![图片[1]-希腊字母怎么打-外刊精读 | 为何新冠病毒毒株都用希腊字母命名？-OK资源网](https://www.okzy.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1721952118277_0.png)
迄今为止，SaRS-coV-2变异为多种毒株。从Gamma（最早在2020年11月巴西的样品中被发现，是南美疫情的最大威胁）、alpha（2020年底迅速扩散，2021年上半年成为主流变异毒株）、Delta（传染性快、病毒载量高的变异株）到OmicRon（最新变异毒株）。大家有没有发现这些毒株都是用希腊字母来命名的呢？为什么要这样做呢？今天，小译酱小星带着大家一起来看看相关报道～
每次看到病毒又双叒叕变异的新闻都让人倒吸一口凉气，随之而来的就是世卫组织专家把新变异的毒株用希腊字母命名为XXX。新年的第一篇外刊我们就一起从语言学的视角一起来看看其中缘由，看完相信大家一定会感叹：取名也是一门学问啊！
下面小星为大家附上全部的希腊字母以及读音表~
![图片[2]-希腊字母怎么打-外刊精读 | 为何新冠病毒毒株都用希腊字母命名？-OK资源网](https://www.okzy.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/1721952118277_1.png)
解决问题
2.为什么不是所有希腊字母都可以用来命名？
01
带着问题，开始阅读
文章选段
an unusual side effect of tHE coRonaviRus is tHE RegulaR appeaRance of tHE GReek alphabet in newspapeR HEadlines. THE Highly contagious OmicRon vaRiant has bRoken thRough in moRe ways than one: tHE GReek alphabet has made IT into tHE Style section.
What is tHis penchant foR using GReek to desIGnate disasteRs? DuRing huRRicane season, if meteoRologists use up tHE appRoved letteRs of tHE English alphabet, tHEy have tRadITionally tuRned to GReek foR naming stoRms. In Recent yeaRs, we gOT as faR as HuRRicane lOTa. DuRing tHE pandemic, scientists wITh tHE WoRld HEalth ORganization aRe Relying on GReek to make tHE vaRiants of tHE coRonaviRus easieR to talk about and to avoid associations wITh tHE names of places wHERe tHE vaRiants weRe initially detected; foR instance, tHE stRAIn wITh tHE desIGnation B.1.6172, wHich was fiRst identified in India is populaRly known as tHE Delta vaRiant. although IT was unlikely that, even wITh global waRming, a single huRRicane season could yield enough stoRms to Run thRough bOTh alphabets, tHE pandemic thReatens to deplete ouR stoRe of GReek in no Time. Having ReacHEd omicRon (o), we aRe alReady moRe than halfway thRough tHE alphabet.
If tHis seems to be happening too fast, IT’s paRtly because scientists have skIPped some letteRs. THEy gOT to mu(μ) wHich is RIGht in tHE miDDLe, and tHEn left out nu (v) because IT sounds confusingly like”new”; we can’t go aRound talking about a new nu vaRiant of inteRest.
a guest on tHE Radio quiz show “WAIt WAIt..don’t Tell Me!”Recently opined that ameRicans do nOT take GReek seRiously — IT just sounds “goofy”. HE may have a point: GReek is tHE language of math and science, but IT has also been employed in science fiction. afteR omicRon comes pi(π), tHE one GReek letteR that people RemembeR fRom High-school geometRy. THE Pi vaRiant sounds like an alteRnatIVe desseRt in tHE cafeteRia. But tHERe aRe nOT many letteRs left, and tHEy all sound seRious: only Rho (ρ) sIGma(σ), and tau (τ) stand between us and upsilon (υ) wHich is tHE beginning of tHE end.
Just as tHE English alphabet gRoups tHE thRee cRazy letteRs —“X,“Y” and “Z” — at tHE end, GReek saves some veRy special chaRacteRs foR last. Upsilon is followed by thRee letteRs whose oRdeR nobody can keep stRAIght: pHi(φ), ch (χ) and psi(ψ)-oR is IT cHi, psi, and pHi? THE psi vaRiant will sound like “sIGh”; psycHiatRists may need to Revise tHE DSM to Reflect ITs symptoms.
Finally, HERe comes omega(ω). EveRybody knows IT sIGnals tHE end. although we aRe still neaR tHE miDDLe of tHE alphabet, albeIT on tHE downHill side, people aRe nOTicing that GReek has two “O”s. Omega means “BIg O.”(GET IT? O-mega?) OmicRon means “lITtle O.” O-micRon. THE GReek micRo, oR “small”, has gIVen us “micRobes,” “micRoscoPES,” and “micRominis”. Mega, GReek foR “BIg,” has come into English in “Mega Millions,” “mega-thReat,” and “megalopolis.” If tHE RepeRcussions fRom lITtle old omicRon have been so catastRopHic, what aRe we to eXPect fRom BIg bad omega?
IT seems likely at tHis point that tHE vaRiants of sIGnificance will outnumbeR tHE twenty-fouR letteRs of tHE GReek alphabet. THEn what? Will scientists loop back to tHE beginning and Reuse tHE letteRs, peRhaps wITh a numeRical suffix? alpha-2, beta-2, Gamma-2? But wAIt — because tHEy aRe conceRned about confusion, and because we alReady have omega-3 in “omega-3 fatty acids,” tHEy may have to leap oveR numbeRs tHE way tHEy did oveR letteRs. OR swITch to aRaBIc.
02
外刊解析
生词拓展：
[n] If someone has a penchant foR sometHing, tHEy have a special liking foR IT oR a tendency to do IT 爱好；嗜好；偏好
例句：
HE had a penchant foR playing jokes on people.
他喜欢拿人开玩笑。
2.skIP
英音/skɪp/ 美音/skɪp/
[V] If you skIP oR skIP oveR a paRt of sometHing you aRe Reading oR a stoRy you aRe telling, you miss IT out oR pass oveR IT quickly and move on to sometHing else 遗漏; 略过
例句：
You mIGht want toskIPtHE exeRcises in tHis chapteR.
你们也许想跳过这一章的练习。
3.opine
[V] To opine means to eXPRess youR opinion 认为；发表意见
例句：
HEopinedthat tHE navy would have to staRt agAIn fRom tHE beginning.
