2009/02/15
クリストファー・ベルトンの「英語の世界」 ＜第６６号＞
============================================================================= クリストファー・ベルトンの「英語の世界」 第６６号： ０９年０２月１５日 Official Site: http://www.chrisbelton.com/ ============================================================================= ------------------------------------ 目次 ------------------------------------ ☆ What's New? ☆ Belton's Blog ☆ ワン・ポイント英語 − ＜Useful Words: Promising/Chilly＞ ☆ Potluck − ＜Margaret Thatcher's Impossible Dream＞ ☆ オンライン英字小説 − ＜The Stoning of Hazelbury: Part XXV＞ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ What's New? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ 「多聴多読マガジン Vol.13」は03月6日に出版されます。 今回の私の連載記事のテーマは[The Tales of Beedle the Bard (by J.K. Rowling)]です。 また、Vol.13号から新たに[Gateway to Hell]という６回にわたる音声ＣＤ 付きの連載ホラー・ファンタジー小説が始まります。 今回は [Chapter One: A Strange Encounter]です。 「グレゴリー・ホールデンは、超能力調査を駆使して事件を解決する テレビ番組にレギュラー出演している超能力者である。ある３月の夜、 地方でのロケを終えて東京のホテルに戻ったホールデンは、渡辺誠 という男性から面会を求められた。この渡辺との出会いが、ホールデン の運命を変えることになる。」 ちなにみ、イラストは私の二男ジェイミーによるものです。 是非見てみてください。 ☆ 4月から、毎月第４週目の日曜日に「多読」をテーマにした連載記事が Asahi Weeklyに載ることになりました。内容は英語の原書を読むため のアドバイスで、毎回違うジャンル（Mysteries, Romance, SF, Fantasy, Adventureなど）を取り上げる予定です。 第１回目のテーマは[Overcoming the Hurdles to Reading English Literature]です。 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ Belton's Blog ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Happy St. Valentine's Day, everybody! I hope all the men received lots of chocolates...:-) I did (heh, heh, heh...) ---------------------------------- I got myself an iPod Touch to replace my old iPod at the end of last year, and I must admit, it's absolutely amazing! Even after using it daily for several months, its functionality, simplicity and operability continue to astound me. Actually, I had originally planned to get an iPhone, but I ran into opposition from the rest of the family. If I gave up my AU cell phone and moved across to Softbank, every one else in the family would lose their family discount privileges. Not being used to such resistance and being the head of the family, I, of course, immediately flipped over the chabudai... I then apologized and bought an iTouch...:-) The unit has Wi-Fi, so I can access the Internet remotely from any room in my house and in many public places, and in addition to the normal music function, it also displays high-definition videos, not to mention a wide range of other great functions. Recently I am hooked on the podcasts that can be downloaded free of charge from iTunes. There is a huge range of different podcasts available, and by subscribing to them, they are downloaded into your computer automatically when a new one becomes available. I have discovered lots of great podcasts, such as BBC comedy shows, American sitcoms and stand-up comedy shows. The good thing about the iTouch is that the new podcasts are loaded onto it automatically when it is plugged it, and they are deleted automatically once they have been listened to or watched. This means that the unit only contains new stuff, and it doesn't get overloaded with unwanted stuff. My favourite podcast is a BBC Radio 4 broadcast called Friday Night Comedy. It's a thirty-minute radio program in which a group of comedians discuss the week's news, and it's very amusing. If any of you want to practise your English listening skills free of charge, I can thoroughly recommend an MP3 player and podcasts. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ ワン・ポイント英語 ＜Useful Words: Promising/Chilly＞ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ★ Useful Words: Promising promisingという語は、話題にのぼっているものが「期待できそうな」ときに 使います。たいていは五感に関わる動詞とともに使われますが、seemや appearとともに使われることもあります。 - His new CD sounds promising. 彼の新しいCDは（少し聴いてみたところ）なかなか期待できそうだ。 - Today’s lunch smells promising. 今日の昼食は（においから察すると）かなりおいしそうだ。 - Her presentation looks promising. 彼女のプレゼンテーションは期待できそうだ。 - The material used for this suit feels promising. 生地の手触りからして、このスーツはなかなかよさそうだ。 - The starter tastes promising. この前菜の味なら、これから出てくる料理も期待できそうだ。 - This year’s new recruits seem promising. 今年の新人たちは前途有望と思われる。 - The weather appears promising for tomorrow. 明日の天気は期待できそうだ。 ★ chilly イギリス人はよく天候を話題にするため、さまざまな天候を表す語彙 がたくさんあります。chilly（肌寒い）はwarm（暖かい）とcold（寒い）の 中間で、cool（涼しい）よりはやや低めの気温を指しています。 - You had better take your coat. It will be chilly tonight. コートを持っていったほうがいいよ。今夜は冷えるから。 - Today is chillier than I thought it would be. 今日は思っていたより肌寒い。 - The weather was beautiful, but the mornings were chilly. 天気はいいが、朝は肌寒かった。 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ Potluck − ＜Margaret Thatcher's Impossible Dream＞ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ★ Margaret Thatcher's Impossible Dream Margaret Thatcher was walking along a beach one day, when she tripped over a partially buried bottle. Picking it up, she rubbed it to see what was inside, and a huge genie suddenly appeared in a cloud of smoke. "Thank you for rescuing me from my prison,” said the genie, “As a token of my gratitude, I will grant you one wish.” Mrs. Thatcher thought about this for a moment, and then said, “I would like peace in the Middle East.” The genie suddenly looked thoughtful and said, “I am very sorry, but you have requested the one thing that is impossible for me to do. There have been wars in the Middle East for centuries, and to correct that is more than my powers are capable of. Is there any- thing else I can do?” Mrs. Thatcher though again, and then said, “Could you please bring a conservative government back to power in Britain again.” The genie thought for a moment, and then said, “The Middle East, you say? Well, okay, let’s give it a try…!” ある日、マーガレット・サッチャーが浜辺を歩いていると、半分砂に 埋もれたビンにつまずいた。拾い上げて、中に何が入っているのか 見ようとこすっていると、突然、煙とともに巨大な魔物が現れた。 「囚われの身から救い出してくださって、ありがとうございます」と、 魔物は言った。「お礼にあなたの願いをひとつかなえてあげましょう」 サッチャー夫人は一瞬考えこみ、そして言った。「中東和平を実現 してちょうだい」 魔物は急にもの思いに沈んだ顔つきになって言った。「申し訳ありません。 けれどもあなたの願いは、唯一かなえるのが不可能なことです。中東 ではもう何世紀ものあいだ争いが続いています。そしてこれを平和に 解決するのは、わたしの力に余ることです。他に何かわたしにできる ことはありませんか」 サッチャー夫人はふたたび考えて言った。「イギリスの政権をもう一度、 保守党に戻していただけない？」 魔物はしばらく考えこんで答えた。「中東和平、と言いましたよね？ よし、やってみましょう……！」 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ オンライン英字小説 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ★★★★ The Stoning of Hazelbury (by Christopher Belton) ★★★★ メルマガ限定オリジナル作品の「オンライン英字小説」の 連載を毎週提供します！ The Stoning of Hazelburyは出版されていないオリジナル小説です。 毎週ワン・チャプターづつ発行しますので、是非是非最後まで読んでみて ください。 途中からの方はバック・ナンバーでキャッチアップできます。 Part Iはこちらへ： http://archive.mag2.com/0000251837/20080831060000000.html ----- The Stoning of Hazelbury: Part XXV ----- As Peter Wendhurst walked down Broad Street and turned into Wilton Mews, he was feeling slightly apprehensive. It was all very well to talk of facing hairy terraced houses when one is in the company of eleven companions four miles away, but a different thing entirely when one is alone and only sixty yards off his northeast flank. Wendhurst looked upon himself as a modern-day vampire hunter and the four photographs nestling in his pocket as the crucifix. All he would have to do, he assured himself, was to hold the pictures before him at arm’s length just before the enemy made the lunge and he would curl up like a piece of second-hand carbon paper, screaming for mercy. Having reached number twenty-two, he stopped, looked at his watch, decided that seven forty-five in the morning should see Stoney out of his coffin and partaking in the morning repast before toddling off to school, braced himself and rang the bell. A moment later, the door opened and Wendhurst gulped as he took in the broadness of the pajama-clad monolith that stood before him. He had known that Stone was a little on the large size, but he had never expected anything like this. He was huge! Still, he could not show Stoney that he was afraid, or the monster would jump on his head and pummel him into a grease spot on the doorstep before he had a chance to flash the goods. Yes, an outward appearance of strength and confidence was the only way to handle him. “Morning, Stoney old boy, how’s your belly off for spots?” With this greeting, Wendhurst pushed past Stone and walked into the house, leaving the coach standing with his mouth open, revealing the remains of a half-masticated piece of toast. Jerry Stone, the games master of Greenhurst Grammar School for Boys, blinked and rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully. The surprise of this sudden visit had struck him dumb, as Wendhurst was the last person in the world whom he had expected to find on his doorstep. Wendhurst must know that he knew that the team that he--Wendhurst--was captain of had been the team that he--Stone--had beaten the proverbial out of two nights previously. A slight grin tried its hand beneath the foliage on Stone’s face. He turned back into his house, closed the door and walked with measured steps down the hall to his dining room. He was about to enjoy himself examining the configuration of Wendhurst’s intestines. He flung back the dining room door and stood with eyes gleaming, taking in the sight of Wendhurst relaxing on his spine with his feet on the table, munching on a piece of toast. ＜Part XXVIは来週につづく＞ (C) Christopher Belton, all rights reserved ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- クリストファー・ベルトンの「英語の世界」 発行者： クリストファー・ベルトン オフィシャル・サイト： http://www.chrisbelton.com/ 発行システム： 『まぐまぐ！』 http://www.mag2.com/ 配信中止はこちら： http://www.mag2.com/m/0000251837.html -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
