ニュースで学ぶ「現代英語」
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OHTANI SPEAKS OUT ON SCANDAL
Japanese star Ohtani Shohei has spoken up about the scandal everyone else in baseball is speaking about. He has kept quiet since his former interpreter was accused of illegal gambling and “massive theft.” But now, he's shared his side of the story.
Ohtani held a news conference at the Los Angeles Dodgers stadium to address the allegations that surfaced last week around his camp. U.S. media reported Mizuhara Ippei had amassed debts with an illegal bookmaker of 4.5 million dollars. The team fired him, and Ohtani's lawyers are accusing him of wiring money from Ohtani's bank account.
Ohtani says he didn't know about the debt nor about Mizuhara's gambling addiction until Mizuhara spoke last week to the team.
He says it's “really hard” to verbalize how he is feeling right now. But he says he's saddened and shocked that someone he trusted has done this.
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share「共有する、分かち合う」
In this sense, "share" means revealing what's inside your heart to those around you. I sometimes ask the question "Would you like to share?", when a friend seems like they need to talk about their thougths or feelings.
share one's story「話を分かち合う、（体験や悩みなどを）語る、胸の内を明かす」
one's side of the story「（別の人の言い分だけが取り上げられている状況において）～の側の話、～の言い分、～から見ての話」
news conference「記者会見」
press briefing
presser
camp「陣営」
amass「蓄える、築く、ためこむ」
amass debtsは「（多額の）借金を抱え込む」
amass a fortuneなら「財産を築く」
Amass can be used in a possitive meaning too.
For instance, I like to amass afortune.
bookmaker「賭け屋」
fire「解雇する、首にする」= dismiss
lawyer「弁護士」= attorney
wire「（金などを）電信で送る、振り込む」
be saddened「悲しんでいる、悲しい思いをさせられている」
be shockedは「ショックを受けている」
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He has kept quiet since his former interpreter was accused of illegal gambling and “massive theft.”
He has kept quiet
since his former interpreter was accused
of illegal gambling and “massive theft.”
interpreter
[ɪnˈtɜrprətər]
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accuse 「主張する」
当事者がそのように主張しているだけ（非難する・責める）」
「告訴する、告発する」
accuse＝to say that someone has done something bad
告発
He has kept quiet since his former interpreter was accused of illegal gambling and “massive theft.”
Basically the worl "accused" means to say that someone has done something wrong.
Yes, for exaple, when someone accuses him of wrongdoing, he is not necessarily to be blamed. They're only claiming that he did something wrong.
The team fired him, and Ohtani's lawyers are accusing him of wiring money from Ohtani's bank account.
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WAJIMA'S MORNING MARKET HELD IN KANAZAWA
The massive earthquake that struck central Japan on New Year's Day devastated parts of Wajima City in Ishikawa Prefecture. The city has been unable to host its famous morning market. But locals on Saturday were able to shop at an outdoor event again for the first time since the disaster.
Vendors set up a temporary market in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa City. Twenty-nine shops took part in the event. That is only one-third of the usual number.
People were able to buy dried fish. They were also able to purchase Wajima lacquerware that survived the disaster.
(Hashimoto Minako / Organizer)
“We have no idea what will happen in the future. Times are often hard and occasionally we feel helpless. But it was our goal to hold the market here today, so everyone will take heart and stay strong.”
The organizer says she will continue to participate in efforts to reconstruct her hometown.
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BOJ ENDS NEGATIVE RATE POLICY, YIELD CURVE CONTROL
The Bank of Japan marks a landmark shift away from its massive monetary stimulus. The central bank has decided to end its negative interest rate policy and raise borrowing rates for the first time in 17 years. It will also abandon its yield-curve control framework, which holds down long- and short-term interest rates.
The policymakers announced the move after winding up their two-day meeting on Tuesday. They have decided to end the bank's negative rate policy. The central bank assessed the virtuous cycle between wages and prices and judged that its price stability target of 2 percent inflation would be sustainably achieved.
Policymakers say they will encourage the overnight call rate to remain at around zero to 0.1 percent. The central bank's interest rate hike is the first since February 2007.
The BOJ also decided not to continue purchasing exchange-traded funds and Japan real estate investment trusts.
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SCHOOL STARTS IN AFGHANISTAN WITHOUT GIRLS
We turn now to Afghanistan, where a new school year has started, but without girls. The Taliban have prohibited female students from receiving education beyond the sixth grade. The move has drawn growing international criticism.
Schools across Afghanistan began classes this week for the new academic year.
The Taliban have been governing the country based on their own interpretation of Islamic law since retaking power three years ago. The group has barred women from higher education.
This 14-year-old girl says she's very disappointed. She had prepared a bag and a uniform, hoping the Taliban would allow them to join classes.
(Girl)
“It's very painful that schools are still closed to us. I want authorities to reopen them. Girls also have dreams of becoming doctors or engineers in the future.”
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MANGA INDUSTRY CALLS FOR ACTION TO TACKLE OVERSEAS PIRACY
A growing number of piracy websites are taking advantage of the global popularity of Japanese manga to illegally sell foreign-language versions. Officials of related industries say action is needed to tackle the problem.
Authorized Books of Japan says a survey conducted in February found more than 1,200 sites were offering pirated titles. ABJ says more than 70 percent of them were in foreign languages, mainly targeting people in Southeast Asian countries.
The organization estimates that these foreign-language sites have at least five times the traffic of the Japanese ones. The estimated damage from overseas copyright infringement was much higher than the 2.5 billion dollars reported in Japan last year.
Multiple illegal apps guiding users to overseas piracy sites are another issue to be resolved. The Content Overseas Distribution Association, or CODA, says it's difficult to identify overseas piracy sites through official app stores, as stores vary across countries and regions.
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JOB-MATCHING SERVICES FOR GIG WORK SPREADING IN JAPAN
ニュースや研究の現場で活躍して
空き時間で働ける 仲介サービス広がる
初回放送日: 2024年4月5日
Matchmaking services for short-term workers are growing in Japan, in tandem with a rise in the number of people looking for “gig work” to fill their free time.
Mercari is best known for its flea market app. It entered the job search business this month. Customers can use an app to quickly find work that lasts as little as one hour. There is no need for interviews or preparing resumes.
Another provider, Timee, started posting part-time positions last month with an option for applicants to become permanent hires down the road.
Sharefull has launched an app that notifies users of permanent positions based on their past experience and performance.
Yano Research Institute believes the market for such services in Japan is set to grow sharply. It sees 27-percent growth for this fiscal year from the previous period to become worth more than 82 billion yen, or 560 million dollars.
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It's a pleasure to help guide you through the news in English.
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There is no need for interviews or preparing resumes.
=> You might think it should be interviews and preperring resumes, but here the situation is differnt. The sentence says, there is no need, which means it's negative. In that case you connect the two things with "or" not "and". Here's another simple example of how that works.
I do not like natto or chawanmushi.
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matchmaking serviceは仕事の「仲介サービス」
tandem「馬を２頭つないだ馬車、タンデム（２人用自転車）、連携、協力」
in tandem with …は「～と並行して、～と協力して、～と同時に」
gig work
best known for …「～で最も知られた、～で最も有名な」
<> well known for …なら「～でよく知られた、～で有名な」
flea market 「のみの市の～、フリーマーケットの～」
as little as …「最短で～、わずか～、たったの～」
>> as little as one hour「最短で１時間」
resume「履歴書」= CV（curriculum vitae）
I work part-time/full-time
down the road 「将来いつか、ゆくゆくは」
notify A of …は「Ａに～を通知する、知らせる」
permanent position「永続的な（長期雇用の）職、正社員（終身雇用）の職」
be set to …「（間違いなく）～しそうである、～することになっている」
worth …「～の価値がある、～に値する」
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spot payment 「即時払い」
independent contractors 「独立請負業者」
employee 「従業員」
overtime pay 「時間外勤務手当、残業代」
paid sick time 「有給病気休暇」
bargaining rights 「団体交渉権」
unemployment insurance 「失業保険」
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According to tax data, the number of people reporting income from gig work in the U.S. more than tripled from 2017 to 2021. That huge growth is forcing governments to take another look at the existing legal regulations. Recent developments in California are a good example.
If only this kind of app-based gig work had existed when I was in high school and college. Sometimes, I had literally nothing to do for days upon days. I just sat on the couch! Imagine how much money I could’ve made in all that free time!
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"days upon days"
It is often used to emphasize the long duration of an event or activity.
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BHUTAN PM: HAPPINESS WILL COME FROM ECONOMIC GROWTH
ブータン首相「幸福には経済成長も必要」
初回放送日: 2024年4月4日
Bhutan's new prime minister says the Himalayan kingdom needs to boost its economy through tourism and other measures while continuing to focus on people's happiness.
Tshering Tobgay took office after parliamentary elections in January. It's the first change of government in Bhutan in five years.
(Tshering Tobgay / Bhutanese Prime Minister)
“The objective of economic growth and prosperity must be for the welfare of people. And therefore, happiness is important. But you cannot have happiness in isolation.”
Bhutan is known for its pursuit of “Gross National Happiness.” It's a concept that prioritizes people's sense of well-being above all else.
But Tobgay said Bhutan's economy is suffering because the all-important tourism industry has not rebounded since the pandemic. He also called on investment from abroad.
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all-importantは「極めて重要な」
all-encompassing「包括的な」
all-knowing「全知の」
all-purpose「万能の、多目的の」
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constitutional monarchy 「立憲君主制」
Gross National Happiness (GNH) 「国民総幸福」
development model 「発展モデル」
ethnic cleansing 「民族浄化」
human rights violation 「人権侵害」
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prioritize「優先させる」= put a priority on something
Let's go back to the explanation of “Gross National Happiness,” which was “a concept that prioritizes people's sense of well-being.” The word “prioritize” here is really convenient.
You might've learned the phrase “put a priority on something,” but that's a lot of words to remember. “Prioritize” says the same thing in just one word. For example, you could say “In my English studies, I prioritize listening.”
I'd say I'm pretty easy to please. Simple things like watching my son play baseball, listening to good music with my daughter, or eating some of my wife's great food put me on cloud nine.
on cloud nine 大変幸福な
In a state of extreme, euphoric happiness.
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HALEY CEDES REPUBLICAN RACE TO TRUMP
米大統領選 共和党ヘイリー氏撤退
初回放送日: 2024年4月3日
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has seen one rival after another drop out of the race for the Republican nomination. Now the last hopeful has stepped aside. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley left after failing to win enough support within the party.
Haley had spent more than a year campaigning. She's conceded to a candidate party officials have already labeled the “presumptive nominee.”
(Nikki Haley / U.S. Former Ambassador to UN)
“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him, and I hope he does that.”
Haley declined to endorse Trump, even though she'd fallen well behind in the race for delegates who'll choose the nominee.
(U.S. voter)
“She put up a good fight. And now it's, I guess, unfortunately, time for her to move on. The math just isn't working for her.”
Trump says Haley “got trounced.” And he invited her supporters to join his movement.
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cede
concede to …「～に譲る、～に屈する」
presumptive「（事実に基づいて合理的に）～と推定できる」
presume「推定する」
指名獲得を確実にした～」
label「ラベルを貼る、名前を付ける、～と呼ぶ」
put up a good fight「善戦する」
trounce「完全にやっつける、惨敗させる、こてんぱんにやっつける」
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primary stage 「（党内の指名候補を決める）予備選段階」
primary (election) 「予備選挙」
caucus 「党員集会」
shadow primary 「影の予備選（予備選開始までの世論調査などが行われる段階）」
televised debate 「テレビ討論会」
close race 「（大）接戦」
battleground state / swing state 「激戦州」
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I'd like to focus on this one from Nikki Haley's peech.
“It is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes”.
This is a use of the “A is up to B” pattern. You've probably heard phrases like “It's up to you,” which generally sounds friendly — like you’re giving the person the freedom to choose.
But it can also have different nuances. Here, “It's up to Trump to earn the votes” implies putting a big responsibility on Trump, like Haley is saying “All right, Trump, this tough job is all on you now.”
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鳥山明さん死去 世界から惜しむ声
WORLD MOURNS 'DRAGON BALL' MANGA ARTIST TORIYAMA AKIRA
初回放送日: 2024年4月2日
began a serial titled "Dr. Slump."
serial「シリーズもの、連載読み物、連続番組」<> one-off
A serial or series will continue with the same caractors in stories over many consecutive episodes. On the other hand, a story that ends in one episode is called a one-off.
wish-granting balls「願いをかなえる複数のボール」
villain
[ˈvɪlən]
The series sold
in one's honor「（人の）栄誉をたたえて、～に敬意を表して」
=> just in his honor とにかく
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Manga fans around the world are mourning the death of a Japanese master artist. Toriyama Akira created Dragon Ball, one of the most popular works in the history of the genre. He died last week at the age of 68.
His career in manga began in 1978. Two years later, Toriyama began a serial titled “Dr. Slump.”
In 1984, Toriyama launched “Dragon Ball,” featuring a boy with superhuman strength. Son Goku's adventures involving wish-granting balls and battles against a variety of villains fascinated fans across the globe. The series sold a total of 260 million copies.
(Fan from Shanghai)
“His works feature a sense of justice. They helped me to make friends. It's definitely a great loss to the manga world.”
(Fan from New York)
“I used to read them a lot when I was a kid, and it was very fun. And I used to wanna be like Goku. I might read the books again just in his honor.”
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I used to read them a lot when I was a kid, and it was a lot of fun.
I used to read them a lot
when I was a kid,
and it was a lot of fun.
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In the interview the man said,
I used to read them a lot when I was a kid, and it was a lot of fun.
This sentence is quite casual.
when I was a kid =>
when I was a child
as a child
fun < it was very fun.
it was a lot of fun. noun
enjoy
Enjoy is a bit of a formal word. I don't usually use it with close friends. I might use it to be polite after a first meeting. For example, I enjoyed our time together. or I enjoy sports and cooking.
“Did you enjoy your birthday?”
-“Yeah, I had fun!”
This is fun!
Let’s have some fun.
The party was a lot of fun.
We had fun today. I actually learned a lot. I'm not big fun of manga or anime, but I really respect Toriyama Akira as an aritist.
ｰｰｰ
ミャンマー 徴兵避け若者の出国相次ぐ
初回放送日: 2024年4月1日
Hi there everybody. I'm Christy West. I was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. I moved to Tokyo after University and have lived here ever since. I enjoy sports and cooking. I'm really looking forward to the show this year.
Myanmar youths tried to avoid conscription.
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A growing number of young people in Myanmar are trying to flee to neighboring Thailand to avoid compulsory military service announced by the junta one month ago.
Myanmar's junta said last month that men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 must do military service for up to two years.
The announcement prompted citizens subject to the call-up to try to escape Myanmar. Many swarmed foreign missions, including the Thai embassy in Yangon, to obtain long-term visas.
A university in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai received 2,100 applications to take entrance exams earlier this month for 100 places at its English-language department. Most of the applicants were from Myanmar.
(32-year-old applicant from Yangon)
“My twin brother and all my friends are on the side of pro-democracy forces. I have no intention of joining the military to shoot them.”
The junta said it will call up the first batch of 5,000 people in April.
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a growing number of …
=an increasing number of … 「ますます多くの～、～の数が増えている」
compulsory「強制的な、義務的な」
military service「兵役」
=>アメリカ英語では(the) draft「徴兵制度」
conscription「徴兵（制度）、徴用」
call-up「徴兵、（軍事）招集」
=> ccall up「徴兵する、招集する」動詞
foreign mission : embassy「大使館」や領事館（consulate）などの「外国公館」
-Wow, only 100 can get a place in the department out of 2100. That's like going through the eye of a needle.
the eye of a needle
針の穴
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A growing number of young people in Myanmar are trying to flee to neighboring Thailand to avoid compulsory military service. announced by the junta one month ago.
A growing number of young people in Myanmar
are trying to flee to neighboring Thailand
to avoid compulsory military service.
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World Englishes「世界の英語たち」
Even people from America like me might have trouble understanding another type of English. The pronounciations and phrases might be completelyy different.
That's true. The English we use is constantly changing and evolving. Even for us native speakers, we are always learning something new.
To be honest, I was a little nervous at first, but I had a great time. I can't wait for the next one.
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鳥山明さん死去 世界から惜しむ声
WORLD MOURNS 'DRAGON BALL' MANGA ARTIST TORIYAMA AKIRA
初回放送日: 2024年4月2日
Manga fans around the world are mourning the death of a Japanese master artist. Toriyama Akira created Dragon Ball, one of the most popular works in the history of the genre. He died last week at the age of 68.
His career in manga began in 1978. Two years later, Toriyama began a serial titled “Dr. Slump.”
In 1984, Toriyama launched “Dragon Ball,” featuring a boy with superhuman strength. Son Goku's adventures involving wish-granting balls and battles against a variety of villains fascinated fans across the globe. The series sold a total of 260 million copies.
(Fan from Shanghai)
“His works feature a sense of justice. They helped me to make friends. It's definitely a great loss to the manga world.”
(Fan from New York)
“I used to read them a lot when I was a kid, and it was very fun. And I used to wanna be like Goku. I might read the books again just in his honor.”
ニュースや研究の現場で活躍して
空き時間で働ける 仲介サービス広がる
初回放送日: 2024年4月5日
Matchmaking services for short-term workers are growing in Japan, in tandem with a rise in the number of people looking for “gig work” to fill their free time.
Mercari is best known for its flea market app. It entered the job search business this month. Customers can use an app to quickly find work that lasts as little as one hour. There is no need for interviews or preparing resumes.
Another provider, Timee, started posting part-time positions last month with an option for applicants to become permanent hires down the road.
Sharefull has launched an app that notifies users of permanent positions based on their past experience and performance.
Yano Research Institute believes the market for such services in Japan is set to grow sharply. It sees 27-percent growth for this fiscal year from the previous period to become worth more than 82 billion yen, or 560 million dollars.