英語5分間トレーニング　徹底活用学習ブログ

「おつりは取っといて」　　Keep the change

Are you a type of person who say, "Keep the change" when you take a taxi? I'm not.I've never used this phrase, and I think I won't. When I pay more money than the fare, I always receive the change even if it's small.I'm a housewife after all, and I know the importance of one yen to make ends meet. But my father, who died of kidney failure last spring, used to say to drivers, "It's just all right. Keep the change." Every time when I heard this phrase, I thought what a waste he did! He must have felt good through this behavior. Maybe he liked to show the world he was generous. Or he may have been generous really.I'm his daughter, but I can't behave like him.I think this behavior can be often applied to men, rather then women. What do you think?みなさんはタクシーに乗ったとき「おつりは取っといて」って言いますか？私は言いません（きっぱり！）。料金より多く渡したら、必ずおつりをもらいます。主婦だもんね。１円の重みを知ってます。１円を粗末にすると１円に泣くのだ！

英語マンガ(1)

ラスベガスのカジノ　　Casinos in Las Vegas

Have you ever went to the casinos in Las Vegas? I haven't. But my husband has about ten years ago. It was his company trip and he went there with all workers. (What a rich company he had worked!) He said there were all kinds of gambling such as slot machines, blackjack, and whatever you wanted to play. He played them, of course, and he lost money. So he'd had to eat cheap hamburgers everyday till he left. He was a loser during that trip. How pity!But among other workers, there were some guys who could make money on gambling. They became rich, so they could eat at expensive restaurants and go see the gorgeous shows.Losers are always in the poor, and winners are always in the rich.And when I come to think of casinos, I remember there's a public casino in the Tokyo government building. Governor Ishihara introduced it several years ago. It must be still there. I've never heard it closed. I think I'll try in future. I can't become bold. So if I lose for a few times in a row, I stop gambling at that moment.

貧乏神 bad luck

Mike and Shizuka are at a casino in Las Vegas now, and Shizuka is playing a slot machine. Can she win a lot of money? Here's today's dialogue.（M）あのスロット・マシーンで凄く勝ったね！（S）ええ。ラスベガスって最高！（M）あらら、あれは負けだね、それもね。うわぁ、連続３敗じゃないか。（S） おかしいわね。さっきまでは調子良かったのに。あなたはどこにいたの？（M）僕はブラックジャックをしてたんだ。君、また負けたよ。（S）報告はもういいわよ。どうだった？（M）いまいちだったよ。実は、全部すっちゃったんだ。今の君みたいにね。（S）あなたが来るまで調子良かったのに。今は負けてるわ。あなたがいなくなれば、また勝ち始めるかも。（M）僕が悪運とは思えないけど。じゃあ、バーで一杯やってるよ。少しお金を貸してくれない？（M）You've won a lot of money on that slot machine.（S）I know. I like Las Vegas.（M）Oh, too bad you lost one. And that one. Wow, three looses in a row.（S）That's strange. I've been doing so well for the last hour. Where have you been?（M）I was playing blackjack. You lost again.（S）Thanks for the updating. How did you do?（M）Not that great. Actually, I lost almost everything like you're doing now.（S） I was doing great before you showed up. Now I'm losing. If you went away, I'd start winning again.（M）I don't think I'm bad luck. But I'm going to the bar and have a drink. Can I borrow some money?

もううんざり！　Made me sick!

Last evening, I became suddenly unable to get e-mails on my PC. It was very strange. Here's what happened.I sent 3 e-mails at almost the same time from my cellular phone to my PC last evening. But the PC could only get one of them. At first, I supposed it was just some kind of slight failure. I've heard PCs are never God, so they can make troubles, which should never occur. Or I supposed it just took some time for the other two e-mails to reach my PC. This kind of trouble also can happen, I know. So I thought it should be all right if I restarted the machine.But even if I restarted it again and again, my PC couldn't get e-mails. New e-mails which I sent had to be there in the mail box, but each time the small window poped up on the screen and showed the message; No new e-mails. And there were another strange thing happened. My PC couldn't recieve any e-mails, but it turned out to be able to send e-mails to others. Why? What did it mean?At that moment, I realized some serious troubles happened on my PC, and I began to read the operating manual even though it was past one.I did as the manual said, but it didn't work at all. The more I read and tried, the more it turned out I could't deal with it by myself. I became irritated, exhausted and very sleepy. It was almost three! So I decided to go to bed. But I couldn't fall asleep soon. Even if I closed my eyes, the figure of my PC appeared and bothered me. I got really sick and tired of the machine! This morning, I called the Internet service provider tech support and asked some advice. She gave me some instructions and I followed them.After doing this and that, we knew the PC had become suddenly unable to authenticate the password which I'd used over ten years without any trouble. So I changed it to new one, and this tough troble was solved. Now I can get e-mails smoothly.But one question is still left. Why did the PC become to unable to authenticate it all of a sudden? She couldn't work out the proper reason at last.

展覧会　　The exhibition

I went to the exhibition with my kids today. A cap, which my son made from paper in his school art class, was selected, and they displayed it at the exhibit.This is the cap my son made.The shape is very simple, having no decoration. It is easily recognized as a cap. Simple is the best, I think.And I like his use of color. It is broadly believed color expresses what we have in our mind. So I have no doubt his mental condition is full of enjoyment and happiness, choosing these bright color. It makes people happy.Actually, when he was making this cap in art class, one of his classmates gave him a heartless word."It sucks!" Hearing this, my son got very dissapointed. But he knew only his work was selected among his classmates by the art teacher, he recovered his confidence.I think your cap is cute and it makes us feel very gentle. I like it, my boy!These're the works of other elementary school students. They're all wonderful efforts! (Left) Stained glasses made from colored cellophane. They are so beautiful that I breathed a sigh!(2nd from left) Very colorful ukuleles made from wood. They can produce soft sound.(2nd from right) Beautiful lanterns. They produce fantastic space around them.(Right) Spaceships made from mainly plastic bottles. But if you watch them carefully, you can realize that clothespins, spoons, chopsticks, ballpoint pen and other close things are used. They're cool!

英検４級受験　　Took STEP 4th grade test　　

My daughter took STEP (Society for Testing English Proficiency) 4th grade test yesterday at school.As soon as she opened the door when she came back home, she said to me, "I couldn't answer to several grammatical questions! And I became so nervous when I took the listening comprehenshion test that I couldn't catch some of them. But I think I could answer to the reading comprehension test."Ok, ok. Well done!It is said the level of the 4th grade is for 2nd-year junior high school students. She's still in the 1st year, so the level is a little higher than that of hers. And I think she may need to take the test at least twice in order to pass it. But among her friends, some took the 3rd grade and some took the pre-2nd grade. So she was encouraged by them and wanted to take higher grade next time. "I'll try to take the 3rd grade next time. So I'm going to the book store and buy a workbook tommorrow."Wait a minute. Next time? If I remember correctly, next STEP is in May or June, and the 3rd grade includes not only reading, listening and grammatical examination but oral one.Wow... You have a lot to prepare for it. Never give up! Stick to it, Bonkochan! 　　

お赤飯　Red rice

I like Sekihan, or red rice. All of my family members like it very much. I've never met anyone who doesn't like it.Here's conversation which my daughter had with her classmates today. (Her words are written in green and her classmates' are written in blue.)"What did you eat for breakfast?""Red rice.""What? Red rice for breakfast? Do you have a happy event or something?""Not really.""Then why did you eat red rice? We eat it on the special occasion.""That's right. My mother only cook it, for example, on March 3rd, the Doll's Festival, or when I can pass some kinds of exams. So I can hardly eat it.""My mother often cooks red rice for us because my brother loves it. So I eat it at least once in a month.""I envy you. I wish your mother were mine. If so, I could eat it more often!"Mothers, you should cook sekihan for your children sometimes. I'm sure your kids will become happy if you do so.

犬を飼って健康に　A dog pet helps you become healthier.

I read an interesting article which says dog owners tend to live a healthier life than the people who own cats or don't own any pets.According to this article, a certain survey shows dog owners have lower blood pressures and choresterol levels than the average people. Moreover, it says, other benefits are verified. Here're some examples. A dog pet helped sick children feel easy when they had painful medical treatments. A dog pet helped people with schizophrenia feel calmer and motivated.The interesting point is, I think, the study shows keeping a dog pet is more beneficial to our health than keeping a cat pet. To this question, the article gives me an answer. Dog owners do a good walking exercise every day when they go for walks with their pets. And during these walks, they make new friends because dogs give them a safe topic of conversation with strangers.I've heard Japan is now in the middle of a pet dog boom. I often see ads which have color photographs of lovely dogs on them. Once I turn on TV, there’re TV talents introducing their dogs, and their dogs are very adorable without exceptions. If you see such pet dogs, I guess you want to keep them. I have no experience of keeping a dog though, I hope many dog owners can live a happier and healthier life with their dogs! →仲間を探そう！

雑談をする　Had chitchat with a classmate's mother of my son

Women often have chitchat with acquaintances on the street. Sometimes we have a long chitchat. The three women I saw the other day had been talking for over an hour on the street corner. I was quite sure of that because I saw them when I went shopping and I saw them still talking on the quite same street corner when I came back from shopping. At that time, I thought it might be better for them to enjoy their chitchat over a cup of coffee at a warm cafe or something.Anyway, it seems that having chitchat is like we're killing time, but it's true we can get useful information for daily life through this behavior. I chitchated with one of the classmates' mothers of my son yesterday evening. When I was out, I ran into her coming back from her shopping. At first, she was very surprised to see me walking on my crutches."Hey, what on earth happened on your leg?""Well, I just got my leg broken.""Really? When?""At the end of November, the last year. I was hospitalized and had surgery.""No wonder I didn't see you at the parent-teacher's meeting! Are you OK a little now? Does your son help you?"Our chat had just started like this. We'd talked about this and that for about thirty minutes, and I got two useful information through this.The first was about my son. He seemes to behave nicely to his classmates. So he is thought to be gentle. (But he didn't come to see me while I was in the hospital!)And the second was about a certain supermarket. I haven't done shopping at this store, but she informed me that we can get daily food at lower price at this store. As a housewife, this is a very welcome information.After hearing this, I went to the store. It was evening time, so meat and fish were offered at a discout price. I think this supermarket is useful, though it is a little far from my apartment. Next time when I have energy to go there on my crutches, I'll go buy some.→学習仲間を探そう！

元カレ　　ex-boyfriend

Laura has a new boyfriend now. But this weekend, her ex-boyfriend called her to get together for a cup of coffee. It seemed he still had feelings for her and wanted to get back with her, though she was unwilling.Laura's situation is very delicate, isn't it? If I were in her place, I couldn't tell a new boyfriend about an ex-boyfriend. But it seems for me some women like to tell their boyfriend about what their ex-boyfriend did for them and they like to get pleased to see the reaction of the boyfriend. I'm a woman, but sometimes I think women are cruel. How do you think?今日のダイアローグＬ： 週末どうだった、ボブ。Ｂ：　悪くなかったね。家の事をいろいろやってたんだ。Ｌ：　こっちはちょっと大変だったわ。元カレが電話してきたの。Ｂ：　おっと。Ｌ：　一緒にお茶でもどうって言ってきたのよ。私は忙しいから無理って答えたんだけどねＢ：　そしたら、まだ君のことが好きだって言ってきたんだろ？Ｌ：　まあ、そんな感じ。Ｂ：　男が元カノに電話するなんて、そのくらいしか理由がないからなあ。君の新しい彼氏はこのこと知ってるの？Ｌ：　まさか。気まずくて言えなかったわ。Ｌ：　How was your weekend, Bob?Ｂ：　Pretty good. I just worked around the house.Ｌ： Mine was kind of hectic. My ex-boyfriend called me.Ｂ：　Uh-oh.Ｌ：　He said he wanted to get together for a coffee. I said I was too busy.Ｂ：　Then he told you he still has feelings for you, right?Ｌ：　Yeah… kind of.Ｂ：　That's the only reason a man calls his ex-girlfriend. Does your new boyfriend know about this?Ｌ：　Of course not. I felt awkward and couldn't tell him. ◆A hectic situation is one that is very busy and involves a lot of rushed activities. (=busy)Ex)　Audrey had a very hectic week at work.◆Someone who feels awkward behaves in a shy or embarrassing way. (=uncomfortable)Ex) Women frequently say that they feel awkward taking the initiative in sex.→学習仲間を探そう！

火の車　make ends meet ／ a disaster

Toshiro is a father who has a daughter having prepared for entrance exams. He is pleased that his daughter could pass the exam, but he has a financial problem.As his two kids are now in college, their tuition is so expensive that it's difficult to make ends meet for him. There's a way, of course. If his kids get part time jobs, this financial problem can be solved. But he's afraid this will take away them from their studies. And he’s also afraid they will probably spend their income on entertainment, not to help pay for their education. 今日のダイアローグＣ：おめでとう！トシロー。娘さんが試験に受かったそうね。Ｔ：ああ、ありがとう。でも経済的に大変なんですよ。大学生が２人なので、火の車なんです。学費は高いから。Ｃ：アルバイトでも出来ないのかしら？Ｔ：できるだろうけど、それだと学業がおろそかになるしね。それに稼いだお金は、遊びに使ってしまうだろうし。Ｃ：　Congratulations, Toshiro. I heard your daughter passed the entrance exam.Ｔ：　Thanks. But our finance is a disaster. With two kids in college, it's hard to make ends meet. Tuition is so expensive.Ｃ：　Couldn’t they get part time jobs or something?Ｔ：　They could, I guess. But that would take away from their studies. Besides, they will probably spend their income on entertainment. ◆If something is a disaster, you are emphasizing that you think it is extremely bad or unacceptable.Ex) The party was a disaster.◆If you find it difficult to make ends meet, you can only just manage financially because you have hardly enough money for the things you need. Ex) With Betty’s salary, they barely made ends meet. →学習仲間を探そう！

郊外に引越し　Moving out to the country

Many families which had lived near here moved out to countries to build thier own house when they had kids. When we, my husband and I, had the second child, we also considered moving out to the country.But we didn't.There were, of course, some reasons, but the most important reason was I thought city life was more convenient to me. Here in my city, we can easily find convenience stores and supermarkets which open even late at night. And we can go to city center by train within one hour from my apartment. This has become an important point for us now because my husband leaves the office very late. If we live far from downtown, he won't come home, missing the last train. All told, I don't regret not having moved out to the country. After all, I'm a city girl! (Really?!)→学習仲間を探そう！

今夜は雪？　Will we have snow tonight?

I forgot to watch weather reports on TV yesterday, so I'm not quite sure of today's weather. But my celler phone informs me that it's going to snow tongiht.Snow is a great trouble to me now. If it accumulates a little on the streat, I can't walk on my crutches, that is to say, I can't go shopping.In that case, I have to cook at least 2 days meals with food in the refrigerator. There's not enough ingredients there. What will I cook for meals? I hope it won't be snow and that I'll be able to go shopping on Monday. →学習仲間を探そう

年賀状２等当選　Won the 2nd prize on a New Year's card

I got a call from my mother-in-law the other day. She said she won the 2nd prize on a New Year's card. Wow! It was so lucky to start a New Year!The 2nd prize is food specialties from all over the country. We can order what we like to eat from a catalog. And she was kind enough to let her grandchildren, my son and my daughter, choose what they want.Though we didn't have the catalog yet at that point, my daughter said, "I want to eat beefsteak!" "Ok. Then I'll order it. I think Kobe sirloin steak must be on the catalog because it's for the 2nd prize winners."However, on the catalog, no Kobe beef, no sirloin steak. Moreover the specialties on it had no appeal for us because I thought we could get those food easily through the Internet these days. I can say the price of all the food is about 5,000 yen. And if we spend the money, we can buy more attractive food specialties on the Internet shopping, for example through shops on this Rakuten sites.Anyway, my daughter is still saying she wants to eat meat, so I've decided to order it for grill. I hope it'll taste good!→ランキングに参加しています♪

徹底トレーニング　1-17 Do you still work after getting rich? お金持ちになっても働きますか？

The clerk had been so kind to the elderly man that he left her his fortune. It was more than enough money for her to quit her job as a grocery store clerk and support her family in luxury. But she didn't do so. She kept working as usual.It seems that Jeff couldn't understand why she had decided to keep working. However, her decision is very understandable for me.If I get rich, I'll also keep working like her. Perhaps I can't change my way of life so easily. Besides, what do I do with such enormous fortune? If I don't have any work, everyday must be very boring for me. After all, I think my work which relates to English is proof that I am alive.今日の一文宝くじで大当たりしたみたいだね。It's like ( ) a ( ).正解It's like (winning) a (jackpot).Let's Read Out Loud! 音読するぞ～じゃあ１人の運のいい食料品店の店員さんてことか。Now that is one lucky grocery store clerk.数百ドル渡して。She gives away a few hundred dollars.それで数百万ドルの財産を相続したんだから。And then she inherits a multimillion-dollar fortune.宝くじで大当たりしたみたいだね。It's like winning a jackpot.Let's Listen and write!◆deserve～＝「～に値する、～を受けるに足る」１．君はあんな扱いを受けることは何もしていないよ。You have done nothing to deserve to be treated that way.２．そんなに冷たい目で見るなんて僕が何をしたっていうんだ？What did I do to deserve such a cold stare?３．あの子どもを救った消防士は真にヒーローと呼ばれるにふさわしい。The firefighter who saved that child truly deserved to be called a hero.Let's Fill in the Blanks!◆16th Day◆この映画とっても気に入ると思うわ。そしてね、子どもたちを連れて行ってもいいし。小さな女の子にはいいメッセージになるわよ。I think you'll really like this movie.And you can bring the kids to it, too.It has a good message for little girls.→クリックしてくださると嬉しいです♪

百人一首大会　　The Hyakunin-Isshu competition

My daughter, Bonkochan, had a Hyakunin-Isshu competition at her junior high the other day. The students were divided into several groups and they competed with each other according to the groups. Bonkochan was in the group B, and she won the first place!To tell the truth, however, I wasn't surprised at this news.That's because I was quite certain that she could get the first or second place at her school level.She has been familiar with Hyakunin-Isshu since she was little through Bozu-Mekuri, one of the card games, with me. So she's already had favorite cards. This time, till the competition, she had tried to memorize their poems correctly and had practiced remembering simo-no-ku as soon as possible when she heard kami-no-ku.So, for me, it seemed that she was ready to do the competition and she did it!She said Semimaru was the most favorite card for her, so she didn't want anyone to take the card. Tenchi Emperor, Jito empress, Ono-no-Komachi, Sojo-Henjo are also her favorites.She said she had memorized over 20 poems including her favorites after all and that she had been able to take them, hearing the first line. ◆Hyakunin-Isshu◆It is 100 poems by 100 Japanese poets of early times.There're 2 sets of 100 cards. On one set, the complete five-lines poems are printed. On the other set, only the last two-lines (simo-no-ku) of each poem appear. The first three-lines are called kami-no-ku.At the card taking game, you spread simo-no-ku cards in front of you. You can't see kami-no-ku on the cards.So you need to remember kami-no-ku when you see the simo-no-ku cards.The key to win the game is to take a simi-no-ku card as soon as possible when you hear the kami-no-ku. →学習仲間を探そう！

徹底トレーニング　1-16 People who are rich お金持ち

In fact, the elderly man who was always a few pennies short at the grocery store turned out to be an extraordinary millionaire. He was obsessed with frugality in life.When I come to think of people who are rich, I think we can often say that they are frugal. And if they don't live fruagal life, they probably can't be rich.In that sense, my husband and I easily buy something that we want, so we can't become rich, I suppose. Anyway, the old man left his enormous fortune to the clerk who paid his difference at her own expense. I'm interested in what happens next. What will she do with such great wealth? 今日の一文そして、倹約することばかり考えていたのね。And he was ( ) with ( ).正解And he was (obsessed) with (frugality).Let's Read Out Loud! 音読するぞ～結局、老人は貧しくなかったってことがわかって。It turned out that the old man wasn't poor afte all.彼は風変わりな億万長者だったの。He was an eccentric multimillionaire.そして、倹約することばかり考えていたのね。And he was obsessed with frugality.ときどきそういう人の話を聞くでしょう。Every now and then you hear about one of those.Let's Listen and write!◆be obsessed with～＝「～で頭がいっぱいである、～に取りつかれている」１．最近、新しい仕事のことで頭がいっぱいみたいだね。You seem to be obsessed with your new buisiness these days.２．彼は自分がガンだと思い込んでいた。He was obsessed with the idea that he had a cancer.３．彼女は来月行われる息子の入試のことで頭がいっぱいである。She's obsessed with her son's entrance exam next month.→学習仲間を探そう！

ダンス仲間と先生に会う　　Went to see the instructor and fellows at the dance school

After seeing the doctor for a regular medical examination, I walked on my crutches for about 40minutes to see my jazz dance instructor, Mrs.Tomino, and my dance fellows at the dance school. This was the very first time for me to go there after I got my leg broken.They had often visited me in the hospital, but I haven't seen them since I left there.So I felt very excited to see them.When I opened the door and went into the dance floor, they were there, doing ballet bar exercise as usual. Then they noticed me and warmly welcomed with applause. "Congratulations on your leaving the hospital!"We talked a little and then they began to practice dancing with jazz music. I was watching them dancing, sitting on the floor. Mrs.Tomino, the instructer, gave them advice separately how they should make their body move. Yes! This feeling! I've forgot this feeling for a while.Listening to her, I gradually came to remember that I'd tried to make my body move as she'd said and that I'd practiced dancing repeatedly so hard not to forget the choreography.I want to dance again with them!So I determined to work hard to rehabilitation in oder to take her lessons!Thank you, Mrs.Tomino and my good fellows. I was very glad to see you. And I got courage from today's lesson. →学習仲間を探そう！

徹底トレーニング　1-15 What happens next? 次はどうなる？

I knew what happens next! This clerk must receive the inheritance from the elderly man. It sure is. Don't you think so?今日の一文彼女にその老人が亡くなったってことを知らせるために電話をしてきたのよ。He was ( ) to ( ) ( ) that the old man ( ) ( ) ( ).正解He was (calling) to (inform) (her) that the old man (had) (passed) (away).Let's Read Out Loud! 音読するぞ～でも、その話には意外な展開があるの。But there is a twist to the story.ある日、その老人が突然店に来なくなって。One day the old man suddenly stopped coming to the store.数週間後、その店員さんに弁護士から連絡があったの。A few weeks later, the clerk was contacted by an attorney.彼女にその老人が亡くなったってことを知らせるために電話をしてきたのよ。He was calling to inform her that the old man had passed away.Let's Listen and write!◆inform a person～＝「（人に）～を知らせる」１．残念ながら海外からのご注文はお受けすることはできません。We're sorry to inform you that we can't accept any international orders.２．ファックスでいつどこでパーティーが開かれるのかを知らせてきた。The fax informed me when and where the party would be held.３．新店舗が明日オープンすることをお知らせいたします。This is to inform you that our new store will open tomorrow.Let's Fill in the Blanks!◆15th Day◆いいってば。大したことじゃないから、本当に。助けが必要なときはいつでも知らせてよ。Not at all.It's no troble, really.Any time you need help, just let me know.→学習仲間を探そう！

頼もしい息子♪　 My reliable son♪

I have to carry what I've bought at a supermarket on my back because I walk on my crutches. Today, I had many things to buy, so I needed a help to carry them.Who could help me?Then I found a suitable person. He was playing with his stuffed animals in his room. Yes! He was my boy, Oboya!"Sorry to interrupt you in playing, but I have a favor. Please go shopping with me now and help me carry the groceries."He was very reluctant to do so. However, once he went out, he took great notice of me, saying, "Are you OK?" or "Walk slowly. I'll wait for you there."At the supermarket, he carried a shopping basket in his small hand of his own will, looking for the groceries I needed.I thought he was not a cute boy but a reliable man!After shopping, he went to a convenience store and completed the payment of internet shopping instead of me while I was taking a rest on the road. I got very proud of you, and I also felt so happy to go out with you, Oboya! You were a great help!→学習仲間を探そう！

娘の英語日記　　My daughter's English diary

My daughter, Bonkochan, is a first-year public junior high school student now and she has English class at school. As the homework, she has to do something which relates to English study on her notebook almost every day. So she sometimes practices writing new English words and sometimes writes the answeres to the English questions of her workbook.And these days, she keeps very short diaries in English on the notebook! At the very first time when she showed me the notebook and asked me to check her English, I was very impressed.Her English was not correct, of course, but the most important thing was that I could really feel her enjoyment in expressing her thought in English. Well done, Bonkochan! Enjoy learning English.Here are her diary.Janually 12１．Yesterday's school lunch was tasty, so I want to eat them another time.２．I played "Panse Angel" on the trombone but it was difficult to play for me.３．My New Year's resolution is to go to bed early and to get up early.４．I didn't watch TV so I could read a book.５．I was happy becuse my English evalution was A plus.→学習仲間を探そう！

徹底トレーニング　1-12 A man who's particular about coffee. コーヒーにうるさい人

As one of today's monologues, my husband is also particular about coffee. When he makes coffee, he sticks to paper filters though there're other ways, such as a drip coffee maker and a syphon coffee maker.And it seems to me that he believes the coffee he makes is the best in the world! So he's always happy to fix some coffee for me and himself. I'm very glad to be fixed it! It's always very good.Let's Try!　タイトルを見てモノローグを言ってみようMy Husband - Survey - Hot-Air Balloon - CircusLet's Read Out Loud! 音読するぞ～１．SurveyPlease take a moment to fill out this survey.We'd like to know how you liked our service.We're always looking for ways to improve.If you found something lacking, we'd love to know about it.It will help us become a better hotel.２．Hot-Air BalloonHave you ever been in a hot-air balloon?If not, I highly recommend it.It's really quite safe.And it's so calm and peaceful up there.The balloon moves with the wind, so you don't feel any beeze.３．My HusbandMy husband is very picky about coffee.It has to be made a certain way, or he can't drink it.He's even particular about his coffee cup.I once made the mistake of serving him coffee in a purple cup.He said coffee can only be drunk from this white cup.４．CurcusDid you know that there's a circus in town?It's called the Clown Town Circus.As the name implies, the clowns are the main attraction.But there are a lot of other things to see.The trapeze artists are really quite amazing.Let's Fill in the Blanks!　３行モノローグ◆10th Day◆ちょっと待って。まだ食べ始めないで。まず、食事に感謝しましょう。Wait a minutes.Don't start eating yet.Let's give thanks for our meal first.→学習仲間を探そう！

徹底トレーニング　1-10 A considerate person?　思いやりのある人？

In today's skit, one of the characters, Miki, talked about a grocery clerk who had been in the newspaper. According to the newspaper, Miki said that this clerk had always helped a certain elderly man do shopping, having carried his groceries out to his car. Moreover, she had also paid a difference for him at her own expense because he had been always a few pennies short.After listening to this story, one of other characters, Nancy, described her as a sweet person and Miki also described her as a considerable one.But I don't think so. I think this clerk was just naive enough to pay. How do you think about it?Anyway, I hope she'll be rewarded for her naivete (you can call it "sweetness", "considerate" and whatever!) in the skit of next week. 今日の一文その老人はいつも必要な金額より何セントか足りなくて。The elderly man always seemed to ( ) a few pennies ( ).正解The elderly man always seemed to (be) a few pennies (short).Let's Read Out Loud! 音読するぞ～食料品店の店員さんがいて。There was a grocery clerk.そして、謎めいたお年寄りの男の人のことを、彼女はいつも助けてたのね。And she was always helpful to a mysterious, elderly man.その老人はいつも必要な金額より何セントか足りなくて。The elderly man always seemed to be a few pennies short.それで、彼女は助けるためにお金を出してた。So she cipped in to help out.Let's Listen and write!◆rarely＝「めったに～ない」１．彼は人前で感情を顔に出すことはめったにない。He rarely lets his feeling show in front of people.２．続編が第一作と同じくらいにいいことはめったにないよね。I think the sequel is rarely as good as the original.３．１年のこの時期にこのあたりで雪が降ることはめったにない。It rarely snows around here at this time of the year.Let's Fill in the Blanks!◆8th Day◆お待たせいたしました、ニューマン様。それではハーパーさんがお会いになりますので。どうぞお入りください。Thank you for waiting, Mr. Newman.Ms. Harper will see you now.Please come in.→学習仲間を探そう！

徹底トレーニング　1-9 Honesty is the best policy.　正直が最善の策

Honesty is the best policy. これは諺なんですね。知りませんでした。たとえば子どもが悪さをして親に怒られるのを覚悟でそれを隠さずに話したら、"See? I'm not mad. Honesty is the best policy."（ママは怒ってないわよ。正直がいちばんなんだから）って言ってあげればいいんですね。今日の一文思ったとおり、彼女が間違って僕に10ドル多く渡したんだ。( ) ( ), she'd ( ) given me $10 ( ) ( ).正解(Sure) (enough), she'd (accidentally) given me $10 (too) (much).Let's Read Out Loud! 音読するぞ～お店に戻る間待っててくれてありがとう。Thanks for waiting while I went back to the store.誰の間違いだったか分かったよ。I found out whose mistake it was.レジの人がお金を数えたら。The cashier counted her money.思ったとおり、彼女が間違って僕に10ドル多く渡したんだ。Sure enough she'd accidentally given me $10 too much.Let's Listen and write!◆It is＋形容詞＋0f～ の使い方１．空港に出迎えに来ていただいてどうもありがとうございます。It's very kind of you to meet us at the airport.２．誕生日に花を贈ってくれるなんて、ジョンはとても思いやりがあるのね。It was very thoughtful of John to send me flowers on my birthday.３．この時点で仕事をやめるのは軽率だと思うけどな。I think it would be rash of you to quit your job at this point.Let's Fill in the Blanks!◆7th Day◆知ってたら君に言ってるよ。でも、本当に知らないんだ。僕が君に嘘をつくのはいやだろう。I would tell you if I knew.But I really don't.You don't want me to lie to you.→学習仲間を探そう！

経過は順調　Making good progress

Five weeks have passed since I got the surgery. Judging from the X-ray, I can see new bones are being made around the injury. I'm making good progress after the operation. I can put my one third weight(about 15kg) on my broken leg now, so I will walk on my cruches a little easier than before. At least, I won't get blisters on my hands anymore! And one more thing to be written. It's very important.I'm now able to sit on my heels though I can't keep the upper part of my body straight because of the pain on my right thigh.This means I can bend my knee alomost perfectly!All doctors I told about it were surprised to know that, saying, "Very few people can sit on their heels at this time of the 4th or 5th week after surgery." The reason why this fact is so important is that muscles easily become stiff and that it's sometimes difficult for the people who've got surgery to bend joints.I was no exception.The next day after the surgery, the first thing I had to do was to sit on a wheelchair as a part of rehabilitation. At first, I couldn't move my broken leg at all because it was so heavy like lead, and when I tried to bend my knee, I felt great pain on my thigh! It was so terrible that I cried out!We need to bend our knees at least 90 degrees to sit on a chair. And when we come to think about daily life, (for me, that is to be discharged from hospital,) doctors said we needed to bend 130 degrees. Since then, it had became my goal to bend my knee at least 130 degrees. I'd worked by myself on the bed and cleared 140 degrees ten days later. This was the machine which helped bend my knee. I could bend 90 degrees as hard as possible at that time. Now I can work out as rehab when I visit the hospital.→学習仲間を探そう！

書初め　New Year's writing

Today is the last day of the winter vacation for my children.My son, the 4th grader in elementary school, had some homework as they did every year.One of the homework was New Year's writing. The word of this year was nippon no haru (the spring in Japan). He was going to practice several times before he wrote neatly but got fed up with it, saying "I can't write well!" So he ended up writing it halfheartedly.However the next moment, a certain word came across his mind. It was kokushimuso, the name of the very rare hand of Mah-jong."I'm going to write kokushimuso!", he said.And he practiced it by himself without any example. I was very impressed! We tend to be good at those things we like.This is what he wrote by himself. →学習仲間を探そう！

徹底トレーニング　1-8 draw a winning lottery ticket 宝くじに当たる

宝くじ（lottery）も動詞に draw を使うんでした。こういうの、普段はあまり表現しないから忘れちゃうなあ～。ところで年末ジャンボ、皆さまはいかがでした？　我が家はハズレ～でした。ミキの "Somebody always gets rich, but it never seems to me." とは、ウチのダーリンのことのようです。今日の一文年に何回かくじに当たる人が出るわ。They ( ) winning tickets ( ) ( ) a year.正解They (draw) winning tickets (several) (times) a year.Let's Read Out Loud! 音読するぞ～ええ、あるわよ。Oh, sure.アメリカの州営宝くじみたいなものが日本にはある。We have something in Japan like the U.S. state lotteries.年に何回かくじに当たる人が出るわ。They draw winning tickets several times a year.いつも誰かがお金持ちになるのに、それは私じゃないみたいなのよね。Somebody always gets rich, but it never seems to me.Let's Listen and write!◆end up ～＝「結局～することになる」１．その状況を説明しようとしたが、結局謝ることになった。I tried to explain the situation, but I ended up apologizing.２．映画に行くつもりだったが、結局お酒を飲むことになった。We had planned to go to a movie, but we just ended up drinking.３．勉強するつもりだったが、結局代わりにＤＶＤを見てしまった。I was going to study, but ended up watching DVDs instead.Let's Fill in the Blanks!◆6th Day◆私の祖母は珍しい人だった。毎晩、４時間しか寝なかったの。他にああいう人に会ったことがないわ。My grandmother was an unusual person.She only slept 4 hours per night.I've never met anyone else like that.→学習仲間を探そう！

麻雀三昧　Into Mah-jong

All of my family members have been totally into Mah-jong during this long New Year holidays.As for my 10-year-old son, Oboya, he's always reading books on hands (yaku) when I see him. He likes to complete difficult hands, aiming high score.As for my 13-year-old dauther, Bonkochan, she's very bold to discard tiles (pai). She likes riichi because she can get ura dora.Anyway we've enjoyed playing Mah-jong, and I could complete Chin Itsu the other day!! Next to Yakuman, Chin Itsu is very rare hand. The book I read says that the possibility of completing this hand is only 0.8%.So I was very excited by Chin Itsu, shouting, "I should take a picture of this by the cell-phone !"The next moment, I found myself standing up and trying to run toward it though I got my leg broken!! I completely forgot my broken leg at that moment! Of course, I can't stand nor work, so I sank weakly to the floor then.When I went to the hospital and told my doctor about it later, he said, "Then if you complete Yakuman, you must run." with a smile.This is the Chin Itsu which made me forget my broken leg! →学習仲間を探そう！

徹底トレーニング　1-6 split the tab 割り勘にする

正直者のハンクは本当にお店に返金しに行っちゃいましたね。私は返しに行かないなあ。皆さんはどうですか？　ところで、みんなで食べに行ったときに使う言葉、「割り勘にしようよ」は split the tab と言えばいいんですね。 tab は「勘定（bill)」の意ですって。今日の一文それで大当たりしたら、それを僕と分けてもいいよね！Then when you ( ) the ( ), you can ( ) it with me!正解Then when you (win) the (jackpot), you can (split) it with me!Let's Read Out Loud! 音読するぞ～考えがある。Here's an idea.１ドルの宝くじを10枚買ったらどうだい？Why don't you buy ten $1 lottery tickets?お店にはお金の一部が戻って、みんな幸せなんだから。The store gets some money back and everybody's happy.それで大当たりしたら、それを僕と分けてもいいよね！Then when you win the jackpot, you can split it with me!Let's Listen and write!◆split＝「分け合う、割る」１．今夜飲みに行ったら、３人で割り勘にしようね。When we go out drinking tonight, let's split the tab three ways.２．このビールの大瓶を僕と一緒に分け合って飲まないか？How about splitting this large bottle of beer with me?３．彼の投げたボールがとても速くて、バットが真っ二つに割れた。His pitch was so fast that it split the bat right in two.Let's Fill in the Blanks!◆3rd Day◆旅行から帰ってきたんだね。長い間いなかったよね。仕事か休暇で余分に時間を取ったの？Welcome back from your trip.You were away for a long time, weren't you?Did you spend the extra time on business or vacation?→学習仲間を探そう！

徹底トレーニング　1-5

スーパーなどの「レジ係」。「キャッシャー」のアクセントで呼んでる cashier の正しい発音＆アクセントは「キャッシアー」だったんですね。わたし、初めて知りました。それにしても正直者のハンクですね。今日の一文But it ( ) like she gave me ( ) ( ) a twenty.でも彼女は僕に20ドル札のおつりをくれたみたいなんだ。正解But it (looks) like she gave me (change) (for) a twenty.Let's Read Out Loud! 音読するぞ～ねえ、これを見てよ、みんな。Hey, look at this, guys.このソーダ水を買って、レジの人に10ドル札を渡したのに。I gave the cashier a ten when I bought this soda.でも彼女は僕に20ドル札のおつりをくれたみたいなんだ。But it looks like she gave me change for a twenty.店に戻って、説明して、お金を返したほうがいいな。I'd better go back to the store to explain, and give the money back.Let's Listen and write!◆the one who～＝「～の人」１．こぼしたのがあなたなら、どうして私がきれいにすべきなの？Why should I clean it up, if you're the one who spilled it?２．この問題に責任あるのは君じゃないんだよね？You aren't the one who is responsible for this problem, are you?３．僕がここを散らかしたって決めつけないでくれよ。Stop assuming that I'm the one who made this mess.Let's Fill in the Blanks!◆2nd Day◆私の友達のレスターに会ってほしいの。彼はカナダの出身よ。レスターは本当に面白い人なんだから。I want you to meet my friend Lester.He's from Canada.Lester is a really interesting guy.→学習仲間を探そう！

徹底トレーニング　1-4

全国のリスナーの皆さーん！　いよいよ２００７年の放送が今日からスタートですね。私にとっては２年目となる今年、楽しみながら聞きたいと思ってます。皆さんの抱負はいかがですか？今日の一文Can you belive we've walked ( ) ( ) ( ) here?ここまでずっと歩いてきたって信じられる？正解Can you belive we've walked (all) (the) (way) here?Let's Read Out Loud! 音読するぞ～みんな、近所を案内してくれてどうもありがとう。Thanks a lot for showing me around, guys.楽しい散歩だったわ。This has been a nice walk.ここまでずっと歩いてきたって信じられる？Can you belive we've walked all the way here?何か飲み物を買いましょうよ。Let's get something to drink.Let's Listen and write!◆all the way＝「ずっと、はるばる」１．駅からここまでずっと走ってきたのかい？Did you run all the way here from the station?２．彼女ははるばるニューヨークから私たちに会いにやってきた。She came all the way from New York to see us.３．センターがキャッチャーまでノーバウンドでボールを投げた。The center fielder threw the ball all the way to the chatcher without bouncing it.Let's Fill in the Blanks!◆1st Day◆熱っ！　舌を火傷しちゃったよ。このコーヒーがすごく熱いってどうして言ってくれなかったんだい？まあ、僕が当然そうだと思うべきだったんだろうけどね。Ouch! I just burned my tongue.Why didn't you tell me this coffee was so hot?Well, I guess I should have assumed it.→学習仲間を探そう！

正月休み　　New Year holidays

I think tomorrow will be the first day of work this year for most people. My husband, Chama, was supposed to start his work from tomorrow.But my accident completely changed his work schedule this year! His first day of work is Janualy 9th.Here is the reason.He has been taking all his paid holidays since I got my leg broken. During these days, he has been at home to take care of our daughter and son and me. He has been a perfect househusband instead of me. I've had really hard days because of the accident, but he's been the very reason why I've spent every day at ease and I will.Thank you, Chama!→学習仲間を探そう！

ドラム式洗濯乾燥機　A washing and drying machine

It has passed 1 month since I got surgery of my broken leg. I can't put my weight on the leg at all, so I can't stand with both legs nor walk. This means that I can't do housework well enough as usual.For example, washing is very troublesome for me now. I can't go and hung out the washing. So my husband bought a state-of-the-art washing and drying machine for me.I like this machine very much! The most important thing is that it costed only about 100,000yen including the carriage! It was almost half-price! The second important is that this machine is very big and I can wash the whole family washing at one time. The washing machine I'd used over 10 years was a small one, so I had to wash the washing a few times in a day. The third important is that, of course, this machine can do all work from washing to drying. The forth important is that it can wash with much less water, so I can save water rate.I'm very satisfied to buy this washing and drying machine!→学習仲間を探そう！

お守りの効力　　The effect of lucky charms.　

I visited a shrine with my family as an anuual event on a New Year's Day. Because I had to walk on my crutches, it took over 30 minutes to go there. (On our way, I got rest several times on the street!)I could get to the shrine without accident, and prayed for happiness and good health for the year.After that, I found an interesting woman while I was choosing some lucky charms. She was a middle aged woman and was complaining to a shrine man about the effect of lucky charms, telling that even though she had bought lucky charms last year, one of her aunts had died and her brother had broken his shoulder bone.She seemed furious. Did she think that PL Law applied to the lucky charms?I was so curious that I watched what would happen next. Her complaining clearly perplexed the shrine man, but he explained to her that holding lucky charms would't guarantee not to invite misfortunes.And what interested me was that he often glanced at me, saying so.I was standing with my cruches, so he could recognize at once that I had got my leg broken, meaing I had had a bad luck. He might think that I also had the same complaining to them. If so, he might try to tell me the same thing.Come on, man! I'm not such unreasonable!Anyway, the middle aged woman bought other charms after listening to his explanation, and went home. I was relieved to see that they had a happy ending!→学習仲間を探そう！

DJ OZMAって？　Who is "DJ OZMA"?

I've just watched Kohaku Uta Gassen, the NHK Year-end Grand Song Festival, with my family. I was so surprised at seeing the performance of DJ OZMA. If you saw it, I bet you were also surprised! Some of his female backup dancers got topless! "Are their breasts real?""I can't believe that NHK let him do such wild thing!""Wait a minute. It seems that those breasts are not real."These were the conversation exchanged among my family members.Many people must have had the same question, because during the show, the announcer told that they had worn kind of suit painted breasts on it.Anyway, I really regreted not recording the show! →学習仲間を探そう！