Road kill?
<p><span word="Reader">Reader</span> <span word="question">question</span>:</p><p><span word="Please">Please</span> <span word="explain">explain</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="sentence">sentence</span>, <span word="particularly">particularly</span> “<span word="road">road</span> <span word="kill">kill</span>”: <span word="Yahoo">Yahoo</span> <span word="has">has</span> <span word="become">become</span> <span word="road">road</span> <span word="kill">kill</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="information">information</span> <span word="superhighway">superhighway</span>.</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="Road">Road</span> <span word="kill">kill</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="literally">literally</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="animal">animal</span> <span word="killed">killed</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="road">road</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="vehicles">vehicles</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="traffic">traffic</span>. <span word="For">For</span> <span word="example">example</span>, <span word="if">if</span> <span word="someone">someone</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="pet">pet</span> <span word="dog">dog</span> <span word="strays">strays</span> <span word="onto">onto</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="road">road</span> <span word="Beijing">Beijing</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="gets">gets</span> <span word="run">run</span> <span word="over">over</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="car">car</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="truck">truck</span>, <span word="that">that</span> <span word="poor">poor</span> <span word="dog">dog</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="roadkill">roadkill</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="countryside">countryside</span>, <span word="animals">animals</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="wild">wild</span> <span word="often">often</span> <span word="stray">stray</span> <span word="onto">onto</span> <span word="highways">highways</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="superhighways">superhighways</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="get">get</span> <span word="hit">hit</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="cars">cars</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="trucks">trucks</span>. <span word="These">These</span> <span word="are">are</span> <span word="all">all</span> <span word="road">road</span> <span word="kills">kills</span>.</p><p><span word="Road">Road</span> <span word="kill">kill</span>, <span word="or">or</span> <span word="roadkill">roadkill</span>, <span word="is">is</span> <span word="American">American</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="origin">origin</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="relatively">relatively</span> <span word="new">new</span> <span word="expression">expression</span> – <span word="obviously">obviously</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="byproduct">byproduct</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="motor">motor</span> <span word="vehicles">vehicles</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="highways">highways</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="fact">fact</span>, <span word="according">according</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="Online">Online</span> <span word="Etymology">Etymology</span> <span word="Dictionary">Dictionary</span>, “<span word="road">road</span> <span word="kill">kill</span>” <span word="became">became</span> <span word="accepted">accepted</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="English">English</span> <span word="language">language</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="late">late</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="in">in</span> 1972. <span word="Presumably">Presumably</span> <span word="prior">prior</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="road">road</span> <span word="kills">kills</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="general">general</span> <span word="topic">topic</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="weren">weren</span>’<span word="t">t</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="prevalent">prevalent</span> <span word="then">then</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="become">become</span> <span word="later">later</span>. <span word="For">For</span> <span word="example">example</span>, <span word="Merritt">Merritt</span> <span word="Clifton">Clifton</span>, <span word="Editor">Editor</span> <span word="Animal">Animal</span> <span word="People">People</span> <span word="Newspaper">Newspaper</span>, <span word="used">used</span> <span word="the">the</span> 1993 <span word="roadkill">roadkill</span> <span word="statistics">statistics</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="estimated">estimated</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="following">following</span> <span word="animals">animals</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="being">being</span> <span word="killed">killed</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="motor">motor</span> <span word="vehicles">vehicles</span> (<span word="http">http</span>://<span word="roadkill">roadkill</span>.<span word="edutel">edutel</span>.<span word="com">com</span>) <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="year">year</span>:</p><p>41 <span word="million">million</span> <span word="squirrels">squirrels</span></p><p>26 <span word="million">million</span> <span word="cats">cats</span></p><p>22 <span word="million">million</span> <span word="rats">rats</span></p><p>19 <span word="million">million</span> <span word="opossums">opossums</span></p><p>15 <span word="million">million</span> <span word="raccoons">raccoons</span></p><p>6 <span word="million">million</span> <span word="dogs">dogs</span></p><p>350,000 <span word="deer">deer</span></p><p><span word="Horrific">Horrific</span> <span word="numbers">numbers</span>, <span word="aren">aren</span>’<span word="t">t</span> <span word="they">they</span>?</p><p><span word="Metaphorically">Metaphorically</span>, “<span word="road">road</span> <span word="kill">kill</span>” <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="figurative">figurative</span> <span word="sense">sense</span> <span word="came">came</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="being">being</span> <span word="in">in</span> 1992, <span word="again">again</span> <span word="according">according</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="same">same</span> <span word="Online">Online</span> <span word="Etymology">Etymology</span> <span word="Dictionary">Dictionary</span>.</p>
页:
[1]