2013年6月号- エイゴパス英会話レッスン 月刊ニュースレター

英語ニュース Current Internet NEWS!! <新着ネットニュース>
英語のビデオ Video News (Domestic and World Events/国内&世界の動画ニュース)
Business English <ビジネス英語フレーズ>
Grammar Study<今月の文法学習>
TOEICクイズ TOEIC Study Quiz<TOEICテスト>
Monthly Column – <今月のコラム>
 
   
You can read the article below and use it in your lessons to discuss with your teacher. — この記事を読んで先生とレッスンで話し合おう!
World News

Class retakes class picture to "include" everyone. Truly "classy"!

The original photo, taken last month, shows a beaming Miles Ambridge stretching his body to be as close as possible to his grade two classmates.

The photo went viral after it was published in a Canadian newspaper, prompting outrage that Miles appeared to be singled out.

   

The company that took the photo, Lifetouch, quickly apologised on its Facebook page, saying the photographer made an "unintentional" mistake.

"We worked directly with the family and school to retake the class photo and the new portrait was delivered yesterday," Lifetouch said on Wednesday.

The new photo shows Miles, out of his wheelchair, sitting with his classmates in the front row, the same toothy grin lighting up his face.

After seeing the new portrait, Miles father Don Ambridge said "the world’s been put back as it should be".

Mr Ambridge and Miles’ mother Anne Belanger were shocked and upset by the original photo and refused to let their son see it to avoid hurting him.

But Mr Ambridge, who attended the reshoot last week, said he did not think the school or photographer were being intentionally malicious.

Mr Ambridge told NBC’s Today Show that Miles chose to sit outside his wheelchair for reshoot.

"That’s his decision to make, not others," he said.

"When we get home from school the first thing he wants to do is go hang out on the couch and maybe play some Wii, maybe read a book – he wants to take a break from the chair."

The family hopes the incident will shed light on discrimination

 

クラスみんなで仲良く写真を揃り直し。「はい、チーズ!」

先月に撮られた元のクラス写真を見ると、マイル•アムブリッジ君は車椅子に座りながら、他の小学二年生のクラスメイト達に近づこうと体を思い切り伸ばしている様子が伺える。

その写真がカナダの新聞に載った後、インターネットで爆発的に出回り、彼が意図的に仲間外れにされたのではないかと怒りを表す人たちが出て来た。

クラス写真を撮ったライフタッチ社は、すぐに同社のFacebookページで謝罪し、写真家の不適切な配置は意図的なものではなかったと釈明した。

 ã€Œæˆ‘々はマイル君の家族、学校、クラスメイトと協力の上写真を撮り直し、昨日皆様にお渡しました」とライフタッチ社が水曜日に発表した。

 å–り直した新しい写真では、マイル君は車椅子に乗っておらず、クラスメイトたちと一緒に前の列で、前の写真と同じとびっきりの笑顔で映っている。

その新しい写真を見たマイル君の父、ドン•アムブリッジ氏は「本来あるべき姿に戻った」と語った。

アムブリッジ氏と母、アン•ベランガー氏は、元の写真を見てショックを受け動揺し、息子が傷付くのを避けるため為、彼には見せなかった。

先週の写真の取り直しに立ち会ったアムブリッジ氏は「学校や写真家は意図的に悪意のある写真を撮ったとは思わない」と語った。

アムブリッジ氏は、NBCの「Today Show」で「取り直しの際、息子は自分の意思により車椅子から降りることを選択した」と語った。

 ã€Œã“れは彼が判断することで、他の人が判断することではない」

「学校から帰って来て、彼が最初にやりたがることは、ソファーに座ること。多分Wiiで遊んだり、本を読んだり、ただ車椅子から離れて休みたいんでしょう」と語った。

マイル君の家族は、この出来事がきっかけで、人々の差別問題への意識が高まるようにと願っている。

 
 
Japan News:

Call for ‘global human resources’ throws school education into confusion

Recently, not a day goes by without someone proclaiming the importance of nurturing "global human resources." Bold proposals abound, including the use of TOEFL scores as a criterion for admission to college, and the introduction of English as a subject in lower elementary school grades. What, however, does "global human resources" actually mean?

At the Institution for a Global Society (IGS), a Tokyo preparatory

cram school catering toward elementary, junior high and high school students who aspire to attend schools overseas, founder and CEO Masahiro Fukuhara teaches a class on "creating values."

"It doesn’t matter what it is: just say what you think!" Fukuhara urges, nudging and encouraging the 15 high school students, who all appear to be at a loss. The topic of the day’s lesson is: "Which do you support? The Syrian Armed Forces, or Syrian rebels?"

"You don’t have to have the right answer. Japanese people are too worried about getting it right, which is the reason they are scared to speak up," he says. "This is the biggest news story on CNN. You have to know about it if you’re planning to go to college abroad."

The students are constantly kept on their toes by Fukuhara’s ongoing barrage of questions and prompts. Twenty elementary school students and 35 junior high and high school students attend the school, which was founded in 2010. There were only four students in the beginning, but as calls for "global human resources" increased, so did inquiries from families interested in the school.

Most of the classes are held in English, including those taken by elementary school students. The "creating values" class, however, is taught in Japanese.

"Having your own values — and being able to work together with people who may have different opinions from yours in order to create new values — is more important than English-language ability," Fukuhara explains. "I want to cultivate those skills in students using their mother tongue."

 

特集ワイド:「グローバル人材=英語力」なのか 「押しの強い人」は誤解 養成コスト削減が企業の本音

「グローバル人材の育成を」。今やこの言葉を聞かぬ日はない。大学入試にTOEFL(トフル)などの外部検定試験のスコアを利用するとか、小学校低学年から英語を教科化するとか、大胆な提言が相次ぐけれど、ちょっと待って。そもそも「グローバル人材」って何?【小国綾子】

 「何でもいい、意見を言おう!」。海外進学を目指す小中高生向けの学習スクール「IGS」(東京都渋谷区)で、福原正大(まさひろ)学院長が15人の高校生らに呼びかけた。同スクールの名物「価値観を創る授業」の一幕だ。この日の課題は「シリアの政府軍と反体制派、どちらを支持するか」。

 戸惑う生徒を福原さんがせっつき、励ます。「答えではなく意見でいいんだ。日本人は正しい答えを探そうとするから発言できなくなる」「CNNで一番騒がれているニュース。海外の大学に行くつもりなら知っていないと」。矢継ぎ早に意見を求められ、常に考えないとついていけない。

 2010年にできた同塾に通うのは小学生が20人、中高生らが35人。最初の年、生徒はわずか4人だったが「グローバル人材」が叫ばれるようになり問い合わせが急増した。

 小学生の授業を含め、ほとんどの授業は英語中心だが「価値観を創る授業」だけは日本語だ。福原さんは「英語力以上に自分なりの価値観を持つことや、異なる意見を持つ人と共同作業して新たな価値を生み出す力が大事。母国語でそれを鍛えたい」。

 

 
 
 
   
  New! Learning through News Videos
 
 
 
Business English Expression and Phrases <ビジネス英会話フレーズ>
-Learn expressions such as idioms and slang that is unique to culture, age, and business!
新しい英語表現: 文化・時代・ビジネスで使う特有なイディオム表現や俗語を覚えよう!
–In a meeting with a new customer, XDell, Carl and Hiroshi confirm a big business deal with the purchasing manager, Susan Collins–
Susan: Everyone is buzzing with excitement regarding the launch of our new laptop pc lines which will carry the new Intel I3 chips.
Hiroshi: Carl and his team are going all out in making that a fast reality. We appreciate such a large order from your company.
Carl: Since this is your first order with us, can we nail down some important details today’s meeting regarding the ordering process and timing in ?
Susan: Well, honestly, our ordering process is a bit complicated. I would first need approval from the Finance department one more time before bringing it to top management for the green light. Then, the purchase order will be sent, provided that there are no remaining technical issues.
Carl: So, how likely is that to cause a hitch in our deal today?
Susan: We’re going through the specs with a fine-toothed comb, and, so far so good. I will sent the terms to finance once the results come through.
Carl: That sounds good!
 
上記の会話の日本語訳はこちらをクリック’(印刷可): JAPANESE VERSION
"is buzzing" to be excite
-lines accomplish two things at the same time
"going all out" will be unsatisfactory
"nail down" to have another option
-complicated to cover or be adequate for
"green light" shortage
-a hitch at the moment
"with a fine toothed comb" to express that one is not responsible for
"Take care vs Pay attention" 今回はTake Care と Pay Attention の使い方を解説します。
 
 

 
–This section will cover a broad range of different grammar rules and explanations to help you understand sentence structure and improve awareness of English grammar.
このコーナーでは文法の規則や英文の構成についてわかりやすく学べます。
What is the difference between "So vs Such", "Too vs Enough"?
Read some of the sentences below and try to understand in which situations they are used correctly or incorrectly.
Examples of how "so" and "such" are used:
 
Ex:â‘ 

It was a great vacation. We had such a good time.
It was a great vacation. We had so good time.
Ex:â‘¡
英会話ポイント
We bought the car right way because it was so cheap.
英語ポイント
We bought the car right way because it was such cheap.
Ex:â‘¢
英会話ポイント
I was so sleepy I could barely keep my eyes open during the meeting.
英語ポイント
I was such sleepy I could barely keep my eyes open during the meeting.
Note: "so" is used before an adjective with no noun after the adjective

Note: "such" is used before an adjective with a noun following the adjective

 
What is the difference between "enough" and "too"?
 
Ex:â‘ 

Could you turn down the lights? I do not like it too bright.
Could you turn down the lights? I do not like it bright enough.
Ex:â‘¡
英会話ポイント
Do not put the vegetables in the pot yet. The water is not hot enough.
英語ポイント
Do not put the vegetables in the pot yet. The water is not too hot.
Ex:â‘¢
英会話ポイント
They can’t get married. They are not old enough.
英語ポイント
They can’t get married. They are not too old.
Note: "enough" is usually used before a noun: Example: enough money, enough time

Note: "enough" is usually used after an adjective: Example: old enough, experienced enough
 
Note: "too" is usually used before an adjective: Example: too old, or too experienced

 
Nuance: "enough" usually has a positive meaning while "too" has a negative meaning.
 
 

Let’s learn how to use the above words! <練習問題>

Read each sentence and select which of the following choices is appropriate: so, such, such (a/an)
 
1. The hotel we stayed at during our vacation was _______ nice!
2. I was surprised by the size of our hotel room. It was _______ a spacious room.
3. I didn’t realize you lived _______ far from the station.
4. Had I known that you had to walk _______ long way, I would have picked you up.
5. I can’t decide what to do. It’s _______ problem.
英語のクイズ 6. The weather is ______ beautiful isn’t it. I didn’t expect it to be _______ nice day.
英語のクイズ 7. I couldn’t believe the news. It was _______ shock.
   
Read each sentence and write the appropriate form of the word in parenthesis with "enough" or "too".
   
英語のクイズ 8. Do you have _______________ (money) to take a vacation right now?
英語のクイズ 9. He wasn’t _______________ (qualified) for the job so they didn’t hire him.
英語のクイズ 10. We should turn on the air conditioner. It is just _______________ (hot) in here.
英語のクイズ 11. The students could not understand the professor because he spoke _____________ (quickly).
英語のクイズ 12. The wallet was ________________ (big) it did not fit in my back pocket.
英語のクイズ 13. Steve did not feel _______________ (well) to go to work this morning.
英語のクイズ 14. There weren’t ______________ (cups) for everyone to drink coffee.
 
 
 
TOEIC対策(読解&リスニング問題編)Eメールとユーザネームの入力でテストの結果がメールで受け取れます。
 
[kml_flashembed publishmethod=”static” fversion=”8.0.0″ movie=”https://www.members.eigopass.com/flashquiz/toeicsentence/Quiz 3/quiz.swf” width=”636″ height=”480″ targetclass=”flashmovie”] [/kml_flashembed]
[kml_flashembed publishmethod=”static” fversion=”8.0.0″ movie=”https://www.members.eigopass.com/flashquiz/TOEIC850/quiz9audio/quiz.swf” width=”636″ height=”480″ targetclass=”flashmovie”] [/kml_flashembed]
 
 
NEW! – What "stereotypes" did you have of Japan/Japanese people before coming here and do you still hold these to be true?

(Daniel 34y.o. male American): All Japanese People Are RICH!

"Coming from New York and always seeing so many Japanese on vacation in the U.S. shopping and buying everything they see when I was growing up, I believed that most, if not all Japanese people were RICH! I am not sure if it was due to the economy during the 90’s that provided a great opportunity for them to buy up everything or their custom to shop during vacations, but I now do not hold the belief that they are all wealthy to be true. I think most western people take vacations moreso to enjoy new places and experience the culture of a new country. However, Japanese just naturally like to shop while abroad which may be why it "seemed" like they were rich. In reality, most people tend to live an "average" or "futsu" life making ends meet just like Americans. They live in small, but comfortable homes and do not lead an extravagant lifestyle that I imagined. "

ダニエル(34歳/アメリカ人男性)の意見:日本人は皆お金持ち!?

’ニューヨークで生まれ育ったので、沢山の日本人観光客がニューヨークでショッピングやお土産を大量に買っている光景を見てきたので、日本人の皆さんがお金持ちだと思っていました。90年代の経済成長なのか、おみやげをよく買う日本人の習慣なのか、理由はわかりませんが、今はみんなが裕福ではないと思っています。僕が思うに、ほとんどのアメリカ人は訪れた国の習慣や、文化を経験し、観光を楽しむために休暇をとりますが、日本人は単純に海外で買い物をすることが好きなので、日本人のみんながお金持ちに見えたのかもしれません。本当はほとんどの日本人の方が私たちアメリカ人みたいに、普通の生活をしているようですね。小さいながら快適な家に住んでいるのを見ると、僕がイメージしていた日本人の人々の贅沢な暮らしとはかけ離れていますが。

 

(Sarah 24y.o. female U.K.): Japanese people are very nice and kind!

"I have always perceived most Japanese people to be very kind in my past encounters with them while working at a hotel in London. They always seem to never complain and do not disturb others with loud, obnoxious banter in public as other travelers generally do. I guess this is what gave me the impression that I could easily make friends upon arriving here as I perceived them to be extremely friendly.

Inasmuch as I do not like to stereotype as it can be a false generalization of a group of people in acting or behaving in a certain way, I want to express that it may have been naive of me in not understanding the difference between kindness/friendliness and politeness. A case in point is how few times men give up their seats to children or the elderly on the train/bus. Another example is how infrequently do you see them starting a conversation with someone they don’t know. I just wish it were easier to talk to strangers without it seeming rude to intrude in someone’s "private space."

サラ(24歳/イギリス人女性) 日本人はとても優しくいい人達です!

’ロンドンのホテルで働いているときに、日本人の人々は皆優しく良い方々という印象を持っていました。日本人の方は他の旅行者の様に迷惑ではなく、静かで一度もクレーム等をつけませんでした。なので、日本に来た時に、友達を作りやすいと思いました。

私は人々にレッテルを貼ってしまうステレオタイプという物は嫌いですが、日本人の優しさ、フレンドリーさ、及び礼儀正しさの違いを理解できない点がナイーブになっています。例えば、男性が子供やお年寄りに席を譲った場面をあまり見たことがないですし、知らない人と気軽に会話を始めることが出来なかったりします。そこまでプライベートになりすぎず、他人と気楽に喋れたら素敵だと思います。

 

(Mark 36y.o. male U.S.): All Japanese people are quiet and shy.

"During University classes, I took some classes when there were a couple of foreign students from Japan but noticed they rarely if ever voiced their opinions during class discussion. It wasn’t that they did not know the information or ideas because they did! It made me think if it was their "lack of confidence" in the English language, fear of being wrong in expressing their ideas, or something entirely different?

When I started teaching a group of students in Japan, I began to feel that it was not completely due to being "shy" or "quiet" persay but rather not having the experience to openly express their ideas. Maybe it can be attributed to an education system that does not put emphasis in discussion but rather on information accumulation only? My preconceived notion quickly disappeared as the wonderful students I have are neither shy nor quiet when we socialize outside of a classroom environment. I guess it just takes a little time to adapt to what we westerners feel is normal to easily express our feelings. It is truly unique."

マーク(36歳/アメリカ人男性)の意見:日本人はみんな静かで恥ずかしがりや。

アメリカの大学の授業で、日本人の留学生がいたクラスがありましたが、クラスのディスカッションで何か意見を言ったり、発言することはほとんどありませんでした。彼らは授業内容がわからないから発言をしなかったかったのではなく、英語に自信がなかったからではないでしょうか。みんなの前で間違う事を恐れえたのかもしれないです。

日本でグループの生徒を教え始めた際に 次第に彼らは恥かしがり屋や、静かというよりも、自分達の意見を人前で表現したくないと思うようになってきました。それは日本の教育システムがディスカッションというよりはただ情報を教えるというシステムではないからでしょうか?ただ、僕の生徒達はとてもフレンドリーでクラス外でも交流があったので、僕が思っていた考えはすぐに変わりました。たぶん、僕らアメリカ人が意見を言う事に対して何の抵抗もないというのは普通のことでなく、ユニークなことであるということに気づき、それに慣れるのには少し時間がかかると思います。