difference of Christmas

Today I'm going to introduce about the differences of Christmas. Christmas is coming soon,so I'm interested in this site.

http://www.the-north-pole.com/around/

Hamper(noun)

They sent us a lovely Christmas hamper.

:British English a basket with a lid, which is used for carrying food or sending it to someone as a present

=蓋の付いたピクニックに持って行く〕食べ物かご

http://www.the-north-pole.com/around/mexico.html

elaborately(adverb)

elaborately decorated market stalls or puestos are set up in the plazas of every town and city.

:carefully planned and organized in great detail

=念入りに、精巧に、凝って

conceivable(adjective)

The puestos offer crafts of every conceivable kind,

:able to be believed or imagined

=想像できる、考えられる、あり得る

TOEIC reading practice

http://www.englishclub.com/esl-exams/ets-toeic-practice-7.htm

imply(Verb)

Other times you will be asked about what the passage implies.
:to suggest that something is true, without saying this directly
=暗示する、ほのめかす


Probation(Noun)

new employees will be subject to a 3 month probationary period.
:a period of time, during which an employer can see if a new worker is suitable
=仮採用、試用［見習］期間

inform(Verb)

please contact your employees and inform them that their probationary period has ended.
:to officially tell someone about something or give them information
=(人に〕情報を与える、知らせる、通知［報告・連絡］する、告げる


Example 1
1. What is the main purpose of this memo?

A) To inform all employees of a new expiration date.
B) To put staff members on probation.
C) To introduce the HR department.
D) To inform supervisors of a change in policy.

A.(D)

2. When does the change come into effect?

A) Today.
B) In 2 days.
C) In 3 months.
D) On January 1st.

A. (D)

Purchase(Noun)

Purchase a 12 month subscription to Vacation the Nation today and receive a free pair of Sunnies Sunglasses with your very own soft leather case.
:(formal) something you buy, or the act of buying it
=購入、購買、仕入れ


shipping(Noun)

Application and funds must be received no later than Dec 1st 2004. Canadian residents should add $3 US for shipping.
:the delivery of goods, especially by ship
=発送、配送、出荷、輸送

Example 2

3. What is this advertisement for?

A) A summer trip.
B) A travel company.
C) A special deal.
D) A free magazine.

A. (C)

4. How much do the sunglasses cost?

A) They are free with a subscription.
B) They cost $1.
C) They cost $3 Canadian.
D) They cost $21. 95 US.

A. (A)

5. Who cannot benefit from this special deal?

A) Canadians.
B) UK residents.
C) North Americans.
D) US residents.

A. (B)

This Saturday I'll try to take the TOEIC test,so today I'd like to study the reading selection.
In this practicing , the word "shipping" was interested for me, because the word came from "ship".I wasn't familiar with this explain. May be there are many words that came from words which is came from noun or meaning like shipping, I'd like to find them more.

Japan Goes From Dynamic to Disheartened

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/world/asia/17japan.html?src=me&ref=world

At first, i was interested in this article, because there is a word "Japan", But it was too difficult for me,because there are many words which I don't know. Then I tried to read it with RIKAI, even though, it is still hard..but I will contenue to try to understand it
but may be next time I will try to find articles which I am interested



Disheartened
affluence
decade
drove
Mercedes
crumble
overall
reduce trips
eliminate
Mercede
owed
mortgage
subdued way


Anyway, could you tell me how I can use the words "so do I" and "so do you"?

Yoko's GAGA tribute to John

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/3164101/Lady-GaGa-teams-up-with-Yoko-Ono.html

Lady Gaga is one of my favorite singer and John lennon also, and Yoko Ono is his wife, that's why I choose this article today.

tribute(verb)
Yoko's GAGA tribute to John.
something that you say, do, or give in order to express your respect or admiration for someone:
＝ささげる

alongside(adj)
The pop superstar performed at the event, held at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday evening, alongside the PLASTIC ONO band, which includes Lennon's GaGa widow YOKO ONO.
next to the side of something:
=横に、そばに、並んで、

widow(none)
a woman whose husband has died and who has not married again:
=未亡人

equivalent(none)
SHE'S probably the modern-day equivalent of a BEATLE.
something that has the same value, purpose, job etc as something else:=同等のもの、等価なもの、同等物、相当物、均等、当量、相当語句、対応する言葉

handpicked(verb)
WU-TANG CLAN rapper RZA also made appearances with the group, as did a number of other guest stars (who were)handpicked from the avant garde world by Yoko.
to choose or select with great care, as for a special job or purpose
=慎重に選ぶ


i've not finished reading that article yet...

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoko_Ono
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Gaga

KENTO MORI!!!

Today, I wanna introduce my favorite dancer, called Kento Mori to you.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/review-23715889-madonna-pays-tribute-to-michael-jackson-with-spectacular-performance.do

indomitable:
having great determination or courage
=〔意志・精神などが〕不屈｛ふくつ｝の、断固｛だんこ｝たる

exhaust:
to use all of something
=～を使い尽くす、使い果たす


doubt:
to not trust or have confidence in someone
=～を疑う

I road this article using Longman and Japanese English dictionary and Rikai. It was difficult even use them, because there were many words that I didn't know. But I thought it was great to read. I love Michael Jackson and Madonna and Kento Mori!!! It was nice try for me to study English...

The Three Little Pigs

The Three Little Pigs from storynory

http://storynory.com/2008/02/25/the-three-little-pigs-2/

bundle of straw
The first that went off met a man with a bundle of straw.
:a group of things such as papers, clothes, or sticks that are fastened or tied together
: a single dried stem of straw
=1束のわら

I’ll puff, and I’ll huff, and I’ll blow your house in.

puff
:to breathe quickly and with difficulty after the effort of running, carrying something heavy etc
=〈人が〉（…に）息を吹きかける

huff
=激しく呼吸する；激しく吹く


huff and puff
:to breathe out in a noisy way, especially when you do something that involves a lot of physical effort

the little pig bustled up the next morning at four o’clock, and went off for the apples

:to move around quickly, looking very busy
せわしく動き回る, 立ち回る；忙しそうにしている((about, around))

Once upon a time when pigs spoke rhyme
=((物語の出だしで))昔々

Last class...

In this class, I learned that how to study English by reading the books, but also I learned that reading articles and listening music with lyrics, and watching dramas and movies with subtitles are good.

I'm gonna study english through reading books and articles and watching dramas and movies... then I'd like to learn English.
This is what I learn in this class.

Interesting!!!

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3060907/Black-parents-give-birth-to-white-baby.html

Black parents...white baby
from The Sun

'What the flip?'"
flip:〈話〉〔状況などの〕急展開、どんでん返し
like what the hell...

But as the baby's older brother and sister - both black - crowded round the "little miracle" at their home in South London, Ben declared: "Of course she's mine."

declare:～を宣言する、宣する、布告する、断じる、断言する、言明する、うたう

Blue-eyed blonde Nmachi, whose name means "Beauty of God" in the Nigerian couple's homeland, has baffled genetics experts because neither Ben nor wife Angela have ANY mixed-race family history.

baffle:(人）を途方に暮れさせる、迷わせる、困惑させる、まごつかせる、首をかしげさせる、けむに巻く、挫折させる、～をくじく

Pale genes skipping generations before cropping up again could have explained the baby's appearance.

He said: "In mixed race humans, the lighter variant of skin tone may come out in a child - and this can sometimes be startlingly different to the skin of the parents.

variant:異なる、さまざまな、種々の、変わりやすい

The expert said some unknown mutation was the most likely explanation.

mutation:《生物》突然変異（体）、変異株

I didn’t know about albino, is 先天的にメラニンが欠乏する遺伝子疾患.

科学者によるとアルビノは前述したよう、遺伝性である。元来メラニン色素の多い黒人の間にアルビノを持つ子供が生まれるのは珍しく、さらに兄弟のうち何人かがというのは、それ以上に大変珍しいとのこと。そして一番に特筆すべき点はアルビノを持って生まれた子供が肌の色だけではなく顔の作りまでもが白人だという。

http://www.paropunte.net/archives/974425.html


Finally, parents said "All that matters is that she's healthy and that we love her.She's a proud British Nigerian."
It makes me warm feeling.

Ref Webb:My final hell

I was reading the sun when I was studying Australia, but since I came back to Japan, I didn't read it ever... today I tried to read it and found my favorite article.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/worldcup2010/3051245/Howard-Webb-My-World-Cup-final-hell.html

It was the most difficult two hours of my career. I am physically and emotionally drained but FIFA have been very supportive - not just about the final but our performances throughout the whole tournament.

drain:〔精神・肉体的に人を〕疲れさせる、弱らせる
throughout:初めから終わりまで、完全に

But FIFA chief Sepp Blatter did not exactly give a resounding vote of confidence to Webb, who showed 14 yellow cards and sent off Holland's Johnny Heitinga.

send off:《サッカー》退場させる

World cup was really excited the people like me, but there are problems like misjudgment.. but there are the referees like this article...I understood a part of the background.

Flowers for Algernon

Do you know this story?I watched it before on TV, but I didnt really watch it.Now I start reading the book quite seriously.

From progress report2-March4

And a nice man was in one of the rooms and he had some white cards with ink spilled all over them.

I dont understand the last part.
spill:こぼれる
spilled all over them means like インクで書かれた?

I really tried to see.I held the card up close and then far away.

hold up:持続｛じぞく｝する、持ちこたえる、維持｛いじ｝する、（天気｛てんき｝が）続く、耐える、支える、支持｛しじ｝する、しっかり立っている、歩調｛ほちょう｝を緩めない
held～up close and then far away:近付けたり離したりし続けた

I bet I find it now.
bet:〔あることを〕主張｛しゅちょう｝する、きっと～だと断言｛だんげん｝する、～だと確信｛かくしん｝している

I said I pretend a bottle of ink spilled all over a white card.
This mean 白いカード中にこぼれたボトルのインク？

Charlie is kind of slow adults, but his life may change from now...

Last week...My favorite song!!!

Last week, I was listening this song it called Sk8er Boi by Avril Lavigne.
When I was listening that song,I was wondering what it means and it made me interesting. I thought that I wanna know what it means exactly, so today's my favorite song is Sk8er Boi by Avril Lavigne.

Sk8er Boi

http://www.elyrics.net/read/a/avril-lavigne-lyrics/skater-boy-lyrics.html


He wanted her, she'd never tell
Secretly she wanted him as well
But all of her friends, stuck up their nose
They had a problem with his baggy of clothes

stick one's nose in〜=余計なことに首を突っ込む

He was a skater boy, she said, "See ya later boy"
He wasn't good enough for her, she had a pretty face
But her head was up in space
She needed to come back down to earth

her head was up in space≒浮かれてのぼせている、彼女は高慢で
come back down to earth=（夢見心地から）地に足を着ける、（浮かれ気分から）現実の世界に戻る

Five years from now, she sits at home
Feeding the baby, she's all alone
She turns on TV, guess who she sees
Skater boy rocking up MTV


Lyrics is pretty difficult to study English, because it is poetry sometimes, so if I study English I should study a lot of kind of things.

We are the world!!!

This is my favorite song!!!
I wanna know what it means, so today I try to find it^^★

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezzxDk_vvXA)

"We're The World (USA For Africa)"

There comes a time when we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
and it's time to lend a hand to life
There greatest gift of all

We can't go on pretending day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We are all a part of God's great big family
And the truth, you know,
Love is all we need

[Chorus:]
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
it's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me

Send them your heart so they'll know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stones to bread
So we all must lend a helping hand

[Chorus]

When you're down and out, there seems no hope at all
But if you just believe there's no way we can fall
Let us realize that a change can only come
When we stand together as one

[Chorus]

1.bright-er(adj)
context:
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
definition:
happy and full of energy
=明るい

I love this song!happy to know it!

Alice in Wonderland Chapter 1 (2)

1.subtly(adv)
context:
The voice shifts subtly all the time between Alice and the narrator.
definition:
a subtly different colour
=微妙｛びみょう｝に

2.narrator(noun)
context:
The voice shifts subtly all the time between Alice and the narrator.
definition:
the person who tells the story in a book or a play
=語り手、ナレーター


3.whimsies(noun)
context:
Incredible fancies and whimsies fly around the head of Alice,
definition:
a way of thinking, behaving, or doing something that is unusual, strange, and often amusing
=奇抜｛きばつ｝な言葉｛ことば｝［行動｛こうどう｝］、奇行｛きこう｝、気まぐれ、物好き

4.dedicated
context:
We have high hopes that listeners of all ages, including dedicated fans of Alice,
definition:
someone who is dedicated works very hard at what they do because they care a lot about it
=献身的｛けんしんてき｝な、打ち込んでいる、熱心｛ねっしん｝な、ひたむきな

(http://storynory.com/2006/09/24/alices-adventures-in-wonderland-by-lewis-carroll/)

Alice in wonderland-Chapter1

1. peep (verb)

context:
once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading

definition:
to look at something quickly and secretly, especially through a hole or opening
=こっそり見る、のぞき見する、垣間見る、〔ひそかに〕見る

～する義務｛ぎむ｝がある、～すべきである

2. remarkable (adj)

context:
There was nothing so VERY remarkable in that

definition:
unusual or surprising and therefore deserving attention or praise
=目立った、並外れた、異例｛いれい｝の

3. occur (ver)

context:
it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this

definition:
to happen
=〔偶然｛ぐうぜん｝に〕起こる、発生｛はっせい｝する、生じる、現れる、存在｛そんざい｝する

4. ought to (modal verb)

context:
it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this

definition:
used to say that someone should do something because it is the best or most sensible thing to do
=～する義務｛ぎむ｝がある、～すべきである


I wondered that this accent is American or British...and it was British finally.

(http://storynory.com/2006/09/24/alices-adventures-in-wonderland-by-lewis-carroll/)

What the hell!!!

How to learn English

1. overemphasized (verve)

context:
Studying grammar may be helpful at times but, in Japan, grammar is often overemphasized while students do not have sufficient opportunities to get used to English.

definition:
to give something more importance than it deserves or than is suitable
=～を過度に重視［強調］する


2. fairly (ad verve)

context:
If you are fairly sure that you understand the meaning of the sentence or paragraph you are reading, you probably don't need to stop and look up the word unless you are very curious about its meaning.

definition:
more than a little, but much less than very
=かなり、相当（に）、極めて、ほとんど、全く、どうやら◆【用法】形容詞・副詞を修飾する。


3. unless (conjunction)

context:
you probably don't need to stop and look up the word unless you are very curious about its meaning.

definition:
used to say that something will happen or be true if something else does not happen or is not true
=～でない限り、～である場合を除いて、ただし～の場合を除く［は別だが］、もし～でなければ

4. determining (verve)

context:
you will have trouble determining whether a particular meaning you found in a dictionary fits the context or not.

definition:
to find out the facts about something
=〔人が～することを〕決心［決定］する


What the hell(heck)
doam(dane)
oh my god(gosh)
I have got to, I got to(gotta)
how's it going
What are you doing(whad you doing?)

flea market:のみの市


今日は今まで疑問に思っていたことや日常生活で使うような表現を聞けて、すごくおもしろかったです。
海外ドラマなどを見ていて、疑問に思ったことなどをこれからも先生に聞いて、解決していきたいです。

外書講読 ブログ

渡辺由奈の外書講読のブログ

yukina's blog of Gaisho Kodoku

Readingが苦手なので、克服できるようにがんばります。