投稿日:

たった今入った映像。多重衝突スリップ事故

 

つい昨日アメリカで放映された映像です。　

異常気象が続く昨今、これはアメリカだけの問題ではなく、日本でも起こりえます。

北海道以外のみなさん、特に坂道の多い地域のみなさん。気を付けてくださいね。

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRkZSP_jq5M

 

The more freezing rain is falling right now that’s on top of the half inch of ice that pretty much coats everything around

And across this part of the country, it is proving to be a big danger for drivers.

 

This SUV is spinning in circles. Barreling out of control, downhill, with just one way to stop. Seconds later, it started all over again.Parked cars were like pinball bumpers to this driver. The brakes, no use. The wild rides continued.

A convoy of collisions on this Pittsburgh street, even as crash　victims like these children, were escaping the mounting wreckage.  In Pittsburgh alone, forty-five crashes choked up to ice.  At least seventy people treated in the E.R.(emergency room) for slips and falls.  

The storm packed with sleet and freezing rain moved further, northeast to near Boston, where instead of driving, cars were skating. 

 

The hills. It’s tough on the hills. In New Haven Conneticut, a backwards approach to drive home.  

Parking lots and streets looked like ice links.

 

We just started sliding and stopped, because I didn’t want to hit the car over here. Dropping rain and dropping temperature is not the only problem for this storm. Another ten ionches of snow could fall in parts of northern new England. And other places are suffering too. In Genessee county, Michigan, a dramatic rescue.

 

Look closely under this semi…  There is a car down there. A driver was pinned inside. He had spun out.

The truck driver tried to avoid him, but instead they both wound up in the ditch. Hard to believe judging from this damage, but somehow the driver escaped unhurt.

 

Back here in Conneticut, some seven hundred emergency calls came pouring in to state police yesterday during the morning rush.

 

Robin ther are hoping for a quieter one today.

Look at the background. All the snow still on the streets and piled up high there in Cheshire.

 

 

 

投稿日:

英作文チャレンジコーナー（はいはい道新） Hokkaido Newspaper “Readers’ voice column”

 
 
 
地産地消をうたった懸賞に私と夫の名前で２通応募しました。あまり期待せずにいたところ、主催者から当選の知らせがあり、希望した魚の一夜干しセットが届きました。大好物のツボダイのほかホッケ、カレイ、など５種類の干物が１０点ほど入っていて夫婦で大喜びです。六日間続けて夕飯でいただきましたが、日頃スーパーで購入している干物とは違い、どれも特上品で大満足でした。久々にうれしい思いを味わいましたよ。（北海道新聞　２０１１年１月１７日号）
 
My husband and I signed for a prize contest whose slogan was “Produce locally, consume locally”. We sent in two applications with our names respectively.
Though not expecting to win, we got a notice from the authority that we won the prize, a set of “Ichiyaboshi ” or overnight dried fish we had wished for.
There were about ten fish of five species, such as my favorite Tsubodai (Japanese armorhead), Hokke (Atka mackerel), Karei (Flatfish).
We were both pleased with the prize.  We ate them for dinner for six consecutive days.  All of them were of high quality and not the kind that you can get at a regular superstore. We never had tasted happy moments like this for a long time.
 
投稿日:

これって新聞記事の価値あるかなあ？

 

いつもの「はいはい道新」を英訳しながら考えました。この女性、気の毒だとは思うけど、新聞に載せるほどの話かな？
 
＊＊＊＊＊
 
街でテレビ局の方から「生放送のクイズ番組に出ませんか」と声を掛けられました。見たことのある番組だったので「出ます」と答えた後、時間があったので化粧直しをして心の準備をしていました。ところが集合場所に行くと何人かの人がいて、出場者は抽選で決めるとのこと。残念ながら私は外れでした。勇気を振り絞って出場を決意したのにがっかりです。応募者が多ければ抽選は当たり前なんでそうけれど、それなら初めからきちんと伝えてください。(北海道新聞　2011年1月11日号）
 
 
While  in town, I was approached by a TV station who asked me if I wanted to be on a live quiz show. The program name was familiar to me so I said “Yes.”
Then there was a little time availabe so I  touched up my makeup while making a mental preparation.
When I got to the meeting place (designated by the TV station) , however, I saw some other people waiting there too.  It was then I was told that the panelists would be chosen by lottery.  Unfortunately I couldn’t win it. I had to take all my courage to decide on showing up on TV, so my disappointment was all the greater.
It’s understandable that lottery should be a natural process if applicants are more than necessary. But if that’s the case, why didn’t they tell me so in advance?

投稿日:

Wiiを使ってリハビリに。Wiihab is the new Rehab

高齢者のリハビリに任天堂wiiを使うところが増えているようです。アメリカではリハビリをもじってwiihabとよばれているとか。　どんな具合なのか見てみましょう。

動画は↓

No longer the stuff of child’s play, the Nintendo™ Wii  has become an exciting tool used by physical and occupational therapists in rehabilitation settings. This new treatment approach is often called “Wii-hab.”

  

At CareOne centers, both our therapists and patients say that one of the best things about Wii-hab is that it’s fun, which means people are more motivated and engaged during their rehab. This motivation is important from a therapy perspective, but there’s another benefit. The Wii enables patients to integrate skills while allowing therapists to see how the person is progressing in a more natural environment. For example, a traditional exercise routine might build muscle strength through a specific strengthening routine. An activity using the Wii not only uses that new strength but also integrates it with balance—it provides a way to practice using strength, balance and weight shifting all within a virtual environment.  For some of our older patients, learning to use the Wii as part of therapy has given them a new link to their children or grandchildren. Once patients return home, they’re motivated to practice newly learned skills with the Wii because it’s something they can do with the entire family.   

Improving function is an important goal for our therapists, and the Wii aids in achieving this goal by helping our patients get moving again.

投稿日:

英作文チャレンジコーナー（はいはい道新） Hokkaido Newspaper “Readers’ voice column”

可燃ごみ収集日に革ブーツとズック靴、プラスチック製踏み台を他のゴミと一緒に袋に入れてステーションにだしました。１時間ほど後に見たら、ブーツとズック靴、踏み台の三つだけが袋から出され、ステーション脇に並べられていました。不燃ごみと思った誰かが袋を開けて出したのでしょうか。市の収集車が来たので聞いたらいずれも可燃ごみでいいとのこと。ごみ袋を勝手に開けて仕分けするなんて不愉快です。おせっかいはやめてください。
 
 (12月１４日）
 
 
On the flammable garbage collection day, I  put a bag of trash out in the garbage station.
In the bag were my leather boots, canvas shoes, plastic stool and other trashes. 
 
I got there again about an hour later. Unbelievably enough, the boots, shoes and stool were out there, lined up next to the garbage station.
Somebody had opened the bag and taken them out, thinking they are not combustible.!
 
Then the municipal garbage collection vehicle arrived and I asked the men if those articles belong to the flammable category or not.  They answered “flammable”.
 
I want to have a word or two with the person who meddled with my bag.
 
“It’s quite annoying. Mind your own business.”
 
投稿日:

英作文チャレンジコーナー（はいはい道新） Hokkaido Newspaper “Readers’ voice column”

雪が遅いせいか、今年はやけに枯れ葉が目立ちます。　風の吹き具合によるのでしょうか。　わが家にはそこかしこから枯れ葉が集まってくるのです。先日の強風のときは大変でした。塀や玄関は言うに及ばす、奥まった所にある車庫の前には、多くの枯れ葉に交じって発泡スチロールや空のペットボトルが吹き寄せられていました。枯れ葉は数袋に分け、ゴミ収集にだしましたが、これも有料です。風が相手じゃ、文句も言えませんもんね。
 
  
There are an awful lot of dead leaves seen this winter,  probably because we have less snowfall than usual.
 Many of them , blown from here and there, gather  around my house.  I wonder if this is done by wind-related factos.
 The recent heavy storm was so terrible that it left me drifts of such leaves, styrene foam particles, and empty PET bottles  –  in front of my garage far from the road, as well as my fence and my entrance.
I had to put those leaves in a several bags and place them out for collection service.
Of course it costs me money. But there’s no point in blaming the wind.
 
投稿日:

海老蔵関連ニュースを英語で！

いま一番ホットな話題と言えばこれですね。　ヒアリングの練習に使っちゃいましょう。
動画は下記をクリックしてください。
本文
Japan’s Kabuki prince apologized Tuesday for embarrassing the country’s most viewed theater. Ebizo Ichikawa faced the
swarm of reporters.
His eyes still blood shot  from a drunken brawl a few weeks ago. Ichikawa said “I thought I was going to die.” when the man was beating me. The incident in  Tokyo rich neighborhood came on the same day Ichikawa skipped his media events, citing health reasons. The actor admits  drinking heavily that night but maintains that he was a victim. That sounded a little to quite the media frenzy.
Ichikawa comes from one of the Japan’s most famous Kabuki families. He’s considered the future of the traditional all male theater.
This woman says it’s an embarrassment for a actor considered a face of Kabuki.  Theater operator, Shochiku has already suspended
Ichikawa and cancelled the New Year’s program starring the actor. At least three major companies have halt TV ads featuring the actor. The cancelled shows could cost organizers up to two million dollars .
Akiko Fujita, ABC news Tokyo.
投稿日:

英作文チャレンジコーナー（はいはい道新） Hokkaido Newspaper “Readers’ voice column”

昼食のために会社近くの地下飲食街に行きました。どの店も混んでいましたが、たまたますいている店が目につき飛びこみました。見渡すと店内が煙草の煙で煙っています。店前に「全面禁煙」の掲示があったはず、と思って再度見たらなんと「全席喫煙」。　煙草は好きではないのですが、他の店を探す時間もなかったので食事しました。　禁煙の店は年々増えていますが、逆に全面的に喫煙を打ち出した店を見るのは初めてです。驚きました。（１２月７日）
 
 
 
I was looking for somewhere to take a lunch in the underground food court  near my office.
Every restaurant I walked by seemed crowded, but I happened to find one that was less crowded so I dashed  in there.
 
Looking around, I saw a lot of cigarette smoke wafting throughout the room.
 
I took a second look at the signboard at the entrance, thinking to myself that it said “ALL NON SMOKING SEATS”.
 
Actually it was opposite – “ALL SMOKING SEATS”!  My jaw almost dropped,
 
 
 I didn’t want to inhale  smoke while eating my lunch,  but I  took the table because I didn’t have enough time to find another restaurant.
 
Non smoking places are on the increase year by year.  And it was my first time to see a restaurant where smoking is totally allowed.
投稿日:

宿題出します！

熱心な生徒さんの中から、英作文に自分でチャレンジしてみたいので宿題を出してほしいというリクエストがありました。（感心！）

それでは遠慮なくいきますよー。　

先日遠出をして、人気の飲食店に出かけました。日曜の昼過ぎで超満員でした。4歳ぐらいのお子さんを連れた若いご夫婦にあぜんとしました。子どもが店内で騒いでもまったく注意しようとしないのです。（北海道新聞　2010/11/11）

がんばってみてください。

 

投稿日:

さっぱり聴き取れねえ・・・オレはまだまだだな～

ウィリアム王子の婚約発表の冒頭部分、リスニングに挑戦してみたところ、さっぱりできなかった。（悲）

かろうじて聞き取れたのは、friends, for a while, surpriseのみ。　今までオレはなにをやってきたのだろう？　と自責の念に駆られてしまう。

Kenya　の部分など　Canyon に聞こえてしまった。

米語ばかりやっていると、イギリスの英語はまったく異なものに聴こえてくるから不思議です。　英語学習者のみなさん、気をつけましょう。

参考までに、動画と文章を記しておきます。　

 
It was about three weeks ago on holiday in Kenya.
We had a little private time away together with some friends and I just decided that it was the right time really.
We had been talking about marriage for a while so it wasn’t a massively big surprise.
 I took her up somewhere nice in Kenya and I proposed.