VOA慢速英语--What People Looked Up on Google in 2017

What People Looked Up on Google in 2017

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Hurricane Irma, iPhone, Matt Lauer, Meghan Markle, Bitcoin, Despacito and fidget spinner are among the top Google searches for 2017.

People from the United States and Caribbean islands understandably had great interest in hurricanes. The category 5 Hurricane Irma caused widespread damage on Caribbean islands and in the American state of Florida in September. Not long before Irma, Hurricane Harvey flooded the city of Houston, Texas.

From Taiwan to Ghana, and Germany to Sri Lanka, everyone seemed to search for the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X. The search for Apple smart phones outdistanced other technology news for the year.

People searched for Matt Lauer more than any other person in 2017. The well-known television host of a morning news program was dismissed in November after a coworker accused him of sexual abuse.

American actress Meghan Markle also made Google’s list. She and Britain’s Prince Harry¹ announced their engagement in late November. Markle is best known for her work on the television show Suits.

Searches for "bitcoin" also rose in November around the world. Since the virtual currency is still something of a mystery, most people looked for "What is Bitcoin", "How to buy Bitcoin" and "How to mine Bitcoins.”

This summer, the hit dance song Despacito became the most-streamed song ever. Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi and rap singer Daddy Yankee released Despacito, which means slowly in Spanish, in both Spanish and English. The song drew interest in many countries including Egypt, Vietnam and Croatia.

A fidget spinner is a small ball-bearing device that users can rotate very quickly between their fingers. It was originally seen as a device to help people who have attention deficit² hyperactivity disorder³, or ADHD. Many teachers barred students from using fidget spinners during class. So, students decided⁴ to try to construct their own fidget spinner using paper. The search term “How to make a paper fidget spinner” became a top search in May, just in time for the end the school year in the United States.

I’m Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

stream - v. to transmit or receive something over the internet

rotate - v. to move or turn in a circle

ball bearing - n. a part of a machine in which another part (such as a metal pole) turns easily

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - medical terms - is a disorder marked by an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or extreme activity that interferes with functioning or development

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

3 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。