2023年12月15日(金)
巨大エネルギーの“宇宙線” 発見
SCIENTISTS DETECT 2ND-MOST POWERFUL COSMIC RAY
2023年11月24日のニュース
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exa-electron volts「10の１８乗」
－＞exabyte (ˈɛksəˌbaɪt) (Units) computing 1018 or 260 bytes
detect 発見
Astronomer)s -> astronomer「天文学者」
-> 「天文学」astronomy
cosmic ray -> cosmicは「宇宙の」
particle「小さい粒、粒子、微量」
-> particle physics「素粒子物理学」
theory and practice「理論と実践」
detector「検出器、検出装置」
-> metal detector「金属探知器」、lie detector「うそ発見器」（polygraph）
turn out ...「（結局）～であることが分かる、判明する」
the second-most ..「２番目に最も～」
an estimated ...「推定で～、推計～」
exa-electron volts「10の１８乗」
The team dubbed the particle “Amaterasu,” after the sun goddess in Japanese mythology.
dub「（呼び名などを）付ける」
-> name A after B「ＢにちなんでＡに名前を付ける」
goddess「女神」
mythology「神話（学）、伝承」
Cosmic rays are high-energy subatomic particles
subatomic「原子より小さい、原子を構成する、亜原子の」
subatomic particle「亜原子粒子、原子以下の粒子」原子より小さい粒子
that rain down on Earth from outer space.
rain down on ...「～に雨あられのごとく降り注ぐ」爆弾などが大量に落とされる
outer「外側の、外部の」-> outer spaceは「宇宙（空間）」= space
「地球外生命体」creature from outer space
remains a mystery
remainは「（依然として）～のままである」
right to remain silent「黙ったままでいる権利」
it could have been generated by the explosion of a massive star.
generateは「生む、発生させる、生成する」
explosion「爆発」-> explode「爆発する」
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Astronomers say they've discovered a cosmic ray so powerful that only one gram of the particle would contain enough energy to destroy the Earth in theory.
A group of researchers from Japan, the United States, and six other countries made the announcement at a news conference. The researchers said a detector picked up something super energetic in May of 2021.
It was so strong that at first it was thought to be a mistake. But it turned out to be the second-most powerful cosmic ray ever detected, with an estimated energy of 244 exa-electron volts. The team dubbed the particle “Amaterasu,” after the sun goddess in Japanese mythology.
Cosmic rays are high-energy subatomic particles that rain down on Earth from outer space. The source of the Amaterasu particle remains a mystery. The scientists say it could have been generated by the explosion of a massive star. But there's nothing like that in the area of space the particle appears to have come from.
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Cosmic rays are high-energy subatomic particles that rain down on Earth from outer space.
Cosmic rays are high-energy
subatomic particles
that rain down on Earth from outer space.
★「地球」はEarth？ the Earth？ and the earth?
the earth この大地
the Earth 私たちが住むこの星
-> Which is probably why the famous slogan save the Earth used this pattern.
Earth ＝「アース（と呼ばれる太陽系第３惑星）」
Earth「私たちが住むこの地球」という意味で、親しみを込めたニュアンス
the Earth where we live、the planet Earth、save the Earthなどのthe Earthがこれ
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2023年12月8日(金)
神社の絵馬もプライバシー保護
PRIVACY WORRIES OVER 'EMA' WISHES AND PRAYERS
2023年11月9日のニュース
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lately「近頃は～」
-> 過去形、一度きりの動作にlatelyは使えない
I haven't gone to the movies lately.
I went to the movies recently.
I went to the movies recently.
is in the spotlight
sticker シール
is preserving privacy－＞preserve = protect
pouch 「小袋、ポーチ」「（レトルト食品などの）パウチ」
people are increasingly worried that..
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The issue of privacy is in the spotlight at Shinto shrines in Japan, where visitors write wishes and prayers on small wooden tablets called ema.
Recently, some people have started covering their ema with stickers to hide their names and messages.
Some of the roughly 300 ema tablets at Nishinomiya Shrine in Hyogo Prefecture are covered with stickers. The shrine doesn't sell stickers, so the people who wrote on the tablets must have brought them.
Another shrine is preserving privacy in a different way. It's using small pouches instead of stickers. The shrine started offering the pouches four years ago. In the age of social media, people are increasingly worried that their secret wishes will be leaked.
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The issue of privacy is in the spotlight at Shinto shrines in Japan, where visitors write wishes and prayers on small wooden tablets called ema.
The issue of privacy is in the spotlight
at Shinto shrines in Japan, where visitors write wishes and prayers
on small wooden tablets called ema.
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★recentlyとlately 「最近」
lately「「近頃は」<-過去形と一緒には使えない
I went to the movies lately.
Right, in this case you would say,
I went to the movies recently.
lately:
「近頃は～」一定の長さがある期間の中で、ある動作が繰り返される
「映画を観に行った」過去形、一度きりの動作にlatelyは使えない
lately > 現在完了形で使います。
I haven't gone to the movies lately.
recently ->
（一度きりの）過去形でも現在完了形どちらでも使えます。
- I haven't gone to the movies recently.
（という状態が継続している） - I went to the movies recently.
最近（一度）映画を観に行きました。
We don't really write these types of things out. I think most people want to keep them inside. Kind of private things.
I have.. It was a long time ago but I went to a shrine in Japan and I wrote out like, please let me get into the graduate school of my first choice.
Yes, fortunately, I did make it into graduate school and I was very happy about that. Somebody must have been listening.
2023年12月11日(月
アルトマン氏 オープンＡＩのＣＥＯに復帰
OPENAI TO REINSTATE ALTMAN AS CEO
2023年11月22日のニュース
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What did other board members focus on？
- Media reports speculate on a conflict between Altman's drive to quickly expand AI services and a focus on safety by other board members.
Were almost all of openAI's employees for or against the board's dicision?
-Against the board's dicision.
Almost all of OpenAI's about 770 employees signed a letter threatening to quit and demanding that the board reinstate Altman and resign themselves.
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reinstate 復帰させる
chatbot
ｰｰｰ
U.S. tech firm OpenAI says it has agreed to reinstate Sam Altman as CEO less than a week after the board fired him. The company is behind the widely popular artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT.
OpenAI made the announcement on social media on Tuesday. It refers to a new “initial board” of three directors who are working out the details.
Media reports speculate on a conflict between Altman's drive to quickly expand AI services and a focus on safety by other board members.
Altman was dismissed Friday, and by Sunday, OpenAI's biggest shareholder Microsoft said it was ready to hire him.
Almost all of OpenAI's about 770 employees signed a letter threatening to quit and demanding that the board reinstate Altman and resign themselves.
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★英語のリズム
announcement
[əˈnaʊnsmənt]
Cats /run /fast.
A cat /runs/ fast.
Cats are /running /fast.
A cat is /running /fast.
Cats have been /running /fast.
A cat has been /running /fast.
2023年12月12日(火)
配送効率向上へ 商品の小型化広がる
GOOD THINGS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES
2023年11月21日のニュース
ointment「軟こう」
---
By what percentage has a daily goods maker reduced the packaging size for its diapers for elderly people?
-it used special technology to reduce the packaging size for its diapers for elderly people by 10 percent
A company trimmed the height of its cooking oil bottles by four centimeters.
Did this reduce the volume?
- No, it didn't.
and daily products maker CGC Japan trimmed the height of its cooking oil bottles by four centimeters without reducing volume.
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come in ...
go into business「事業をおこす」
go out of businessなら「廃業する」
get down to businessなら「（挨拶などを終えて）本題・仕事の話に入る」
grapple with ...「～（問題・課題など）に取り組む、立ち向かう」
-> struggle with ... / tackle with ...
-> contend with ...「（問題など）に取り組む、対処する」
get A out 「Ａを発送する、Ａを外へ出す」「Ａを世に出す」「出版する、発行する」
slash「切る、深く切りつける」
->「（予算、値段、人員などを）大幅に削減する」
-> trim
wipe 拭き取りシート
baby wipe 赤ちゃんお尻ふき
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Delivery businesses across Japan are grappling with a severe driver shortage. They will have another problem to contend with next year when limits on driver overtime take effect.
Companies that rely on delivery trucks to get their goods out are responding by focusing on efficiency. They're making their products more compact so they can load more of them onto a truck.
Daily goods maker Unicharm says it used special technology to reduce the packaging size for its diapers for elderly people by 10 percent. Officials say this will likely slash the number of 10-ton trucks needed for deliveries each year by about 1,000.
Another daily goods firm, Kao, has taken a simpler approach. The company made the packaging for its cleaning wipes smaller by taking out some of the air.
Food and daily products maker CGC Japan trimmed the height of its cooking oil bottles by four centimeters without reducing volume.
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★比較級
simpler
Another daily goods firm, Kao, has taken a simpler approach.
simpler「より単純な」
The company made the packaging for its cleaning wipes smaller by taking out some of the air.
smaller「従来品と比べて」
（原形）simple （比較級）simpler
（原形）small （比較級）smaller
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★単語はパーツに分ける
「減らす」reduce
duceに注目 ->> re「後ろへ」+ duce「導く」
-> reduceは「引き戻す、（数や量などを）減らす」
Daily goods maker Unicharm says it used special technology to reduce the packaging size for its diapers for elderly people by 10 percent.
The ointment reduced the swelling.
ointment「軟こう」
swelling「腫れ」
Climate change induced migration. -> 移住を引き起こした
2023年12月13日(水)
フィンランド ロシア国境の検問所を閉鎖
FINLAND SHUTS BORDER POINTS WITH RUSSIA
2023年11月25日のニュース
★「恐怖症」
Russophobic「ロシア恐怖症の」
phobia「～恐怖症」
「高所恐怖症」acrophobia
「閉所恐怖症」claustrophobia
「外国人恐怖症」xenophobia
<> 「外国人好き、外国文化好き」xenophilia
「長い単語恐怖症」
hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia
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According to the story, how many border crossings remain open?
- One.
What has Russia denied?
-Russia has denied any involvement.
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August
[ˈɑɡəst]
[ˈɔɡəst]
an influx of asylum seekers
Finnish
These measures were considered necessary to
border crossing
= border point 国境検問所
shut all but one border crossing
*all but ...「～を除いて（～以外は）全て」
Nordic nations
Russophobic
-One who fears or dislikes Russia or its people or culture.
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Finland has closed most of its border points with Russia due to an influx of asylum seekers, blaming Moscow for intentionally sending them. Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the migrants have been transferred to the border by Moscow.
(Petteri Orpo / Finnish Prime Minister)
“These measures were considered necessary to protect Finland and our national security. We want to send a clear message to Russia. This must stop.”
Finland on Friday shut all but one border crossing with Russia. The Nordic nation cited a surge in Middle Eastern and African migrants at the border since August.
Helsinki criticized Russia, saying it is attempting to bring confusion to Finland. Russia has denied any involvement. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow regrets that the good relations between the two countries have been replaced by a “Russophobic position.”
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“These measures were considered necessary to protect Finland and our national security. We want to send a clear message to Russia. This must stop.”
Definitely, he has really impressive English.
And it's not only Finland either. For example, I know some people from Sweden who speak excellent English too.
2023年12月14日(木)
東芝 上場廃止を決定
TOSHIBA SET TO DELIST FROM STOCK EXCHANGES
2023年11月22日のニュース
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Today's lesson might have been a little tough but you can always learn 自動詞 from challenges. If you ever get frustrated with something hard, just remember that every minutes you spend working to learn 他動詞 that point dives possitive growth.
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be delisted from
ad hoc
臨時の・特にこのために, その場しのぎに, 特別に
turn around ...（turn ... around）
「～を回復させる、～を立て直す、好転させる」
set to go private
（株式が）公開されていない状態になる」->「上場廃止になる、非上場化される」
-> privately-owned「私有の」株
go private <> go publick
been mired with...
(be) mired in ...「～に陥る、～から抜け出せずにいる」
accounting irregularities came to light
in a takeover i
industrial giant「産業大手」retail giant「小売大手」telecom giant「通信大手」
stock exchange「証券取引所」
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Japanese industrial giant Toshiba will be delisted from the stock exchanges in Tokyo and Nagoya next month, following the approval of shareholders. The aim is for the company to rebuild its finances and turn its business around.
Toshiba held an ad hoc shareholders meeting on Wednesday to address the issue. An investment fund, Japan Industrial Partners, bought more than 78 percent of Toshiba shares in a takeover in September. Shareholders have approved the purchase of the remaining portion to squeeze out overseas activists.Toshiba is now set to go private on December 20.
Toshiba has been mired with problems since accounting irregularities came to light in 2015. The company faces the challenge of restructuring its finances and pursuing growth. It has to do this while shouldering costs of around 2 trillion yen, or more than 13 billion dollars, related to the buyout.
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Japanese industrial giant Toshiba will be delisted from the stock exchanges in Tokyo and Nagoya next month, following the approval of shareholders.
Japanese industrial giant Toshiba
will be delisted from the stock exchanges in Tokyo and Nagoya next month,
following the approval of shareholders.
★自動詞と他動詞
動詞の次に目的語があれば他動詞、なければ自動詞
自動詞:何かが「（自ら動いて）～する」
他動詞:何かが「（他のもの）を～する」/「他のもの」に相当する目的語がある
delist
自動詞:TOSHIBA SET TO DELIST FROM STOCK EXCHANGES
他動詞:Toshiba will be delisted from the stock exchanges ...
-> The stock exchanges will delist Toshiba. 自動詞
Today's lesson might have been a little tough but you can always learn 自動詞 from challenges. If you ever get frustrated with something hard, just remember that every minutes you spend working to learn 他動詞 that point dives possitive growth.