| 词组 | trek |
| 释义 | trek Trek is derived ultimately from the Middle Dutch verb trecken, "to pull, haul, migrate." The English word was borrowed in the 19th century from the Boers of South Africa. As used by the Boers, trek referred specifically to large-scale migrations over land by means of ox-drawn wagons. That was also its original reference in English, both as a noun and as a verb, but in the 20th century it has come to be used more broadly. A few critics, mindful of its etymology, have regarded the extended uses of trek with disapproval, arguing that it should only be used to speak of journeys that are particularly arduous or long and that are undertaken on a large scale. In actual usage, trek always retains at least some suggestion of its original meaning. It commonly describes movement on foot or by other means over land, especially when the going is slow or the movement has—or is being hyperbolically treated as if it has—a migratory or expeditionary nature: • ... usually requires a considerable trek through mountains, forests or swamplands —Bert Reichert, Ford Times, February 1968 • ... twice a year trekking down to Bloomingdale's — Carol Eisen Rinzler, New York, 1 Nov. 1971 • Over 100,000 people ... have trekked through the museum in the past year —Thomas Fleming, Cosmopolitan, July 1972 • Kraft's wife and children ... trek up to the farmhouse to see what they can do —Paul L. Berman, N.Y. Times Book Rev., 1 July 1979 • ... thousands of prospectors trekked north on the Alaska Gold Rush —Maria Wilhelm, People, 30 Aug. 1982 Even when the movement described is not necessarily over land, the "migratory or expeditionary" connotations of trek often make it the word of choice: • ... they went on a trek to New Orleans in search of people to record —Charlie Gillett, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 1972 • Pioneer 11... completed a two-year trek to Jupiter in December —James S. Kunen, New Times, 4 Apr. 1975 • ... the usual stream of radical Arab leaders trekking to Moscow —Elliott House, Wall Street Jour., 3 June 1981 Critics such as Evans 1957 and Gowers in Fowler 1965 object to such usage in part because they feel that trek is being used when a more general word such as go, travel, or journey would be more appropriate. No doubt a more general word could be substituted for trek in any of the above examples, but it is unlikely that the writers who chose trek would agree that such substitution represents a change for the better. Trek has distinct connotations of its own which make it a useful and popular word. There is no need to consciously avoid it, and our considerable evidence of its use indicates that most writers do not feel such a need either. |
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