（第７回）トウガラシを育てよう

Growing Chili Peppers: A Heated Subject
トウガラシを育てよう

こんにちは。
今日の話題は、トウガラシです。世界中で人気のある香辛料ですが、
家庭菜園でも比較的簡単に育てることができるようです。

それでは、単語から
[Words]
chili pepper トウガラシ
breathe 息をする
homegrown 自家製の
warmth 暖かさ
greenhouse 温室
pot 植木鉢
vermiculite 土壌改良土
nutrient 養分
see-through 透明の
pinch つまむ
potash fertilizer カリ肥料


それでは、放送を聞いてみましょう。

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[Transcript]
This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Some people say eating hot chili peppers can help you breathe easier if
you have a cold. Others believe that chilies give you more energy. All
we know is that people have been growing chilies for centuries. And
there are plenty of different kinds of chili peppers to choose from,
along with different levels of heat.

Want to spice up your meals with homegrown chilies? They need a warm
climate. If you plant the seeds outside when the weather is cool, place
a glass over them. That will add warmth from the sun and protect them
from wind. You can also start the seeds in your home or a greenhouse.

If you plant chili peppers inside, fill an eight-centimeter pot with
soil. The pot should have holes in the bottom so water can run out. Tap
the sides of the pot to settle the soil.

Drop several seeds over the surface of the pot and cover with a thin
layer of vermiculite. Vermiculite is a material that can hold air, water
and nutrients. Then cover the top of the pot with a see-through plastic
bag. Hold the bag in place with a rubber band. Place the pot in a warm
area.

When the chilies start growing, take off the bag. When the plants have
reached about two centimeters high, place each one carefully in its own
eight-centimeter pot.

When the roots show through the holes in the bottom of the pot,
transplant each seedling into a twelve-centimeter pot. When the plants
are twenty centimeters high, tie the plants to a stick placed in the pot
to support them.

When the chili peppers are thirty centimeters high, pinch the tops off
with your fingers. That should get new branches to grow. When the first
flowers show, give the plants some potash fertilizer. When the weather
is warm, put them into five-liter pots and place them outside. Make sure
they get a good amount of light and water.

Some people like mild chilies, others like plenty of heat. Some like to
harvest the plants when the chilies are green. Others like their chilies
red. Either way can give color and taste to many different foods.

And that's the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by
Jerilyn Watson. You can find more gardening advice and share your own
stories from the garden at voaspecialenglish.com. You can download
transcripts and MP3s of all of our programs. You can also find captioned
videos of Special English reports at the VOA Learning English channel on
YouTube. I’m Steve Ember.


どうでしたか。
それでは、記事に関しての質問です。
(Q.1) トウガラシを育てるのに、どのような気候が必要ですか。
(Q.2) バーミキュライト（土壌改良土）はどのような働きをしますか。
(Q.3) 花が咲き始めたら、トウガラシに何をあげますか。

(A.1) 温暖な気候
(A.2) 空気、水、養分を蓄える働きをします。
(A.3) いくらかのカリ肥料を与えます。


(Q.1) What type of climate is required to grow chilli peppers?
(Q.2) What does vermiculite work for?
(Q.3) When the first flowers show, What do you give the plants?

(A.1) Chilli peppers need a warm climate.
(A.2) Vermiculite holds air, water and nutrients for plants.
(A.3) We give the plants some potash fertilizer.

いかがでしたでしょうか。
今日本は、夏野菜の植えどきですね。
皆さんは今年は何に挑戦しますか。トマト、きゅうり、ピーマン、なす。
もちろん、トウガラシも候補に入れましょう。

それでは。
また次回。
See you next time.

（第６回）太陽光で温水をつくる方法

How to Make Your Own Solar Water Heater
太陽光で温水をつくる方法

こんにちは。
今日の話題は、太陽光を使った温水器の話題です。
日本でも屋根の上に太陽光温水器を付けている家がありますね。
その小型版が、今、世界中で活躍しているそうです。

それでは、単語から
[Words]
describe 描いた
surface 表面
metal 金属
collector 集光器
Corrugated metal 波形の金属
insulation material 断熱性の素材
container 容器


それでは、放送を聞いてみましょう。

[Sound - Web]
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[Sound - MP3]
http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/dalet/se-tech-solar-water-heaters-21apr11.Mp3

[Transcript]
This is the VOA Special English Technology Report.

Solar water heaters are used around the world and are not very difficult
to build. The system we are going to describe is based on a design
developed some years ago in Afghanistan. Since then, it has been built
and used in many countries.

It can heat seventy liters of water to sixty degrees Celsius. It can do
this between sunrise and noon on a clear day with an average air
temperature of thirty-two degrees Celsius.

There are two parts to the solar water heater. One part is made of a
sheet of metal painted black. Black surfaces become hotter in the sun
than surfaces painted any other color.

This black metal plate is called a collector. The collector is placed in
contact with the water.

There are several kinds of metal sheets that can be used for the
collector. Corrugated metal will work very well. Corrugated sheets are
often used as roofs on housing.

Once the water is heated, it is kept hot with insulation material. This
allows the water to stay warm for a long time.

The second part of the solar water heater holds the water for the system.
This storage tank can be a container that holds about one hundred liters.

Two rubber pipes are attached to the water storage tank. One pipe lets
water flow into the system. The other lets water flow out.

When the water heater is working correctly, water will flow from the
storage tank to the collector and back again. You can use the hot water
at the top of the tank for washing and cleaning. You can change the flow
of water so that the temperature is hot or warm as desired.

This solar water heater is easy to build and operate. It will last about
two years before the rubber pipes need to be replaced.

There is also something else you will need to make the solar water
heater work -- the sun. As you might expect, the heater will heat water
only on sunny days.

You can get more information about solar water heaters and other
projects from EnterpriseWorks/VITA. This group works internationally to
fight poverty. The website is enterpriseworks.org. Choose the link for
News & Resources, then click on Publications.

And that's the VOA Special English Technology Report. Tell us if you've
ever built a solar water heater or have ideas for improvements. Post
your comments at voaspecialenglish.com, where you can also find
transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our programs. We also offer English
teaching activities in the Classroom section of our site. I'm Steve
Ember.


どうでしたか。
それでは、記事に関しての質問です。
(Q.1) 集光器の表面は何色ですか。
(Q.2) 温水器には何本の管が付いていますか。
(Q.3) 温水器のどこから温水を取り出しますか。

(A.1) 黒色
(A.2) 温水器には２本のゴム管が付いています。
(A.3) 温水タンクの上部から取り出します。


(Q.1) What color is the collector's surface?
(Q.2) How many pipes does the solar water heater have?
(Q.3) Where do you get hot water from the solar water heater?

(A.1) Black.
(A.2) The solar water heater has two rubber pipes.
(A.3) From the top of the tank.

いかがでしたでしょうか。
32度の外気温で、60度位の温水ができるというのですから、驚きですね。
メンテナンスが簡単なのもいいですね。

それでは。
また次回。
See you next time.

（第５回）メキシコ湾原油流出事故から１年

Remembering the Gulf Oil Spill, One Year Later
メキシコ湾原油流出事故から１年

こんにちは。
今日の話題は、メキシコ湾原油流出事故の話題です。
昨年の４月２０日に発生したメキシコ湾原油流出事故ですが、現在はどのように
なっているのでしょうか。

それでは、単語から
[Words]
explode 爆発する
flame 炎
offshore 沖合の
pour 流れる
micro-organisms 微生物
dispersant 分解剤
Greenpeace 環境保護団体のグリーンピース
sediment 沈殿物
wetland 湿地
water column 水柱
shoreline 海岸線
civil action 民事訴訟
moratorium 一時停止


それでは、放送を聞いてみましょう。

[Sound - Web]
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[Sound - MP3]
http://voanews.com/MediaAssets2/learningenglish/dalet/se-itn-oil-spill-anniversary-22apr11.Mp3

[Transcript]
This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Last year on April twentieth the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig
exploded in flames in the Gulf of Mexico. Eleven workers were killed.

Oil continued to spill from a damaged well head on the sea floor until
July. It was the worst offshore oil spill in American history. Officials
estimate that nearly five million barrels of oil poured into the Gulf.

Today, the surface of the water looks much like it did before the
disaster. Natural micro-organisms in the water helped eat the oil and
clean up the spill. Workers also used chemical dispersants to break up
the oil.

But John Hocevar, a marine biologist with the environmental group
Greenpeace, says most of the oil is still in the Gulf.

JOHN HOCEVAR: "It's in the water. It's on the sediment. It's on the sea
floor. A lot of it is washed up into the wetlands. It is still there. It
is still being eaten by marine life today."

Tar balls continue to wash up on beaches. And animal rescue teams still
treat oil-covered dolphins, turtles and other creatures.

Lisa DiPinto is with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Ms. DiPinto says the effects of such a huge spill could have been much
worse. She says tests show that fish and shrimp from the Gulf are safe
to eat.

LISA DiPINTO: "The seafood safety testing that I have seen has indicated
everything is looking good."

But she says the recovery of the Gulf is far from complete. The full
effects of the oil spill may not be known for years.

LISA DiPINTO: " We are looking at things we've probably never looked at
before as the result of an oil spill. So we are looking at things in
the offshore deepwater environment, as well as up through the water
column and all along the shorelines."

BP agreed last year to put twenty billion dollars into a fund to pay
fishing boat owners, workers and other people affected by the spill. BP
is the British-based energy company that operated the well and leased
the Deepwater Horizon from the rig's owner, Transocean.

In December the federal government announced civil action against BP,
Transocean and other companies connected to the spill.

Observances of the first anniversary took place along the Gulf of Mexico
on Wednesday.

The spill led the Obama administration to halt deep-water drilling in
the Gulf. That moratorium ended in October. But the government has given
very few permits since then. Oil and gas companies say new rules prevent
them from moving quickly to increase production.

Administration officials say they are preparing new rules that will do
more to enforce safety and let drilling operations continue. The Gulf of
Mexico provides about thirty percent of the oil produced in the United
States.

President Obama says crews have made progress in cleaning up the spill,
but the job is not done. He says his administration will do "whatever is
necessary" to protect and restore the Gulf Coast.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. You can download
transcripts and MP3s of all of our programs at voaspecialenglish.com.

You can also find captioned videos of Special English reports at the VOA
Learning English channel on YouTube. I'm Steve Ember.


どうでしたか。
それでは、記事に関しての質問です。
(Q.1) どの位の量の原油が海に流出しましたか。
(Q.2) 湾の魚やエビについてどのような調査結果が出ていますか。
(Q.3) いつ、海底油田掘削の一時停止期間が終わりましたか。

(A.1) 500万バレル近いと見積もられています。
(A.2) 湾の魚やエビは食べても安全だという結果が出ています。
(A.3) 昨年の１０月


(Q.1) How much oil has leaked into the Gulf?
(Q.2) What do tests say about fish and shrimp in the Gulf?
(Q.3) When did the moratorium to halt deep-water drilling ended?

(A.1) Nearly five million barrels of oil leaked into the Gulf.
(A.2) Fish and shrimp from the Gulf are safe to eat.
(A.3) October in 2010.

いかがでしたでしょうか。
事故から１年が経ち、表面上はずいぶんと落ち着いた様子ですが、まだ事故以前
のような状況には程遠いようです。

それでは。
また次回。
See you next time.