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British potato farmers were taking to the streets to call for the expression "couch potato" to be taken
away from the dictionary on the grounds that it harms the vegetable's image.
The British Potato Council wants the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) to replace the expression with
the term "couch slouch", with protests planned outside parliament in London and the offices of Oxford
University Press. Kathryn Race, head of marketing at the Council, which represents some 4,000 growers
and processors, said the group had complained in writing to the OED but had yet to receive a response.
"We are trying to get rid of the image that potatoes are bad to you," she said Monday.
"The potato has had its knocks in the past. Of course it is not the Oxford English Dictionary's fault
but we want to use another term than couch potato because potatoes are naturally healthy."
The OED says "couch potato" originated as American slang, meaning"a person who spends leisure
time passively or idly sitting around, especially watching television or video tapes."
John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, said the dictionary first included the term
"couch potato" in 1993 and said"dictionaries just reflect the words that society uses."
Simpson said words were never taken out of the full-length dictionary, which includes some 650,000
words contained in 20 volumes. But little-used words can be removed from the smaller dictionaries to make
way for newer ones.
"If society stops using words, then they are taken out of the smaller dictionaries", he added. "The first
known recorded use of the expression 'couch potato' was in a 1979 Log Angeles Times article," Simpson
said.
Nigel Evans, a member of parliament for the Ribble Valley in Lancashire, has made a motion in support
of the campaign, highlighting the nutritional value of the British potato.
1. British potato farmers were taking to the streets ____.
A. to advertise their production
B. to call for a higher price for t heir potatoes
C. to remove the expression "couch potato" from the dictionary
D. to let people know how important the potato is in people's lives
2.The farmers think that ____.
A. potatoes have had a bad imagine
B. potatoes are good for people by nature
C. potatoes sometimes do harm to people
D. it's the dictionary's fault to use the expression "couch potato"
3. John Simpson thinks that ____.
A. he expression can be taken out of every kind of dictionary
B. dictionaries do not necessarily reflect the words the society uses
C. little used words can remain in the smaller dictionaries
D. it is impossible to take the word out of the dictionary
4. What is wrong with the expression "couch potato"?
A. It is connected with unfavorable meaning.
B. Potato should be used in the expression.
C. It is borrowed from American English.
D. It refers to a kind of person.