2023年12月29日(金)
神田明神「煤納め」 ロボット掃除機も参加
ROBOT VACUUMS JOIN YEAR-END CLEANUP AT TOKYO SHIRINE
2023年12月12日のニュース
go to work 仕事に着手する
動詞 hoover「～に掃除機をかける」
hoover the carpet「じゅうたんに掃除機をかける」
句動詞hoover up「（掃除機が）吸い上げる」
> hoover up「～をすばやく食べる・飲む、～を大量に消費する、多くの～を集める」
>>He hoovered up all the snacks on the plate.
the shrine deity 神田明神がまつっている神（御祭神）
A team of robot vacuums is helping out with the year-end cleanup at a major Tokyo shrine for the first time.
Ten of the machines joined the shrine's Shinto priests and other workers at the main building. First there was a ceremony, then the machines went to work, hoovering up dust swept down to the floor by the priests.
Another robot cleaned the floor of a separate hall used for sacred performances.
One of the priests said it's important that traditions evolve to incorporate new things. He said the shrine deity would surely be pleased.
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deity
[ˈdiəti]
sacred
[ˈseɪkrəd]
A team of robot vacuums is helping out with the year-end cleanup at a major Tokyo shrine for the first time.
A team of robot vacuums
is helping out with the year-end cleanup
at a major Tokyo shrine for the first time.
A team of robot vacuums
is helping out with the year-end cleanup
at a major Tokyo shrine for the first time.
First there was a ceremony, then the machines went to work.
---
Next, we move on to ...
「次は～（のニュース）へ移ります、次は～についてお伝えします」
Next, ... 「次のニュースです、～」
Now to ... 「さて～（という場所・話題）へ移ります、それでは～のニュースです」
Now ... 「さて、～」
Staying with ... 「～（場所・話題）に関する（別の）ニュースを続けます」
Next, we move on to the political situation in India.
Next, we move on to India.
Now to Amsterdam.
Now to soport.
Staying with ... 「～（場所・話題）に関する（別の）ニュースを続けます」
Staying with Argentina.
Staying with economic recovery.
That's a look at business news.
「以上、ビジネスニュースをお伝えしました」
For example, you could say,
And finally, ... 「そして最後のニュースになりますが、～」
And finally, an annual New Year's Eve celebration.
or
(And) before we go, ...
「さて番組を終える前に、では次が最後のニュースになります」
And before we go, an annual New Year's Eve celebration.
before we go「この番組の最後に」
And before we go, (here is our final news item).
Well, my highlight was finally being able to go back to Minnesota this summer. I hadn't been there in four years but it felt like hardly any time had gone by at all. I suppose that's a testament to the power of family bounds.
felt like hardly any time had gone by at all
Have a happy New Year!
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2023年12月28日(木)
自民安倍派 所属議員の大半にキックバックか
MORE LDP LAWMAKERS NAMED IN FUNDRASING SCANDAL
2023年12月10日のニュース
LDP - Liberal Democratic Part
engulf「巻き込む、飲み込む」
＝＞「巻き込む」を意味するinvolveより、より圧倒されているというニュアンス
quotas 割り当て
funnel「（じょうごを使って液体を）注ぐ、つぎ込む、流し込む」
＝＞動詞「（情報や金銭を）送る」名詞「じょうご」
payout「（多額の）支払い」・句動詞pay out「（大金を）支払う」
They're suspected of failing to declare the payouts in their financial reports.
---
We start in Japan, where the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party is struggling with a deepening money scandal that has engulfed several party factions.
NHK has learned that at the center of the scandal are senior officials in the LDP's largest faction. They allegedly received kickbacks from the revenue of fundraising party tickets, which they failed to report as income.
The Abe faction, once led by the late Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, and several other factions allegedly funneled money to the offices of lawmakers who'd exceeded their quotas for selling tickets for political fundraising events. The Abe faction is thought to have paid kickbacks to a majority of its lawmakers, including six executives. They're suspected of failing to declare the payouts in their financial reports.
Among the allegations, the offices of more than 10 lawmakers are each thought to have received kickbacks of over 10 million yen, or nearly 70,000 dollars, over a five-year period.
－－－
We start in Japan, where the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party is struggling with a deepening money scandal.
We start in Japan,
where the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party is struggling
with a deepening money scandal.
ーーー
We start in Japan, where the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party is ...
－＞We start (this program with news) in Japan, where ...
- We begin in ..., where ...
- We start with ... / We begin with ...
- Out first story takes us to ...
We begin in New Yourk ..
We start with a surprising development in Mexico City.
Our first story takes us to Paris
That's a good question. I think they care about letting their personality shine.
I think they want to find a way to leave an impression on the viewers and they might even think of themselves as entertainers sometimes.
2023年12月25日(月)
ＣＯＰ２８ “化石燃料の廃止”で大きな隔たり
CLIMATE DELEGATES ARGUE OVER WORDING
2023年12月12日のニュース
aregue over wording
.. couldn't wait 猶予がない
---
What doesn't the text mention?
- But the text does not mention a “phase out” of fossil fuels, only a call for “reducing” them.
What do critics hope to move away from?
-They say the text falls far short of their hopes of moving away from the burning of oil, gas, and coal.
---
they've omitted a goal many have insisted upon.
sent out
watered down that language.
---
Delegates went into the United Nations conference on climate change agreeing climate action couldn't wait. They've drafted a deal on things they could do to reduce emissions. But they've omitted a goal many have insisted upon.
The hosts from the United Arab Emirates sent out the draft. They want to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. But the text does not mention a “phase out” of fossil fuels, only a call for “reducing” them.
(Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber / COP28 President)
“We have made progress, but we still have a lot to do. You know what remains to be agreed, and you know that I want you to deliver the highest ambition on all items, including on fossil fuel language.”
Critics say delegates from fossil-fuel producing countries and developing nations watered down that language. They say the text falls far short of their hopes of moving away from the burning of oil, gas, and coal.
★アラビア語
“We have made progress, but we still have a lot to do. You know what remains to be agreed, and you know that I want you to deliver the highest ambition on all items, including on fossil fuel language.”
アールの音/r/ 「震え音」
★２０２３年の話題の言葉 その１
Word of the Year for 2023
dystopianは「反理想郷の」<> 「理想郷」を意味するutopiaの反対の意味
-> distopian world
-> Extreme capitalism may create a dystopia.
2023年12月26日(火)
パリ五輪 ロシアとベラルーシの個人参加容認
IOC ALLOWS ATHLETES FROM RUSSIA, BELARUS
2023年12月9日のニュース
ally
[ˈælaɪ]
---
What will the Russian and Belarusian athletes be prohibited from displaying at the Paris games?
- They say only a limited number will qualify.
The athletes will be prohibited from displaying flags and emblems, and their national anthems won't be played.
What did Ukranian leaders call the decision?
-Ukrainian leaders called the decision “shameful.”
---
national anthems
anthems
[ˈænθəmz]
The war in Ukraine prompted many sports bodies to ban athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus. Now the International Olympic Committee says some will be allowed to take part in next year's Paris Games as “neutrals.”
Organizers are getting ready for the Games to start in less than eight months. Officials with the IOC say they've decided to invite Russian and Belarusian athletes who don't support the war. They say only a limited number will qualify.
The athletes will be prohibited from displaying flags and emblems, and their national anthems won't be played. So far, officials have allowed eight from Russia and three from Belarus.
Russian officials described the plan as “discriminatory.”
Ukrainian leaders called the decision “shameful.” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia may use the opportunity to “weaponize” the Olympics.
---
What would you recomend people do?
---
★２０２３年の話題の言葉 その２
「武器化する」を意味する動詞の weaponize
-ize- >「～にする、～化する」
aggrandize himself「自身を強大に見せる」
aggrandize -> 「～を大きくする、増やす、強める」
The kingdom aims to aggrandize its power.
=> aggrandize = expand
galvanize
「～に電気を通す、電流で刺激する」->「人などに刺激や衝撃を与える」
The news galvanized the community into taking climate action.
2023年12月27日(水)
子どもの国際学力調査 日本の順位上昇
JAPANESE STUDENTS EXCEL IN MATH, SCIENCE, READING
2023年12月5日のニュース
excel 勝る
mark
ｰｰｰ
How many students from how many senior high schools around Japan took the test?
-About 6,000 students from 183 high schools.
That included about 6,000 students at 183 senior high schools around Japan.
Which country ranked first in all three categories?
-Singapore ranked first in all three categories.
---
Japanese high school students scored high marks in a test of international academic performance released on Tuesday.
They ranked in the top 5 globally in all three categories: mathematics, science, and reading.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, conducts the Programme for International Student Assessment every three years. It assesses the academic performance of 15-year-olds around the world.
The latest evaluation was delayed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. About 690,000 students from 81 countries and regions took part. That included about 6,000 students at 183 senior high schools around Japan.
Compared to the last assessment in 2018, average scores rose in all three categories.
Japanese students climbed one spot to fifth in mathematics. In science, they rose from fifth place to second. And in reading, they jumped from 15th place to third.
Singapore ranked first in all three categories.
---
Building up your vocabulary is a big part of engaging with the news in English.
★２０２３年の話題の言葉 その３
doomscroll
->「悪いニュースや話題などをスマホで見続けてしまうこと」
doom「悪い運命、破滅」
<- scroll「（スマホ画面などを）スクロールする」
quiet quitting
「与えられた仕事を最低限しかやらない」
「精神的な余裕をもって働く」「頑張りすぎない働き方」
My word for the year is growth.
My kids, the players on the baseball team and me, I think I felt an experienced a lot of growth this year.
growth mindset
---