VOA慢速英语:Should Offensive Place Names Be Changed?

place name – adj. the name of a city, town, lake, country, etc.

demean – v. to cause (someone or something) to seem less important or less worthy of respect

controversial – adj. relating to or causing much discussion, disagreement or argument; likely to produce controversy

segregation – n. the practice or policy of keeping people of different races, religions, etc., separate from each other

desert – v. to leave the military without permission and without intending to return

inference – n. a conclusion or opinion that is formed because of known facts or evidence

stuff – n. informal used to speak in a general way about something that is talked about, written about, etc.

alternative – adj. offering or expressing a choice

politically correct – expression the idea that people are sometimes overly or unnecessarily careful to not use language or behave in a way that could offend a particular group of people

wipe away – v. expression eliminate; remove

assign – v. to give a particular value, identity, etc., to something

located – adj. in a specified place in or at that place

raccoon – n. a small North American animal with grayish-brown fur that has black fur around its eyes and black rings around its tail

attach – v. to associate or connect one thing with another; to add