English Breeze

TOEIC

TOEICは英語のレベルを確認するのに広く使用されています。この記事ではTOEICの特徴を述べています。

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TOEIC (The Test of English for International Communication) started in 1979. Twenty years later, more than 1.5 million people were taking the test annually. TOEIC was developed by the American Testing Service (ETS) at the request of the Japanese government. Ninety-two percent of the test-takers are from Japan and Korea. The unique feature of TOEIC is its contents. The test focuses on English used in business contexts. It contains two sections: listening comprehension (45 minutes) and reading (75 minutes). Nevertheless, ETS says that the results can indirectly measure speaking and writing skills.  Recent research does not support the ETS claim. Studies have shown that high scoring test-takers often do have good speaking and writing skills. But TOEIC scores for intermediate learners (TOEIC 450-650) often do not mean that those people have equal speaking and writing abilities. This is troubling news for Japanese test-takers. The average TOEIC score for Japanese is 450. And the majority of Japanese score in the range of 400-600 points. When international companies become aware of these new findings, they might decide to require additional speaking and writing tests for job-hunters.

Where do you come from?

自分の祖先や親戚のことは血液で分かると思いますか。この記事ではDNA科学者が血液に埋め込まれたDNAに注目しています。記事を読んで確認しましょう。

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When you hear the question, “Where do you come from?” you usually answer “Sapporo” or “America” or wherever you were born. But DNA scientists these days are thinking in a bigger way. They say that our blood holds the secrets to who we are and where we came from hundreds, thousands or even millions of years ago. Tens of thousands of Americans are now mailing samples of their DNA to companies for testing. They often find many surprises about their relatives and ancestors. Unknown cousins are finding each other; and family histories are being rewritten. One famous African-American professor at Harvard sent his DNA to a laboratory. The results shocked him. Fifty percent of his DNA was white European. As individuals discover their personal family histories, DNA scientists are seeking to tell the larger story of human beings. Our most recent common ancestors—a genetic "Adam" and "Eve"—have been traced back to Africa. Having read this report, I want to have my DNA tested to see where I came from.

Knowing only English is not enough

英語は国際語です。多くの国で英語の教育が行われています。一方英語圏の国では第２外国語を学ぶ人が少なくなっています。世界中で英語が使えるからです。この記事ではそれが良いのか、悪いのかを説明しています。確認しましょう。

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The dominance of English as the world's top language -- until recently an advantage to both Britain and the United States -- is now beginning to be a problem for those two countries. A massive number of people all over the world are learning English. It is estimated around 2 billion will have English-speaking skills within the next ten yearｓ. More than half of all primary school children in China now learn English, and the number of English speakers in India and China -- 500 million -- now exceeds the total number of native-English speakers elsewhere in the world. These people, with the ability to speak two or more languages, and the companies that employ them, have significant competitive advantages over their British and American rivals. They also have an understanding of different cultures, in a world faced with rapid globalization. Once everyone speaks English, advantage can only be maintained by having something else -- other skills, such as speaking several languages.

It's never too late

最近は高齢で出産する人が増えてきました。しかし、この記事で紹介されている女性の記事は年齢と出産方法で世界でも珍しい事例です。記事で使用されているin vitro fertilizationは「対外受精」のことです。また、diatetesは「糖尿病」です。

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A 62-year-old great-grandmother has become one of the oldest women in the world to successfully give birth following in vitro fertilization.  The healthy baby boy is the 12th child born to Janise Wulf of Redding, California. Wulf also has 20 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Her oldest child is 40.  Wulf has diabetes and has been blind since birth. Nevertheless, she was a synchronized swimmer in high school, worked as a piano and organ saleswoman and developed a passion for cooking.  Wulf isn't the oldest woman to give birth. That record went to a Romanian woman who gave birth last year at the age of 66.  "Age is a number. You're as old as you feel," Wulf said.

It’s easy to lose

オリンピックでは色々な制約があります。この記事ではスキーにチャックの閉め方やスキー板の長さについて書かれています。他にも失格になった事例が書かれています。この記事を読むとオリンピックの裏側が少し見えてきます。この記事で出てくる単語、"disqualify"は「失格にする、不適格とみなす」の意味です。

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Apart from doping, there are many ways to get disqualified from the Winter Olympics. In ski jumping, for example, a competitor must zip his suit up to the very top. This rule prevents somebody from wearing an inflatable outfit for extra air buoyancy. The rules state that competitors' suits must cling closely to the body. Furthermore, as Japan's Masahiko Harada found out in Normal Hill qualifying, a jumper is disqualified if his skis are longer than his height, multiplied by 1.46. Briton Chemmy Alcott was disqualified in the women's combined event. Her skis were found to be 0.2mm too narrow. Freestyle skiers can be disqualified for doing a trick they are not qualified to try or for attempting a trick which is more difficult than those they performed in training. Sponsorship enforcement is also a serious matter. A competitor or spectator who shows or consumes a product that is not made by one of the companies on the list of official sponsors will be punished. A competitor will be penalized if he takes his skis to any official ceremonies.

Laos Part 2

ラオスパート２では食文化が述べられています。本文で出てくる単語French baguettes は「フランスパン」、Mekong Riverは有名な「メコン川」です。Luang Prabang は「ルアンプラバン」という地名です。メコン川とカーン川の合流地点にある古都で、ラオスを統一したランサン王国の首都と１４世紀に定められたところです。

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One of the reasons my wife and I visited Laos this year was to try the food. Laos was a French colony until after World War II. French baguettes and freshly brewed coffee are as common as tea and rice. The local food is excellent too. One thing we really enjoyed was something that looked and tasted like Japanese “nori.” We ate fresh Mekong River fish every day. Local tropical fruits were also delicious. And everything is so cheap!
Although there are a lot of tourists in Luang Prabang, everyone seemed to be relaxed and not in a hurry. That gave a very peaceful quality to our stay there. One day we took a hiking trip to a Hmong tribal village in the hills. It was New Year's celebration time for the local people who were dressed in their tribal costumes. We were surprised that they didn't pay much attention to us foreigners. There were no shops and no one tried to sell us tourist souvenirs. After taking some photos, we continued our hike through farmland and forests. We heard many local people shooting their rifles at wild birds, hoping to bring something delicious back to the village for New Year's dinner.

Laos Part 1

ラオスはアジアで近いようで遠い国です。３回のシリーズでラオスのことを確認しましょう。

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I went to Laos recently. It's an interesting country. It is the smallest country in Southeast Asia. Its population is about the same as Hokkaido's. Laos is surrounded by four other countries—Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. During its history, Laos has had many wars with these countries. Some of the land that was once in Laos is now part of its neighbors. For example, people living in Northeast Thailand are Lao-Thai. Their local language and culture are similar to those of Laos. My wife and I visited a World Heritage in Laos, Luang Pabang. It was the capital of Laos until 1750 when the Burmese army pushed the Lao army back to Vientiane, which became the new capital. Until that time, Luang Prabang had been the home of the Lao king for 500 years. The city contains 32 beautiful old Buddhist temples as well as the impressive Royal Palace, which is now a museum.

Workaholic husbands

日本人はワークホリックだと言われています。仕事第一で家庭であまり話す時間もありません。この記事ではそのような人のための特別な日「Beloved Wife Day」の紹介をしています。さあ、内容を確認しましょう。

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A group of Japanese men want to encourage the nation's many workaholic husbands to go home early and show their wives some appreciation. Therefore, they have proclaimed February 1, "Beloved Wives Day." The group urged men to get home by 8 p.m. and say thanks to their wives for all they do. "Many men can't put their feelings of gratitude toward their wives into words. Work is number one for them," the group says on its website. "This attitude is putting Japanese marriages under great pressure." Statistics reflect this pressure. In 2004, more than one in three marriages ended in divorce. The group urges men to improve their married life through five "golden rules" including going home early, calling wives by their given name and looking them in the eyes when talking. The group's homepage includes a column where husbands can write down feelings they are too shy to say out loud. "I'm sorry I had a car accident. I'm sorry I'm away so much on business trips. I'm sorry I end up sleeping at the office so often," said one from a man in Kanagawa, near Tokyo. "Thank you for loving me just the same."

Immigrating to America

アメリカは先進国で数少ない人口増加を続ける国です。そのエネルギーは経済にも表れています。この記事を読んで移民の様子を確認しましょう。

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America is a country of immigrants, we often hear. The strength and energy of America are often attributed to the waves of immigrants who have sought a new life during the country’s more than 200-year history. Ironically, immigrants who start a new life in America sometimes decide that their new country would be better if future immigrants were denied the chance to enter. This is happening again in 2006 under President Bush. When Bush was governor of Texas, he was popular with Hispanic voters. He supported immigration from Mexico into Texas. But now Bush is supporting a new law restricting immigration into the U.S. Mexicans will be most affected by such a law. Mexican parents often name their babies John or Mary instead of Juan and Maria. Why? Because they assume their children will immigrate to the United States when they are old enough to work. Mexican elementary teachers commonly find that their students are already dreaming of going to America to live and work. Currently, Mexicans in the U.S. are sending back 20 billion dollars every year to their poor relatives who stay in Mexico. In fact, there are 11 million Mexicans living in the U.S. now.

Study abroad

海外留学する人は日本では年々増加しています。アメリカではどうでしょうか。この記事ではメリーランドの小さな大学の例が紹介されています。確認してみましょう。

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Some of my students go abroad to study or for sightseeing. They all say it is a great experience. Recently, a college friend of mine wrote me with some interesting news. He is the president of a small college in Maryland, Goucher. He decided last year to require all Goucher students to go abroad for study. The minimum stay is three weeks, but many students decide to stay for up to a year. They receive credit for their study.
My friend said that a college education is not complete without exposure to a foreign culture. College students need to learn how different nationalities think about and deal with problems common to all human beings.
Nationally, the number of American students studying abroad has more than doubled over the past decade. There were 175,000 of them studying abroad last year. Still, this is only one percent of the total college population in America.