数字时代创造的30个动词短语

30 Phrasal Verbs to Help You With Technology 数字时代创造的30个动词短语

Welcome back to Everyday Grammar from VOA Learning English.

This is our third episode on phrasal verbs. As you know, a phrasal verb is a phrase with two or more words: a verb and a preposition or adverb, or both.

Today we look at very current phrasal verbs: ones used with technology. The digital age has created many new words and phrases in English.

The world of technology is fast-changing, and it has broken many traditions. It is natural that the language of computers would also change and be informal.

Not only is the language of technology full of phrasal verbs, it is also full of new nouns. Many of those nouns grew out of phrasal verbs, as you will learn in this episode.

Getting started

Let’s go back to 1969, when the first verb sent over the Internet was a phrasal verb: log in. To log in is to enter a code, key or password to gain access to the computer’s abilities. We have been logging in ever since then. Sometimes we say we have to sign in to a web page.

Like now, we started a computer started by hooking up wire cables and then powering it up or turning it on. Some computers took a long time to boot up, or get ready to run programs.

Now, we do not have to wait as long. To install new applications on the computer, users run a set up program. Then we click on the icon¹, or image, for a program to run it.

After opening a program, you choose commands from a menu. These menus are stored in a pull down or drop down bar near the top of the screen.

A click of the mouse – the hand-held device that guides the cursor around the computer screen – shows more commands on the bar. That bar is often called the navigation bar, or nav bar.

This leads us to our first noun from a phrasal verb, pulldown. When we give instructions to a friend about using a web page, we can say, “Look in the nav bar for the pulldown and choose a command.”

Another verb that describes up-and-down movement on the screen is scroll² up or scroll down. A wheel on the mouse allows you to scroll up or scroll down to read a web page. We can click on an arrow to move to the next screen, too.

Storage and other problems

Installing upgrades can sometimes damage files. So, users should always back up their files. That is, copy files and folders³ to another location, like an external disk drive. A user who stores many large files will soon run out of room on the computer, so keeping files on an extra hard drive is a good idea.

This phrasal verb became a noun, too. Experts tell us, “Put your backups in a safe place.”

My parents used to print out their emails because they wanted to keep a permanent copy, and here is another new noun: a printout.

The phrasal verb print out is a separable phrasal verb, like the ones we talked about in a previous episode. That means you can put a pronoun between the verb and preposition, as in “Let me print it out for you.”

Even when we use passwords, criminals have learned to enter a computer or a network without permission. They are hacking⁴ into the network. Hacking can make computer systems go down, or stop working.

A disaster could happen if the hacker⁵ wiped out, or erased⁶ all the information on a computer system. That is why you back up your system.

Annoying advertising⁷

Internet advertisements, or ads, pop up on the screen over a web page. This created a new noun from the phrasal verb, popup. People said they needed a tool to block those annoying ads, so the “popup blocker” was born. This feature is part of the browser⁸ software.

Speaking of browsers⁹, another phrasal verb that became a noun is plug in. You know that you can plug a wire into the wall. Now, we add small programs to perform specific tasks in the computer, and call them plugins.

Companies often will ask for your email address. They create a large list of users from their email addresses. When we sign up to use a website, we key in our name and email address.

The organization running an online service usually asks us to opt¹⁰ in, or choose to receive email messages. Usually those messages are asking us to buy products. There are so many of these emails now that many people try to filter out all messages from advertisers – otherwise known as spam.

Getting off the grid¹¹

If you think that the Internet is full of too many advertisements, and your email is nothing but spam, just click on the menu to shut down and turn off your devices for the day. Get off what we called “the information superhighway” and take a walk outside. Wait! There is one final phrasal verb to describe that: go offline.

For Learning English Everyday Grammar, I’m Jill Robbins.

 

Here is a list of the phrasal verbs in this story:

Phrasal Verbs for Technology and Computers
Phrasal Verb	Meanings	Example
log in sign in sign-in	v. connect to a computer using ausername and password n. page or act of registeringpermission to use a program	To begin, log in to your desktopsystem.
hook up	to connect wires from machines to apower source or other machines	Would you please help me hook upthe Internet cable?
power up turn on	provide power to a machine	Press the red button to power upyour tablet.
boot up start up	begin running a computer system	Wait a second, my computer isbooting up.
set up	v. to install a new computer programor assemble a computer system n. the process of adding informationusing a computer program	This application took a long time toset up.
pull down pulldown	v.  choose from a menu of options in acomputer application extending downfrom the action bar like a window blind n. a menu of options	Look for the file menu and pull downto “Save As…”
click on	move a mouse over an item and pressto select	Click on the start menu to begin.
scroll up scroll down	to move slowly to the top or bottomof a text	The news story was so long I had toscroll down a lot to read it all.
run out of	exhaust a supply of something	You will run out of disk space if yousave copies of all your emails.
back up backup	v. make an extra copy of a file n. an extra copy of a file	Be sure you back up your files beforeyou change systems.
print out printout	v. send an electronic document to aprinter n. a printed document	I have to print out the directionsbefore I leave home.
hack into	enter a computer or network illegally	Someone hacked into my bank andstole millions of dollars.
go down	stop operating properly	I cannot send any emails because theserver went down.
wipe out	completely erase or delete files	Before you donate your computer, besure you wipe out the hard drive.
pop up popup	v. to appear suddenly n. an advertisement that appearssuddenly on a computer screen	If you do not want to see the ads,turn on your pop up blocker.
plug in plug-in	v. insert a cord into an outlet or port n. an addition to a software programthat performs a certain task	Plug in your laptop over there.
sign up	register with a service	She signed up for an online datingservice.
key in	type or enter characters using akeyboard	It takes too much time to key in thatlong password.
opt in / out	choose to receive advertising ormessages	The company asked me to opt in toget special offers by email.
filter out	remove unwanted email messages	Can we filter out all the spam on thisaccount?
turn off shut down power down	end a session on the computer byclosing an application or removingpower	I’m tired, so I’m going to shut downthe computer for today.
go online/offline	to use the Internet / not use theInternet	I will send you that information assoon as I can go online.

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Words in This Story

preposition – grammar. a word or group of words that is used with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, location, or time, or to introduce an object

adverb – grammar. a word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a sentence and that is often used to show time, manner, place, or degree

informal – adj. (of language) relaxed in tone; not suited for serious or official speech and writing

cable – n. a group of wires, glass fibers¹², etc., covered in plastic or rubber and used to carry electricity or electrical signal

upgrade – n. an occurrence in which one thing is replaced by something better, newer, more valuable, etc.

browser – n. a computer program that is used to find and look at information on the Internet

specific – adj. having a particular function or effect

opt – v.  to choose to do or be involved in something

filter – v. to remove (something unwanted) by using a filter

spam – n. e-mail that is not wanted or e-mail that is sent to large numbers of people and that consists mostly of advertising

1 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

2 scroll   

n.卷轴，纸卷；(石刻上的)漩涡

参考例句：

• As I opened the scroll,a panorama of the Yellow River unfolded.我打开卷轴时，黄河的景象展现在眼前。
• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements.他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。

3 folders   

n.文件夹( folder的名词复数 )；纸夹；（某些计算机系统中的）文件夹；页面叠

参考例句：

• Encrypt and compress individual files and folders. The program is compact, efficient and user friendly. 加密和压缩的个人档案和folders.the计划是紧凑，高效和用户友好。 来自互联网
• By insertion of photocopies,all folders can be maintained complete with little extra effort. 插入它的复制本，不费多大力量就能使所有文件夹保持完整。 来自辞典例句

4 hacking   

n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动

参考例句：

• The patient with emphysema is hacking all day. 这个肺气肿病人整天不断地干咳。
• We undertook the task of hacking our way through the jungle. 我们负责在丛林中开路。

5 hacker   

n.能盗用或偷改电脑中信息的人，电脑黑客

参考例句：

• The computer hacker wrote that he was from Russia.这个计算机黑客自称他来自俄罗斯。
• This site was attacked by a hacker last week.上周这个网站被黑客攻击了。

6 erased   

v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；清除

参考例句：

• He erased the wrong answer and wrote in the right one. 他擦去了错误答案，写上了正确答案。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He removed the dogmatism from politics; he erased the party line. 他根除了政治中的教条主义，消除了政党界限。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

8 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

9 browsers   

浏览器

参考例句：

• Three-layer architecture is a model made up of browser, web server and background database server. 这种体系结构是由Browser、Web Server、Database Server组成的浏览器／Web服务器／后台数据库服务器三层模型。 来自互联网
• Another excellent approach is to abandon the browser entirely and, instead, create a non-browser-based, Internet-enabled application. 另一个非常好的方法是干脆放弃浏览器，取而代之，创建一个不基于浏览器，但却是基于互联网的应用。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

10 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

11 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

12 fibers   

光纤( fiber的名词复数 )； （织物的）质地； 纤维，纤维物质

参考例句：

• Thesolution of collagen-PVA was wet spined with the sodium sulfate as coagulant and collagen-PVA composite fibers were prepared. 在此基础上，以硫酸钠为凝固剂，对胶原-PVA共混溶液进行湿法纺丝，制备了胶原-PVA复合纤维。
• Sympathetic fibers are distributed to all regions of the heart. 交感神经纤维分布于心脏的所有部分。