2012年12月11日火曜日

The Japan Times Weekly 7

★【'Wild, daro?' tops buzzword list for 2012】
"Wild, daro?" the signature phrase of comedian Sugichan, has been named Japan's top buzzword of the year, the organizer of the award said Dec. 3.

 【「ワイルドだろぉ」が2012年の流行語大賞に】
3日、賞の主催者により、お笑い芸人スギちゃんの決め台詞「ワイルドだろぉ」が日本の年間流行語大賞に選ばれたことがわかった。


★Summary
The top 10 Japanese words and phrases that people often use in 2012 also included "Tokyo Solamachi," referring to shopping mall at the bottom of Tokyo Skytree, and "chikai uchi ni (sometime soon)," referring to Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's description of the timing of the Lower House election.


★Reflection
Buzzword award is tha annal event in Japan. We can understand what problem coused and who were very popular in this year at first sight. I am interested in buzzword of other countries.


★Vocabulary
buzzword 専門用語、宣伝文句(マスコミで多用されて流行語になったもの);lower house 衆議院


★Reference
The Japan Times Weekly, December 8, 2012

Self-introduction!

Hello, everyone! I would like to tell you about me. My name is Taeko. I am Yamaguchi Prefecture University student. I am from Hiroshima so I am living by myself now. Houseworks are very difficult for me but I enjoy them everyday. I am a member of the brass band club and enjoy practicing a trombone with my friends. I really like to talk with foreigners so I decided to choose the English course to improve my English skills. In this university, every teachers support all of students, and they give us chance to grow ourselves. If you enter this university, a wonderful life is in store for you!! :))

2012年12月4日火曜日

The Japan Times Weekly 6

★【Rolling Stones mark 50th year with London concert】
  The Rolling Stones made a glorious return to the London stage Nov. 25 in the first of five concerts to mark the 50th anniversary of their debut as an American-oriented blues band.

 【ローリングストーンズ、ロンドン公演で50周年を祝う】
 25日、アメリカ志向のブルースバンドであるローリングストーンズがデビュー50周年記念公演の初回公演を行いロンドンのステージへ輝かしい帰還を果たした。


★Summary
  They swaggered and strutted through a stellar 2 hour and half show at London's O2 Arena. Mick Jagger looked remarkably trim and fit, and was in top vocal form. It was first of five mega-shows to mark the passage of 50 years since the band first appeared in a small London pub. "It's amazing that we're still doing this, and it's amazing that you're still buying our records and coming to our show," Jagger said.


★Reflection
  The ticket prices of this concert is $650 for a standard seat, but these tickets sold out for 7 minutes. Moreover, their song, "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is used Japanese drama now. We find that Rolling Stones has still high popularity in all over the world.


★Vocabulary
  swagger いばって歩く ; strut 気取って歩く ; trim 調髪、飾り


★Reference
  The Japan Times Weekly, December 1, 2012
 

2012年11月27日火曜日

The Importance Of Club Activity

Did you belong to a club? Or, do you belong to a circle now? Club activities are very important for the growth of myself. I think we can get many good things from club activities. For example, in case of participating in competitions or holding recitals, we make efforts for same goals and so, these activities connect with improvement of the club and we can get a feeling of achievement. Or, many people who have different characters and thinkings gather clubs, so certainly your opinion will be opposed to other people's. Then it connects with your communication abilities and we can learn how to take a flexible attitude. Finally, we can make friendships with other people and we can get a lot of great memories after experiencing many club activities. Thus club activities play an important part in the growth of our emotional strength.

The Japan Times Weekly 5

★【Hoside returns to Earth】
     Akihiko Hoshide returned to Earth on Nov.19 after completing a four-month mission to the International Space Station and setting a new record for spacewalks by a Japanese astronaut.

 【星出さん、地球に帰還】
 19日、星出彰彦さんが国際宇宙ステーションで4ヶ月間の任務を終え、日本人宇宙飛行士で最も長い宇宙滞在の記録を達成した後、地球に帰還した。


★Summary
    The Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying Hoshide landed safely on a plain in Kazakhstan in central Asia at 7:56 a.m. local time. He saied "I'm glad I was born on this beautiful planet," to his follower in Japan on Twitter before the Soyuz undocked from International Space Station. He accomplished three spacewalks outside the ISS during his mission. His spacewalks to repair the station totaled 21 hours and 23 minutes.


★Reflection
    I'm very glad to hear the news! He made great contributions in the field of space engineering. Moreover, he had a try at dubbing of Japanese animetion. I was surprised at ISS could connect a communication to JAXA. This is the first time to try dubbing in the ISS.


★Vocabulary
altitude 高度;spacewalk 宇宙遊泳;surpass ~をしのぐ; dubbing アフレコ


★Reference
The Japan Times Weekly, November 24, 2012

2012年11月19日月曜日

The Japan Times Weekly 4

★【Worsening gaming addictions】
Gaming addictions have increased in Japan, according to recent reports from counseling services and treatment centers.

【ゲーム依存症の深刻化】
相談窓口や治療機関からの報告から、日本でゲーム依存症が日本で増えていることがわかった。


★Summary
     Online gamining addictions have increased in Japan and counseling services have received hundreds of requests for consultation over the past year. The expanding popularity of online social gaming is one reason for increading of gaming addictions. Medical researchers, treatment facilities and counselors consider gaming addiction a clinical syndrome. If players play games for extended periods, they suffer from poor health, bad nutrition and a lack of physical movement. The Consumer Affairs Agency began to regulate online social gaming this year. However, the regulation is only first step. We need to regulate time limits and usage.


★Reflection
     Online games are very popular in Japan. A lot of online game commercials are broadcasted everyday. However, we need to consider our health and should play the games moderately.


★Vocabulary
addiction 熱中、常用;accelerate 拍車をかける;devastate 荒れる;regulate 規制する;addict 依存する


★Reference
The Japan Times Weekly, November 17, 2012    

2012年11月12日月曜日

The Japan Times Weekly 3

★【Asia drug boom fuels surge in opium growing: U.N.】
    Opium cultivation in Southeast Asia has doubled over the last six years as growing demand for heroin in China, the U.N. said Oct. 31.
    【アジアで麻薬量とケシ栽培が急増】
 31日、国連によれば、中国でのヘロインの需要の増加により東南アジアでのケシ栽培が過去6年間で2倍以上に増加している。


★Summay
   The U.N. investigated about opium growing, and said that in a report. China alone has more than a million regtistered heroin users and consumes most of the drug in the region. According to U.N.estimates, cultivation in Laos soared 66% to 6800 hectares in 2012 and by 17% to 51000 hectares in Myanmar, the world's second largest producer after Afghanistan with prices rising. Opium poppy cultivation in the region has thus doubled since 2006, despite official reports from Laos, Myanmar and Thailand that nearly 25000 hectares of poppies said that we eradicate in 2012. Futhermore, opium cultivation is generally linked to the absece of peace and security. Myanmar has followed a 15-year-plan to eradicate opium by 2014, but the U.N. study suggests we will not accomplish the target.


★Reflection
  Drugs cause bad influences and good influence for people. There are many users of drugs in Japan also. I think we should eradicate drug trafficking because growing poppies is job for farmers. Growing poppies thaht we need is better.


★Vocaburaly
surge 急増; opium アヘン; cultivation 栽培; lures 引き寄せる; opium poppy ケシ; eradicated 根絶された; drug trafficking 麻薬密売; soar 急に上がる; amid 最中に; estimate 見積もる; scarce 乏しい


★Reference
The Japan Times Weekly, November 10, 2012