Expressions
learned here
1 eternal triangleとは、wife - husband - loverの三角関係 のことを言うそうでこれは洋の東西を問わずあるようです。
2 new man = those husbands who share housechores with wives and are
not threatened by the traditional notion
昔からそうだったわけではなかったのですね、仕事から帰るとすぐに、ま めまめしく働いていた ホストファザー のロンさん
3 aggressive と assertive
'aggressive' is used in a negative way, whereas 'assertive' used in a
positive way
4 one-night stand = making love only once without emotional relationship
授業中、こんな表現まで教えてくれました。
5 Paul was sitting with two of his boyfriends.
この文では、boyfriends implies that the men are gayとなるそうだ。
したがって、ただの友達を表すには、Paul was sitting with two of his friends/ pals /
mates. と書くそうな。
6 hen-pecked husband = ruled by his wife
7 コース担当教官にin a dilemmaを別の表現で表してもらったところ、
between the devil and deep blue seaとかbetween a rock and a hard place
などというおもしろいのを教えてくれました。
8 Your mathmatic tells youも先生がよく使っていましたが、「ちょっと 計算したらわかると思うけど、・・・」という意味なんでしょうが
、感 じとしては「ちょっと考えたらわかると思うけど、・・・」くらいで使っ ていたようにも思います。
9 the apple of one's eyeは、目に入れても痛くないほどかわいいものと いう意味です。
10 次に紹介するのは割合おもしろかったのですが、ある授業中に、'How far is it from here to Tokyo?'と尋ねられたらどう答えますかと、担当教 官に聞かれました。皆さんならどう答えますか。
答えは、'It's a long way.'で、'Very far.'はだめだそうです。
(ALTに尋ねたところ、これは文法的な問題ではなく、usageの問題だそ うです。) それでは、'How long does it take
from here to Tokyo?は どうでしょうか。 '( It's ) a long time.'とか'Not long.'と答えます。
(これもALTのコメントなのですが、上の答え方のうち、 'It's a long way.'や'It's a long time'には、more
informationを付け加えなければ 質 問者に対してぶっきらぼうな印象を与えるので、例えば、'It's a long way.
It'll take more than ten hours by air.' のように具体的な情報を付 け加えるといいようです。)
11 授業中時々、教師の説明など一切かまわず必死で板書を写している生 徒います。 そういった健気な生徒に向かって、'Don't take notes! Listen to me.' というのではちょっと可哀想ではないでしょうか。そこで 、実際に教官が使っていた表現を一つ。
Don't worry about taking notes.
いかかでしょう?わたしは、smartな英語だなあと、とても気に入り早速 現場で使っています。
12 大学に行く(入る)は、enter the universityではなく、get into the univerityを使うように言われました。なるほど、注意して聞いていると ALTなどもget
intoを使っています。
13 「できない生徒の底上げ」をして、「できる生徒を伸ばす」は、push bottom and stretch top と言うのだそうです。
PREJUDICE(特に女性に対する差別的表現)について
1 MAN KILLS NEIGHBOUR'S WIFEという新聞のheadlineで、 neighbourという単語が husbandを暗黙のうちに表しているのが問題 なのだそうです。
2 One of the problems is the lack of able-bodied young adults. Most have
gone to the cities to find work, leaving in the villages only the old,
the disabled, women and young children.
3 There were 15 survivors of the plane crash, 4 of them were women.
4 People are more likely to be influenced by their wives than by adverts.
5 at the wedding ceremony "I now declare you man and wife."
後の4例は、どこが問題なのかすぐにおわかりですね。
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I love the SAVOY
It was on the last day of my stay in
London that I went to the SAVOY, which was situated just in front
of my hotel. When I stand at the entrance of the Savoy, I was
totally overwhelmed by its luxurious interiors as well as the
building itself. The Savoy is an elegant Edwardian building,
opened in 1889 by theatrical impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte. The
Savoy is the only 5-star hotel in London set on a bend of The
River Thames: it commands sweeping views of the river which were
immortalised by impressionist artist Claude Monet during his
stays at the hotel. With its highly personalised service, style
and decor, The Savoy has a magical and theatrical character,
creating the gentle excitement of being at the centre of events.
As I sat on a soft and comfortable seat of an armchair. I
was fascinated by the refined service at The River Restaurant.
The staffs here are all well-educated and well-organized. When I
asked the general manager what tea would go with 'tangy orange
tart and almond milk ice cream', he in no time recommended 'Marco
Polo', which is an exquisite blend perfumed with fruits and
flowers from China and Tibet. When I left the restaurant, he let
me take out a nicely designed nemu in memory of my visit. I liked
the smart service of his restaurant. Nobody could resist coming
here again.
Mr. Richard Spears,
The gereral manager of 'The River Restaurant'
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Driving after Tea
I stayed in a cozy house with a nice family consisting of the host father,
the mother and two daughters, Jessica and Rachael. The children were very
cute and well educated. They were always willing to help me. I should not
forget a budgie called Andy. I loved the meals served here and enjoyed
a chat with the family. I loved the cool climate here though sometimes
I was bothered by rain and wind.
One day I went to the home of the Marquis of Linlithgow, a fine example
of the work of the Scottish architect William Adam. We were only allowed
to peer into the window and see the sumptuous interior, decorated with
priceless collections of paintings, china, tapestries and costumes. Afterwards
we strolled through the beautiful gardens. We then went to the port where
the ferry departs . There I saw a magnificent rust-coloured bridge, the
Forth Rail Bridge. It was very beautiful and imposing, set against the
backdrop of the dark blue sky.
We went there after tea, which is equivalent to supper in
Japan. How fantastic it is to drive to the sea after supper! It
was still twilight although it was about 9 p.m. We can never
imagine things like this in Japan.
At the Marquis of Linlithgow
with host sisters,
Jessica and Rachael
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Edinburgh
will not tolerate 'Racial Harassment'
The police officers here in Edinburgh are
very friendly and polite. One day I dropped in at a police
station to ask the way to the Commonwealth swimming pool. A young
officer assisted me and told me the way in a very polite manner.
When I was leaving there, I saw a poster showing 3 people
of different nationalities. At first I asked if they were
"Wanted", the answer was 'No.' I then wondered if they
were misssing people, again the answer was 'No.' I then read some
text written below the picture. It said, 'IF THIS IS A PAKI, A
DARKIE AND A CHINKY, YOU'RE A RACIST.' ( Take a look at the
poster below. )
Can you guess what this poster is for?
Yes, it's meant to combat racism. The City of Edinburgh Council
and its partners in the CARE project (Co-ordinated Action on
Racism in Education ) has taken its high profile anti-racism
campaign into the city schools. The project recently launched a
new poster specifically designed to make young people think twice
about racist name calling and bullying. The poster makes it clear
that racism and bullying will not be accepted in the city's
schools and encourages children to tell a teacher if they are
called a name that they don't like. It is said that Edinburgh is
the city which will not tolerate racial harassment.
With a Police Officer at the
Commonwealth Swimming Pool
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The Origin of The Edinburgh Military
Tattoo
The word Tattoo is derived from the Dutch word "Tap-to" which
means quite literally "turn off the taps." The signal which indicated
that soldiers should return to their quarters and that the beer in the
taverns should be turned off was transmitted by drum beat each evening.
Eventually this developed into a ceremonial performance of military music
by massed bands.
Every year the programme includes music of the massed Pipes
and Drums of the Scottish Regiments together with the music of
the Massed Bands. The participation of Foreign Units does much to
contribute to its international flavour, and some 30% of all
spectators come from overseas. Add to this the setting of the
Castle Esplanade, the ramparts, the delicate play of light -
together with the excited murmur and applause of 9,000 spectators
- and you have the recipe for an event once seen, never
forgotten.
The Military Tatoo at
Edinburgh Castle
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Scotish Dancing -
Why so hard?
I learned a Scottish dance. If you have seen ' TITANIC ', think the scene where the people in third class were dancing energetically. That is a Scottish dance. It's more like aerobic exercise, which requires quick movements. We kept running, spinning, stamping and clapping hands.
I was totally hot and sweaty. It was after dancing that I realized a
Scottish dance was hard in order to make Scottish people very hot for a
change. Winter here is very severe, you know.
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The Man in the
Iron Mask
I was pleasantly surprised to see the film,
'The Man in the Iron Mask", starring Leonardo Dicaprio on
the plane to London. It was much more interesting than I had
expected because it was not just about Leo. I think the film's
true heroes are the four men, Aramis, Athos, Porthos and
D'Artagnan. It was both a beautiful story and a sad one; a story
of love between a son and a father, a master and his men, and a
man and a woman.
The highlight came at the end of this movie. The four royal
musketeers, facing certain death, faced the muskets and rushed
toward their enemies. This scene reminded me of "Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". Fortunately, however, this
new movie's ending was a little different from the old one. They
found themselves still alive despite the heavy fire. D'Artagnan's
retainers fired with their eyes closed, none of them could bear
to see their respectful captain die.
I sometimes heard the musketeers saying, 'one for all, all
for one.' This phrase can often be heard in Japan as well.
Because of this movie, I came to know the real meaning of the
phrase. I think it means 'One will die for the rest and
vice-versa.'
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MEETING "DUSTIN HOFFMAN" IN LONDON
I took a night-train for London, arriving at
Kingcross station at 3:00 a.m. Passengers were allowed to stay in
the train until 5:00 a.m.
A little after 5:00 I took the underground to Cloucester
Road station, where Millennium Hotel located. After confirming
the booking, I walked to Kenginton park to kill time before check
in. I had not walked 5 minutes before I met a man with plastic
shopping bags in his hands. I am sure I have seen him. He wore a
white T-shirt and a sweat pants. He was a little shorter than I
and had gentle eyes. I then recognized him. He was Mr.Dustin
Hoffman.
I said to him, "Excuse me. If I am wrong, excuse me. Are you
Dustin Hoffman?"
" Yes, I am. "
" Oh, are you? Nice to meet you. Oh, then, may I take your
photo?" ( Here I should have said, "Would you mind
terribly if I requested your photo?" This was an expression
I had learned at the university.)
" Sure. "
" Thank you very much."
After taking his photo, I said to him, "Thank you very
much." and shook hands.
Mr.Dustin Hoffman said, "Arigato."
Two weeks later I went to the place again and was lucky
enough to see one of his neighbors. He confirmed that Mr.Dustin
Hoffman lived just behind his house. It was a white terraced
house in a calm residential quarter.
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