Even though the Mayday call is widely used, the origin of this word is not well known. Some people may also wonder why Mayday is used instead of other words like “help” or “emergency.” So, how did the word Mayday come to be used in emergencies? Before the use of radios on ships and planes, people relied on telegraph to send the letters SOS when they faced danger. In Morse Code, SOS is written as three dots, three dashes, and then three dots again.
虽然 Mayday 这个求救讯号被广泛使用，但这个字的由来却不为人熟知。有些人也会好奇，为什么不用其他像是 help（救命）或 emergency（紧急情况）之类的字，而是选择了 Mayday？那么 Mayday 这个字是怎么成为紧急讯号的呢？在船只和飞机尚未使用无线电的时代，人们面临危险时，会依靠电报传送 SOS 三个字母来求救。在摩斯密码中，SOS 是以三个点、三条长划、再三个点表示。
生活必备字词：
wonder vt. 想知道，纳闷
instead of... 而不是……
rely on... 依靠∕依赖……
◆免费线上听外师朗读 https://ivyforfree.pse.is/3jks97
本文节录自《常春藤生活英语》杂志，完整内容请见十月号。
點擊閱讀下一則新聞
