2011年11月号-　November Newsletter

| 月間ニュースレター |
 
 
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)
American Idioms & Slang＜アメリカのイディオム＆スラング表現＞
Grammar Study＜今月の文法学習＞
TOEICクイズ TOEIC Study Quiz＜ＴＯＥＩＣテスト＞
Monthly Column – A Foreigner’s Life＜今月のコラム：外国人の生活＞
 
 
 
–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！

US News:

What is the "Occupy" movement?

Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is an ongoing series of demonstrations beginning September 17, 2011, in the Wall Street financial district. The protests have focused on social and economic inequality, high unemployment, greed, as well as corruption, and the undue influence of corporations?particularly that of the financial services sector?on government.
The protesters’ slogan We are the 99% refers to the growing difference in wealth in the U.S. between the wealthiest 1% and the rest of the population. In 2007 the richest 1% of the American population owned 34.6% of the country’s total wealth, and the next 19% owned 50.5%. Thus, the top 20% of Americans owned 85% of the country’s wealth and the bottom 80% of the population owned 15%. As the Occupy Wall Street protests have grown to cities across the United States, they’ve also taken root at US universities, where students have staged rallies and walk-outs due to frustrations of high tuition fees to lack of jobs in the economy.

【日本語訳】: Occupy 運動とは？

Ｏｃｃｕｐｙ　Ｗａｌｌ　Ｓｔｒｅｅｔ（ＯＷＳ）とは2011年9月17日に始まったウォール・ストリート金融街において連続的に進行中のデモである。デモは社会的及び経済的不公平、高い失業率、欲や腐敗、そして企業の行政に対する、特に金融関係における、不当な影響力に集中している。

デモのスローガンである「我々が９９％だ」とは米国における１％の金持ちそしてその他の国民の間で広がる富の差について言及している。2007年には１％の最も裕福なアメリカの人口が国の富の３４．６％を有しており、そして次の１９％が５０．５％を有していた。従って、アメリカ人のトップ２０％が国の富の８５％を有し、底の８０％が１５％を有していたことになる。Ｏｃｃｕｐｙ　Ｗａｌｌ　Ｓｔｒｅｅｔのデモが米国中の都市に広がるにつれ、米国の大学でも根付いてきた。そこでは学生が、高い学費や財政における仕事の少なさに対して集会を開きストライキを起こしている。
 

Japan News:

Anti-Korean Wave divides opinion in Japan

Starting on Aug. 7 in Tokyo, Japanese nationalist groups have held regular demonstrations against Fuji Television and its sponsors, demanding that the television company stop "excessively broadcasting Korean TV series and other Korean entertainment," according to a Web site made by one of the protest organizers.

Following that demonstration, more protests were held, with more participants, spreading to other cities.

The larger Japanese public has noticed these protests, and while many do not support the anti-hallyu movement, they are at least aware of the reasons why it has taken off.
"The strong patriotism caused them to (participate) in this movement," said 24-year-old Mariya Saito of Saitama, Japan, in an e-mail interview added that while Korean media content are good ways of deepening the friendship between the two countries, "too much Korean culture is uncomfortable to the protesters, because Korean culture is not the main culture in Japan,"

Minami Goibuchi, 23, also of Saitama, disagreed, saying that the protesters were not really against the Korean Wave itself, they were against a television station that they think is giving more exposure to Korean celebrities and Korean dramas than native ones.

【日本語訳】: 反韓感情の波が日本の意見をわける

8月7日に始まり、日本の国家主義者団体はフジテレビやそのスポンサーに対しデモを定期的に起こしている。デモの計画者が作成したウェブサイトの一つによると、「韓国テレビ番組やその他韓国エンタテインメントを過度に放映する」ことを止めることを要求している。

そのデモから、更にデモが開催され、参加者も増え、他の都市にも広がった。

日本国民の大半はこのデモに気づいておらず、反・韓流運動に賛同していないが多いながらも、これが始まった理由に関しては認識していない。

「強い愛国心が彼らを運動に参加させたんだ」と埼玉県の24歳Ｍａｒｉｙａ　Ｓａｉｔｏ氏は言う。韓国メディアは２つの国の間の交友関係を深めるには良いものの、「韓国文化は日本の主な文化ではないため、韓国文化の過多は抗議者に対して心地よくないのだ」とメール・インタビューで付け加えた。

また、埼玉出身の23歳Ｍｉｎａｍｉ　Ｇｏｉｂｕｃｈｉ氏も反対し、抗議者は韓流自体に反対しているわけではなく、韓国の有名人や韓国ドラマを自国のものより放映していると思われるテレビ局に反対しているのだという。
 

World News:

School Tests Held Outside to Prevent Cheating

Cheating had become a real issue at a middle school in Whuhan, China’s Hubei Province, so the teachers came up with the idea of having kids take tests outdoors, on the school playground.

In most Western countries, children and their parents would have surely shouted “violation of human rights” if forced to attend classes outside, but at one Chinese learning institution this is seen as an effective way to thwart cheating attempts.

Apparently, teachers at the Sihuang Middle School, in Wuhan, had become so desperate to effectively crack down on organized cheating rings, they finally decided the best thing to do was to have students take tests on the school’s playground, meters apart from their colleagues, and under the vigilant eye of supervisors. “In the playground there is more room and no pupil can stretch out and reach another pupil’s desk or whisper an answer to a friend,” a school official said. Children sit far apart from each other, with teacher patrolling between their desks, and supervisors placed on high ground watching for any suspicious movement.

【日本語訳】: カンニング防止のため、学校の試験を外で行う

中国の湖北省、武漢 の中学校においてカンニングが大きな問題となったため、先生たちは学生に外、学校の校庭で 試験を受けさせるというアイディアを思いついた。西欧の殆どの国では外で授業を受けさせられた場合「人権の違反である」と子供やその親は叫んだだろう。だが、中国の一つの学習機関においてはカンニングを阻止する効果的な方法とみなされている。

武漢 のＳｉｈｕａｎｇ中学校の先生は明らかに、カンニング組織を効果的に取り締まることにあまりに必死にあったため、最終的には学生に試験を校庭で、クラスメートから数メートル離れた場所で、監修員の警戒の元で受けさせることが一番であると決断したのだ。「校庭には場所がたっぷりあり、学生がちょっと手を伸ばして隣の生徒の机に届いたり、友達に答えを教えたりできない」と学校の職員は言う。子供たちは遠く離れてすわり、先生が机の間をパトロールし、監督者が上から怪しい行動がないか監視している。
ongoing 進行中
英語ポイント inequality 不公平
英語ポイント undue 不当な
英語ポイント walk out ストライキ
英語ポイント nationalist 国家主義者
英語ポイント excessively 過度に
英語ポイント thwart 阻止する
英語ポイント patrol 見回る、パトロールする
英語ポイント suspicious 怪しい
 
 

   
  New! CNN Student News　リスニング力を試そう！
 
 
 
 
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！

–Hiroshi and Carl are sitting in a conference room discussing the differences between foreign and local managers–
Hiroshi:

Before joining this firm, I thought working for a multinational company would be a walk in the park. Little did I know what a cut throat environment I was getting myself into.

 
Carl:

What do you mean Hiroshi? Did something happen to put you on edge?

 
Hiroshi:

I won’t beat around the bush Carl so I will just come right out and spit it out. I thought foreign managers would listen to the opinions and ideas of staff more readily than local managers. I did not count on them being so opinionated and direct. They really do not like to sugar coat anything do they?

 
Carl:

Are you referring to Mr. Stevenson and how he tried to tear your proposal apart?

 
Hiroshi:

Yes! I felt as though he wasn’t even trying to see my side.

 
Carl:

You are being too sensitive Hiroshi. He is, afterall, the chairman of the company and that is why he is being paid the big bucks. He is paid to make money, not friends. Having opinions and making tough decisions come with the territory.

 
Hiroshi:

I understand, but in your opinion, are all expat managers or executives similar in their ways or is it just him?

 
Carl:

Give it some time Hiroshi. I think you will come around to seeing how business gets done in the global environment.

 
Hiroshi:

I hope so. I guess I can learn how things are done on the other side of the fence.

 
 
上記の会話の日本語訳はこちらをクリック’（印刷可）: JAPANESE VERSION
"walk in the park" ちょちょいのちょい、公園を散歩する程簡単
"cut throat" 容赦ない
"on edge" いらいらする、緊張する
"beat around the bush" 遠まわしに言う
"spit it out" 吐き出す（言うこと）
"opinionated" 自分の意見に頑固
"sugar coat" 甘美に見せる、
"big bucks" 大金
"comes with the territory" 領域に伴う
" Expat" 母国を離れた人
" On the other side of the fence" 垣根の向こう、反対側
"Is there vs There is" Is there (Bob)? vs. Is (Bob) here? ～さんはいらっしゃいますか？
 
 

 
 
–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るように解説しています。
What is the difference between "something" and "anything " ?
Read some of the sentences below and try to understand in which situations they are used correctly or incorrectly.
Examples of how "something" and "anything" are used:
 
Ex:â‘ 
I’m hungry. I want something to eat.
おなかがすいた。何か食べたいよ。
 
I’m hungry. I want anything to eat.
 
 
Explanation: 基本的にsomethingは肯定文に、anythingは否定文に使用するので、この場合はsomethingを使います。　
 
Ex:â‘¡
英会話ポイント
 I don’t feel like doing anything.
何もやる気にならない。
 
I don’t like doing something.
 
 
Explanation: Example①と同じで、基本的にsomethingは肯定文に、anythingは否定文に使用するので、この場合はsomethingを使います。
 
Ex:â‘¢
英会話ポイント
 Would you like something to drink?
何か飲みますか？
 
Would you like anything to drink?
 
 
Explanation: この文の場合、 Would you like anything to drink? は、「何でも飲みますか？」という意味になり、質問の意図から外れてしまいます。
 
Note:　「anything」の対象になる物は何でもよいのですが、「something」は特定の物となります。
例）　I can eat anything because I’m hungry. おなかがすいたので、何でも食べれます。
 
例)　I want to eat some vegetable. 野菜か何かを食べたい。(野菜が特定のものとなります。)
 
 
 
 
 
5 Common Mistakes in English that students make:
Read the following sentences below and determine which sentence is written correctly.
 

â‘  The fire caused many damages.
    火災による被害が出た。
  â‘¡ The fire caused much damage.
     
  Note: The plural from damages denotes money paid to make good a loss: The insurance company paid the man damages.

②が正解となります。damageが複数形の場合、損害賠償額と意味が変わります。　

例文：　保険会社が男性に損害賠償額を支払った。
 
  â‘  We didn’t have much fruit this summer.
    今年の夏はフルーツが豊作ではなかった。　（正解）
  â‘¡ We didn’t have many fruits this summer.
     
  Note: We rarely use the plural form fruits which means different kinds of fruit:Cyprus produces oranges, and other fruits.
フルーツが複数形で使われる事はめったにありません。(複数形の場合、果実または実という意味です)
 
  â‘  Many people lost their life at sea.
    海では多くの命が奪われた。
  â‘¡ Many people lost their lives at sea.
    (正解)
  Note: In English, we use words like life, heart, soul, body, mind in the plural when they refer to more than one person..

英語では、一人以上の表現をする時は、life, heart, sould, body, mind などを複数形にします。
 
  â‘  Breads are sold at the baker’s.
    パン屋さんのパンは固い
  â‘¡ Bread is sold at the bakers.
    (正解)
  Note: We can say a loaf of bread and loaves of breads: I bought a loaf (two, three, etc.,loaves)of breads.

Breadを複数形にするときは、何斤のパンという言い方をする際に　loaves of breads　と複数形にします。
 
  â‘  Can you give me any information?
    何か私に情報をくれないかい？　(正解)
  â‘¡ Can you give me any informations?
     
  Note:When we mean only one thing we say an item or a bit of information. He gave me a usuaeful item of information. .
 
 
 
TOEIC対策（読解＆リスニング問題編）Eメールとﾕｰｻﾞ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 10/quiz.swf” width=”608″ height=”480″ targetclass=”flashmovie”] [/kml_flashembed]
 
[kml_flashembed publishmethod=”static” fversion=”8.0.0″ movie=”https://www.members.eigopass.com/flashquiz/TOEIC200/Responses Part 1/quiz.swf” width=”608″ height=”480″ targetclass=”flashmovie”] [/kml_flashembed]
 
 
 
 
NEW! – Debunking Stereoptypes and Misconceptions (by John)

In the last newsletter, we looked at stereotypes or misconceptions that foreigners have about Japan, it’s culture, and its people. In this month’s newsletter, let us try to examine and hopefully clarify some preconceived ideas that Japanese hold about foreigners. 🙂

It’s only natural that people develop stereotypes and misconceptions about other countries. Especially countries that they’ve never visited. Even if you really take the time to study and learn about a place (which people often don’t), you can’t truly understand its culture, lifestyle, etc until you’ve spent a decent amount of time there yourself. Since we generally lack that experience, we tend to form opinions based on what we see on TV, read in the news, hear from others, and the like, regardless of how accurate all that information is.

I would like to now share some commonly held stereotypes or generalizations that I have heard from my Japanese students about other countries.

 

Misconception 1: America is a dangerous country

If we believed everything to be true from Hollywood movies and dramas, it would seem as though the U.S. is full of individuals who go around shooting and robbing people.

However, I would like to point out that America in my honest opinion is not as dangerous as people perceive it to be. Statisticallly, the average American person is much more likely to die in a car accident than to be a victim of a shooting. When you figure in the fact that tourists spend less time in the U.S. than permanent residents, the possibility exponentially drops much lower.

The only time that I had personally experienced anyone in my life being shot was when my Junior High school classmate took his own life with his gun. You will of course hear of shootings on the news/tv but as long as you avoid dangerous neighborhoods and high crime areas, you should be absolutely fine 🙂
 

Misconception 2: Americans are lazy

To try to dispell this misconception, let us first presume that the idea of what is "lazy" in one culture may be normal in another. If you define lazy as someone who always leaves the office on time or someone who does not assist in doing the job responsibilities of others, then I will be honest and say that I fall into this category of laziness.

However, I would like to clarify what does "lazy" mean to you?

If I always leave the office on time (as my contract with my company clearly stipulates), am I lazy? If I were to take a paid holiday/vacation (allowed in my contract) for a period of 3 weeks at a time, am I an incompetent/lazy employee?

What if I remain at the office until 11pm, sit in front of my computer surfing the Internet until all my coworkers leave (giving the impression that I am a hard worker), would I be labeled as lazy? I will say that alot of Japanese people, in my opinion, do work long hours and put alot of effort into their jobs. However, I want to reiterate my feeling that leaving the office early or not doing job duties not expressed in my contract should not/is not construed in my definition as being lazy.

I think a lot of my students do work overtime too often without getting compensation. Western idea is that if my company/boss wants me to perform duties, they should spell it out on my contract. If I do more work, I should get paid or receive recognition in other ways than just a simple expression of job well done.

 
 
 

Here are other posts you may like! :)

  1. 2011年10月号-　October Newsletter
  2. 2011年9月号-　September Newsletter
  3. 2011年7月号-　July Newsletter
  4. 2011年8月号-　August Newsletter
  5. 2011年6月号-　June Newsletter
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