoes eventually became the defining ingredient.

那种鱼露的名字叫kěchap，最先传到欧洲，然后才到达美洲新大陆，在那里，kěchap的主料逐渐变成了番茄。

Elsewhere, ketchup retains an earlier identity. Traditional English ketchup, for example, is a pureed seasoning based on mushrooms, unripe walnuts, or oysters.

在其他国家，番茄酱仍然保留原来的配料。例如，传统的英式番茄酱是由蘑菇、尚未成熟的核桃或牡蛎制成的酱料。

4、Hazard 危险

Language of Origin: Arabic

来源语：阿拉伯语

About the Word:

Hazard dates to the time of the Crusaders and involves a game of chance.

Hazard一词的来源要追溯到十字军东征时期，与投机游戏有关。

According to the most likely theory, the original hazard ("al-zahr," in Arabic) was a die. Players would roll the dice and bet on the outcome.

可能性最高的一种说法是，hazard最开始其实就是个骰子。玩家通过掷骰子、猜点数来赌输赢。

English got the word from French. In English, hazard eventually came to name any chance, risk, or source of danger.

英语中的hazard一词来源于法语，指机遇、风险或危险的源头。