Happy New Year!

We would like to wish all of our students a very Happy New Year.
We hope you had an enjoyable holiday and wish you all the best for 2010.

At the new year we often make a "New Year's Resolution" (新年の誓い). I think the resolution for the E-Style teachers must be to write on this blog more often! We are sorry that we haven't been posting so often but we promise to try harder this year.

Lessons start again tomorrow (January 4th) and we look forward to teaching you all again this year.

上級クラス復習（８月７日）

Last week in my advanced class we discussed an article called "Movie stars bring sparkle to gaming", which talks about how many film stars are now appearing in video games. Games are big business and are starting to appeal to a much wider audience than before. Companies often put in as much time and money into producing games as movies these days, and the appearance of real world stars in their games is a useful selling point.

The article can be found here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/8176894.stm

Useful vocabulary:

• blockbuster - 大ヒット
• spin-off - 副産物、テレビの続編番組
• wunderkind - 〈ドイツ語〉神童 (wonder child)
• avatar - アバター、ネット上での仮の像
  例、掲示板に書き込むときいつもその人が自画像のように使うアイコン
• first-person shooter - 主観視点のシューティング・ゲーム
• vanguard - 文化や活動の先駆者、先導者
• potty-mouthed - 口汚い
• become de rigueur - 絶対条件となる
• kudos - 名声、栄光、栄誉、称賛、賛辞、褒賞、威信
• bragging rights - 自慢する権利、得意げに話す権利
• Tinseltown - 〈米俗〉金ピカの町、ハリウッドのこと
• Hollywood A-lister - ハリウッドの大物

上級クラス復習（６月２６日）

This is a little late but I'd like to review the article we looked at in my advanced class 2 weeks ago. The article is titled "Would you work for nothing?" and is about workers at British Airways（英国航空） being asked to work for nothing for a short time to help the company survive the economic crisis（経済危機を克服する）:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8104924.stm

Here as usual is a list of useful phrases featured in the article:

• economic meltdown - 経済的メルトダウン、経済破綻
• feel the pinch - ～の苦しみを味わう、～の厳しい影響を受ける
• mire - 沼地、泥沼、ぬかる、窮地、苦境
• lowly worker - 平社員
• juggle -
  何とか帳尻を合わせる、うまく調整する
• in someone's good books -
  （人）に気に入られて
• step up to the plate -
  進んで物事に取り組む
• onus - 負担、重荷、義務、責任
• axe - ～を解雇する、首にする、（人員を）削減｛さくげん｝する
• two-way street - 相互的なもの、相互的関係、相恵的関係
• casual employment - 一時雇用
• high turnover of staff - 離職率が高い
• dust off - 引っ張り出してくる、探し出してもう一度利用する
• spur - ～を刺激する、～を促進させる、～を励ます
• economic turmoil - 経済混乱
• altruism - 利他主義、利他的行為
• belt-tightening - 金融引き締め、倹約、減量経営

上級クラス復習（６月１９日）

Last week in my advanced class we looked at an article about Iran called:
Iran: Rap, blogs and the political mix.
It is about how young people are fighting against the oppressive religious regime （圧政的な宗教体制）through fashion, music and the internet etc.
You can see the article here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8088042.stm

Here is a list of vocabulary that you may find useful:

• make overtures -
  ～に提案する、～に対して有利な申し入れをする
• savvy - 実際的知識、手腕、機転、常識
• push the limits - 限界を押し広げる、現状を打破する
• lurking - 潜んでいる
• religious decree - 宗教令
• keep a tight lid on -
  ～を厳重に取り締まる、～をひた隠しにしておく
• decadent - 退廃的な、衰退期の
• stoning - 投石による死刑
• bear fruit - 実を結ぶ、成果をもたらす

上級クラス復習（６月５日）

Last week we looked at 2 news articles in my advanced class both connected to the internet. The first article is about how President Obama is planning to deal with cyber terrorist threats to the USA （サイバー・テロへの対策）. The second article is about how millions of people in the UK regularly download illegal files using file-sharing networks （違法ファイル交換ネットワーク）.

Here are the links to the articles with a list of useful vocabulary below:
"US launches cyber security plan"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8073654.stm
"Seven million 'use illegal files' "
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8073068.stm

• Digital infrastructure - 情報社会基盤
• Cyber - サイバースペースの、コンピュータ・ネットワークの
• Tsar/Czar - 権威、大家、第一人者、専門家
• Malicious - 意地の悪い、悪意のある
• Air traffic control - 航空（交通）管制
• Power grid - 電力網、電力供給網、配電網、分電網
• Espionage -
  スパイ行為、偵察、スパイ、諜報

• File sharing network -
  ファイル交換ネットワーク
• Intellectual property -
  知的財産、知的所有権
• All you can eat -
  バイキング形式、食べ放題
• Illicit - 不法な、違法の、不義の、無免許の

上級クラス復習（５月２９日）

Every Friday I have an advanced class in which my students and I discuss 1 or 2 recent news articles, usually taken from the BBC news website.

It is a very high level discussion, but from now on I would like to review the article here on the blog and add a list of key vocabulary to help those who want to have a go.


Last week's article was entitled "Long before the rod was spared" and can be found here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8047541.stm

It is an article about child cruelty （児童虐待） and the history of the U.K.'s biggest child protection charity, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children （NSPCC、国家児童虐待防止協会）, which was formed 125 years ago.

Here are some key words and phrases from the article to help with your reading:

• "Spare the rod and spoil the child" -
  《諺》かわいい子には旅をさせよ。／むちを惜しめば子供を駄目にする。
• sobering -
  酔いを覚ます、酔いも覚めるような、人をまじめにさせる、ありのままの、冷静な
• bleak - 暗い、希望のない
• deprivation - 貧困
• rife - はびこって、流行する
• humane -
  人間味のある、人道的な、思いやりのある、人情のある、慈悲深い、心の優しい
• repercussions - 反響、影響、余波、波紋
• watershed -
  出来事の流れを変えるもの、重要な分岐点、転換点、重大な時期｛じき｝、重要なヤマ場
• philanthropy -
  慈善、慈善活動、社会奉仕事業