Orz?　　什麼是orz？

According to Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, the Orz are a fictional race of beings that are portrayed on the sci-fi computer game, Star Control.

However, "orz" means something entirely different to an increasing number of people in Asia. Senior high school students in Taiwan even discovered "Martian" words like "orz" and "3Q" on this year's university entrance examination. They are called Martian words because they are not borrowed from any language on earth. One such word is orz, which has gained quite a lot of attention in Japan, China, and now Taiwan.

If you are Net savvy, then you already know that 3Q (pronounced in Chinese as san Q) means thank you and that orz (which is pronounced o-r-z) is a pictogram that is used to show despair or to represent a failed attempt at something. The pictogram is meant to resemble a stick figure on his hands (the r is his arms and back) and knees (the z) with his head (the o) bowed in anguish.

First coming on the scene in Japan late in 2004, it has now become an icon of sorts and can be seen in blogs, as website addresses, on products, in comics, as company logos, and even on road signs throughout the country. OTZ, which is most commonly used as the capitalized version of orz, beat out such alternative forms of the pictogram as OTL, STO, and JTO.

——by Reese Richards

1. The word orz is _____.
(A) a combination of or and is
(B) a pictogram that represents misery and failure
(C) Internet slang representing "thank you"
(D) a subject on all Taiwanese examinations

2. Orz and 3Q are called Martian words because _____.
(A) they are both out of this world
(B) they are not from any language on the planet
(C) they were discovered in Japan written on ancient scrolls
(D) Martians always use these words

3. What is the most common capitalized version of orz?
(A) OTL
(B) ORZ
(C) STO
(D) OTZ

1. portray vt. 描繪
portray sb as...　　把某人描繪成……
例: The movie portrayed the mafia as a united and big family.
（那部電影把黑手黨描繪成一個團結的大家庭。）

2. an increasing number of + 複數名詞　　為數愈來愈多的……
an increasing amount of + 不可數名詞　　為數愈來愈多的……
例: An increasing number of people are taking up yoga as a way of keeping fit and healthy.
（越來越多人開始練瑜珈來保持身材和健康。）

3. pronounce vt. 發（音）
例: I've never seen this word before. How do you pronounce it?
（我從來沒看過這個字。這要怎麼唸？）

4. despair n. & vi. 絕望
in despair　　絕望地
例: He left the room in despair after he lost the contest.
（他輸了比賽後絕望地離開房間。）

5. resemble vt. 相似
例: This fake Fendi handbag resembles the real one you have.
（這仿冒的 Fendi 手提包跟你那個真品很像。）

6. bow vt. 低（頭）
例: He bowed his head and prayed to God for a miracle.
（他低頭向上帝禱告，希望奇蹟出現。）

7. in anguish　　痛苦地
anguish n. 極度的痛苦，苦惱
例: The journey ended up in anguish.
（那趟旅程以痛苦告終。）

8. come/be on the scene　　出現，現身
= show up
例: I called 119 and the ambulance was on the scene in five minutes.
（我打了119，救護車五分鐘後就趕到現場。）

9. N + of sorts　　勉強稱得上……的
sort n. 種類
a man of sorts　　多才多藝的人
例: He was a lawyer of sorts, but he still made a lot of money.
（他勉強算是個律師，但仍賺很多錢。）
That guy is really a man of sorts. He successfully played the role.
（那名男子真是多才多藝。他成功地扮演了那個角色。）

10. capitalized a. 大寫的
capitalize vt. 把……大寫
例: The title should be written with the first letter capitalized.
（標題的第一個字母應該大寫。）

First coming on the scene in Japan late in 2004, it has now become an icon of sorts...
= It first came on the scene in Japan late in 2004, and it has now become an icon of sorts...

　　根據維基免費線上百科全書，Orz 是科幻電玩遊戲『激戰M星雲』中虛構的生物。

　　然而，orz 對越來越多亞洲人來說卻有截然不同的意義。台灣的高中生甚至在今年大學學測中發現 orz 和 3Q 這一類的火星文。這些文字被稱為火星文是因其並非來自地球上的任何一種語言。火星文中的 orz 尤其在日本、中國和台灣等地引起許多注意。

　　假如你是網路通，你應該已經知道 3Q （中文發音三Q）的意思是謝謝你，而 orz（發音為 o-r-z）是一種象形文字，用來表示絕望或嘗試某事失敗了。這個象形文字就像是一個火柴人，手（r 指手臂和背部）和膝蓋（z）著地，苦惱地低著頭（o）的樣子。

　 orz 於 2004 年底於日本開始流行，現在已經變成了某種圖騰，你可以在部落格、網址、商品、漫畫、公司商標裡看到，它甚至還出現在日本的路標上。OTZ 是 orz 最常見的大寫版本，比OTL、STO、和 JTO 等其他符號更受歡迎。

1. online a. 線上的

2. encyclopedia n. 百科全書

3. fictional a. 虛構的

4. being n. 生物

5. sci-fi n. 科幻小說
= science fiction

6. entirely adv. 徹底地

7. savvy a. 對某特定事物很通曉的
= Net savvy　　對網路很在行的

8. pictogram n. 象形文字

9. stick figure n. 火柴人
（以簡單線條畫出的人物）

10. icon n. 象徵

11. blog n. 部落格

12. logo n. 商標，標識

13. version n. 版本

14. alternative a. 可選擇的

15. combination n. 結合，組合

16. misery n. 痛苦，悲慘

17. scroll n. 卷軸


1. orz 這個字是 _____。
(A) or 和 is 這兩個字的組合
(B) 表示悲慘和失敗的象形文字
(C) 表示『謝謝你』的網路語言
(D) 所有台灣考試都有的一門學科
題解: 在本文第三段中提到 orz 表絕望或嘗試某事失敗，故知選項 (B) 最符合 orz 所代表的意義。

2. orz 和 3Q 被稱為火星文是因為 _____。
(A) 它們全都不存在這個世界
(B) 它們不是來自這個星球的語言
(C) 它們是日本古代的卷軸中所發現的紀載
(D) 火星人都用這些文字
題解: 文中第二段提到被稱為火星文是因為這些字並非來自地球的語言，故 (B) 為正選。

3. orz 最常見的大寫版本為何？
(A) OTL
(B) ORZ
(C) STO
(D) OTZ
題解: 第四段最後一句中即提到 OTZ 是 orz 較常見的大寫版本，故 (D) 為正選。

標準答案: 1. (B)　2. (B)　3. (D)

from 常春藤解析英語雜誌