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今日の英語（Euro)

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 23:11:28 +0900

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）

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 11:20:46 +0900

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）

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 01:07:28 +0900

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

Supply and Demand （供給と需要）

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 22:53:55 +0900

The law of supply and demand, in its simplest form, can be used to explain not only price but also market value. For example, students in American universities know all too well that an oversupply of professionals in a certain field will reduce their market value, meaning fewer jobs, more job competition and lower salaries. For this reason, students often choose their majors and careers based on high current or projected demand for trained professionals in specific fields. Theoretically, this means more jobs, less competition, and more salaries in these fields. In other words, a student's choice of major determines, in theory, his or her market value after graduation. We can see similar market forces at work in the market for potential marriage partners. If the number of men seeking wives exceeds the number of women seeking husbands, then demand for wives increases a woman's chances of finding a husband, and vice versa. It's not exactly a romantic explanation of one's chances of finding true love, but supply and demand can also explain, in simple terms, an individual's value in the competitive marriage market.

今日の英文は、需要と供給のお話。需要と供給は何も経済原論を説明するだけではなく、学生の就職や結婚状況にもあてはまるんだよということを説明している文章です。

今日の単語

1. all too well （副）　あまりにもよく

1. vice versa　逆もまたしかり

今日の英文（Altruism）

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:56:23 +0900

The cynics among us would argue that altruism in its pure form does not really exist. No one acts primarily for the happiness of others. If we take a religious marthr as an example, the cynics can say that although this person appear to be sacrificing his or her life for god, the promise of a reward in the afterlife - for example going to heaven... is true and selfish motivation. The martyr is thinking of his or her own happniness not the good of others. As you can see, whether it's Muslim suicide bombers or Japanese Kamikaze pilots in World War II, the cynic can argue that because of the reward which they believe awaits them after death, their act of self-sacrifice is actually self-serving - in the end this saving of one's soul, one's honor, even one's reputation brings happiness to that individual and is therefore ultimately selfish. Even with the example of a mother giving her own life for her child, the same argument are can be used... the child is an extention of the mother's life - the mother will live on through her child. Are there any truly altruistic actions that we could offer to refute the cynic's argument?

内容は、皮肉屋からすると、利他主義（他人のために自分を犠牲にする人）なんてない。人のためにと思って行動している人でさえ、本当の目的は、自分の名誉や名声のためであるということだ。例をあげれば、神風特攻隊もムスリム自爆テロ実行犯も、死んだ後の報酬（天国に行ける等）のためにやっている自分勝手な動機だというわけである。子供のために命を犠牲にする母親ですら、子供を通じて自分が生きている気になれるからそれができるんだとあくまで皮肉なものの見方である。

これはこれで面白い考え方ではある。確かにそうとも言える。でも、それを言っちゃおしまいだろ？っていう感じでもある。まぁ、オレも自分の名声とか名誉のために動く人間だから、本当の無償の利他主義で動いているとはとても思えない。唯一、利他主義になれる対象があるとすれば、妻、両親、兄弟くらいだろうか？それでも、自己満億と言われてしまえばそれまでだ。でも、それでもいいじゃんと思っている。

【今日の単語】

(1) Altruism （名）　利他主義

(2) cynic (名）　皮肉屋

(3) martyr (名）　殉教者

(4) whetehr A or B,　AにしてもBにしても

今日の英文（Lobbyist）

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:28:40 +0900

How we view lobbying today has certainly changed from the days when the political deals and decisions were made by the old boys clubs in smokey backrooms, with few, if any, political watchdog groups to check political corruptions. These days, as you all know, many American citizens are outraged by the possibility that money, rather than votes, determines the real course of American government and recent scandals involving powerful lobbyists suggest that this is now more than just a possibility. After all, politicians are elected to represent the interests of all their constituents, not a select few with fat checkbooks or - in some cases, special interest groups who are not even their constituents. Because it it usually difficult to prove that a legislator directly promised someone to vote in a certain way, we need safegurards which will discourage any tacit understandings between legislators and lobbyists. The only viable solution seems to be legislation that would, for example, place limits on campaign contributions... not only the amount of the contribution but also who makes them.

こちらの文章はいかがでしたでしょうか。これはアメリカのロビー活動について述べた非常に短い文章です。よくわかりやすくまとまっていると思います。古今東西、どこにでも政治の世界では賄賂や裏金というものが横行して、有権者・国民全体というよりも、一部のお金持ちの人の意向に流れやすいという趣旨の文章ですね。唯一の効果的な解決方法は、選挙運動資金の献金の数だけでなく、誰がどれくらいの量を献金したのかということまで制限を課すことのできる法律の制定であると言っています。

【難解単語】

(1) outrage （他）　怒る

(2) after all （副）　結局

(3) constituent （名）　有権者

(4) tacit （形）　暗黙の　＊tacit understanding 暗黙の了解

(5) safeguard （名）　予防措置

(6) legislation （名）　立法　＊legislator （名）　立法する人→政治家

Why only legislator?

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 21:08:25 +0900

If I say that I want to be a politician, everybody always asks me what you want to do after becoming a legislator. It is a strange question for me. Why do only person who wants to become a politician have to answer this kind of query? How about you? Why do you choose your preseent job? What do you want to achieve as you present occupation?

Is it wrong for me to think about what I want achieve as a statesment after becoming? Since there is a great number of things I do not know. Usually I will know what the problem is, what I can do and so on after being involved in the political world. It is quite hard to answer such foolish questions beforehand.

There are some objections about my opinion. For example, politicians receive their salary from the citizen's tax, so they should have known what they do and achieve. Against this oipinion, I would like to answer like this. After being a representative, some roles or works will be assigned whether it is desirable or not such as a member of some committes. Therefore, even only to work for such job deserves being public servant. It is valid to say that to raise a revolution, make innovation happen, peddle influence is totally extra work for them. Unless they can attain such extra jobs, dire fate is waiting for them, which means they will end up losing a seat.

All in all, my conclusion is that politicians do not need to be superman, no need to know everything, no need to have such a sublime idea although it is better to have. At least, it is ok for the people who want to be an assembly member to think about what they want to achieve and do for the national and citizen after being a politician.