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英語で読む: A birthday party
It is a real story!
There is a group of junior high school friends, all living in Kobe. They are are going to meet in a house of one of the girls for a birthday “sleep-over”. They had a “planning meeting” a couple of days ago. They made a schedule for the party. It goes like this:
1) 2p.m. Arrive at Ayane’s house.
2) Relax (15-20 minutes).
3) Talk about school (20 minutes).
4) Do jun-ken. Two people go to Toho to buy snacks while others tidy up and plan activities.
5) Come back safely.
6) Akari teaches dance moves for AKB-48 (one song only allowed).
7) Jigsaw puzzles.
8) Pot luck. (持ち寄りparty)
9) Clean up and wash dishes.
10) Watch DVD. Please vote on your choice.
11) Free-time (15 minutes)
12) Snacks and talking (any subject allowed).
13) Naoko’s birthday party.
14) Draw straws to go in bath.
15) Go in bath (15 minutes each pair).
14) Go to sleep when you are ready.
The next day is similarly mapped out.
Homework
After reading the text, think of the questions below and write an answer to ONE of them (5-10 sentences):
1. What is your opinion about planning a teenagers’ party in such a way?
2. What kind of parties do you like most?
3. Make your own sentences with the words written in bold.
英語で読む: No Japan in 1000 years?
From The Age
Please click here to get the full version of the text.
Population clock shows Japan faces extinction in 1000 years
[...] Academics in [...] Sendai said that Japan’s population of children aged up to 14 [...] is shrinking at the rate of one every 100 seconds. Their extrapolations pointed to a Japan with no children left within a millennium.
“If the rate of decline continues, we will be able to celebrate the Children’s Day public holiday on May 5, 3011 as there will be one child,” said Hiroshi Yoshida, an economics professor at Tohoku University. “But 100 seconds later there will be no children left,” he said. “The overall trend is towards extinction, which started in 1975 when Japan’s fertility rate fell below two.”
Homework
After reading the text, think of the questions below and write an answer to ONE of them (5-10 sentences):
1. Are you worried when you hear such news? Why? Why not?
2. How many children are in the biggest family that you know? Can you say / write something about this family? (e.g. how many children are there, where do they live, how big is their house)
3. Make your own sentences with the words written in bold.
英語で聞く: Facebook organ donors
From BBC Learning English
Please click here to listen to the audio and to get the full version of the text.
by Leana Hosea
Facebook users in the United States and Britain will now be able to show on their page whether they wish to donate their organs. The hope is that it will encourage more people to register as organ donors.
Nearly 7,000 people in the United States die each year while waiting for an organ transplant and around 10,000 people in Britain are on the waiting list for an organ. With the huge numbers of Facebook members in both countries, the social networking site hopes its foray into social engineering will make a big impact. [...]
Facebook says the initiative is about [...] encouraging people who may have thought about it, but not got around to it or who might be inspired to donate if they find out that their friends are doing it.
Homework
After reading the text, think of the questions below and write an answer to ONE of them (5-10 sentences):
1. What is “social engineering”? Can you describe any other social engineering initiative?
2. What is your opinion about donating / transplanting organs? Would you donate any organ to a person that you do not know?
3. Make your own sentences with the words written in bold.
英語を聞く: Sight problems for students in Asia
From BBC Learning English
Please click here to listen to the audio and to get the full version of the text.
by Matt McGrath
Scientists say there’s been a massive rise in levels of short sightedness among school leavers in Asia. Researchers [...] say that almost 90% of young adults are suffering from myopia.
The strong emphasis on educational achievement in China, Japan and other parts of South-East Asia may be coming at a heavy price. Researchers say that hard work at school plus the lack of exposure to outdoor light is damaging the eyes of almost 9 out of 10 students [...]. The scientists say that young people need up to 3 hours a day of outdoor light – but many infants are also missing out as they nap during the middle of the day. [...]
The scientists say that genetic factors [...] are not as important as the environment. [...] The authors suggest that mandatory time outdoors should be considered by educational authorities across South-East Asia as a way of dealing with the problem.
Homework
After reading the text, think of the questions below and write an answer to ONE of them (5-10 sentences):
1. What do you think about introducing “mandatory time outdoors” as a way to deal with the sight problems?
2. The article mentions one problem connected with the “strong emphasis on educational achievement”. Can you think of some other potential problems? Have you met anybody who experienced such problems?
3. Make your own sentences with the words written in bold.
英語で読む: Foreign languages and thinking
From The Economist
Please click here to get the full version of the text and to see some photos.
by R.L.G.
MANY people report feeling like different people when they speak a foreign language. I’ve been sceptical of these claims, since many of them seem to line up too neatly with national stereotypes: “I feel warmer and more relaxed in Spanish,” “German makes me reason more carefully” and the like. But a new study seems to show that people really do think differently in a foreign language—any foreign language. Namely, people are less likely to fall into common cognitive traps when tested in a language other than their mother tongue.
Homework
After reading the text, think of the questions below and write an answer to ONE of them (5-10 sentences):
1. “Do you think differently when using different languages? And if so, how?” (question from “The Economist”)
2. Are there topics that are easier for you to talk about when you talk in English than in Japanese? What topics are these? Why is it so?
3. Make your own sentences with the words written in bold.
英語で見る: Koalas at risk
From BBC Learning English
Please click here to watch the video.
by Martin Plaut
A beloved symbol of Australia. Koalas have been listed as a threatened species in some parts of the country after a plunge in the wild population. Habitat loss, urban expansion, vehicle strikes, dog attacks and disease have contributed to their dwindling numbers. Estimates on koala numbers vary but some studies suggest there are fewer than 80,000 koalas left in the wild.
Homework
After watching the video, think of the questions below and write an answer to ONE of them (5-10 sentences):
1. Do you know any animal that is a threatened species in Japan? Why is it threatened?
2. Do you know how people may estimate the population of an animal species? Can you think of some methods?
3. Make your own sentences with the words written in bold.
