今日の英語（Euro)

Euro

Today, in this class we are going to look at the second largets form of currency in the world, a form of currency that was introduced just a few years ago. In the beginning of the year 2002, the euro became the single currency to be in twelve different coutries. The path to this direction was not an easy one and before becoming what we konw it to be today, the euro had to pass through three different stages of development. In July of 1990, the participating countries had to stop restricting currencies from other countries. By that I mean France had to accept Spain's currency and Spain had to accept France's currency. This isn't as easy as it sounds because a few countries did not want to accept the weaker countries' currency. They were afraid that the value was not stable. In 1994 the Europena Monetary Institute, or EMI, coordinated how money was to be managed by the major banks. It also formed a European System of Central Banks that would accept only the euro and none of the many other types of currency from the participating counties. The final stage began in 1999. At this time the conversion rate between national currencies and the euro was fixed. For example, if it was 3 Francs for one euro, then any person could exchange their 3 Francs for 1 euro at anytime after 1998. At this time the euro was being used in electronic transfers and credit but was not being used as actual cash.

今日の単語

1. conversion (名）　交換　＊conversion rate　交換レート

2. transfer (名）　取引

今日の英文（Diabetes）

Diabetes is a very common disease that has risen 6 times over the past 50 years and kills about 200,000 people every year. Currently, in the US, about 16 million people have diabetes and of those 16 million about one third do not know that they have the disease. Diabetes is the inability of your body to produce or use insulin. Symptoms of the diseasee include the unexplained weight loss, tiredness, changes in vision, slow heeling of wounds and loss of feeling in the hands and feet. Insulin is a hormone that controls a sugar called glucose. There are three types of diabetes. Type 1, called juvenile diabetes, is characterized by an inability of the individual to produce insulin. This condition is usually the result of genetic or environmentaly factors. The person with type 1 diabetes has high levels of glucose in his or her blood. Type 2 diabetes, adult-onset diabetes, is characteried by an inability of the individual to use his or her insulin. Type 2 is the most common type and is connected to people being overwight and is usually the result of bad eating habits over a long period of time. The person with type 2 diabeets has high levels of insulin in his or her blood. The last type of diabetes is called gestational diabetes. This type occurs in women who are pregnant and has characteristics similar to type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes can be controlled with a specific diet and will usually dissapear after the baby is born.

今日の英文はDiabetes（糖尿病）についてでした。怖い病気ですね。まさしく因果応報の病気というか。誘惑に負けて好き勝手な生活（特に食生活）をしているとその報いとして起こるバチのような病気です。しかも、罹っている人の3分の1が気づいていないという恐ろしい病気です。節制しましょう。

今日の単語

1. diabetes （名）糖尿病

2. juvenile （形）若年性、若者の　（名）思春期

3. onseet （名）開始

4. gestational （形）妊娠中の、妊婦の

今日の英文（Art）

If you have ever had the chance to visit an exhibition of modern art, you yourself may have wondered why certain abstract paintings are considered art. With no background in art appreciation, the average person may be impressed by a beautiful and realistic painting of a sunset, but completely puzzled by an empty white-painted canvas or a canvas covered by seemingly random dribbling, splattering or speckling of paint. Comments like "My six-year-old could've painted that" are not uncommon. Are there any criteria which we can use to distinguish abstract art from the crude and simple, yet sometimes charming paintings of children? The answer lies in the awareness and intentions of the artisit. Whereas the child's painting is a natural and spontaneous creative expression, the artisit's painting is a deliberate and intentional one. Technically speaking, then, the children's paintings are not art. The significance or special meaning of the artist's work may not be discernible to the untrained eye, but the art world, despite disputes about whether certain works meet this criterion, nevertheless recognizes this special quality of the true work of art. Now, hopefully, the next time someone you know questions the value of modern art, you can set them straight, ok?

今回は芸術に関する英文です。思い当たる人も多いのではないでしょうか？私も近代美術展かなにかに行って、その良さが全然わからず、「これならオレにも描けるよ！」って言ってたことを思い出しました。

【今日の単語】

1. dribble （自）　したたる、ぽたぽた落ちる

2. splatter (他）　はね散らす

3. speckle （他）　しみをつける

4. spontaneous （形）　自発的な

5. Whereas （接）　～一方で

6. discernible （形）　認識される