2009/07/12
クリストファー・ベルトンの「英語の世界」 ＜第８７号＞
============================================================================= クリストファー・ベルトンの「英語の世界」 第８７号： ０９年０７月１２日 Official Site: http://www.chrisbelton.com/ ============================================================================= ------------------------------------ 目次 ------------------------------------ ☆ What's New? ☆ Belton's Blog ☆ ワン・ポイント英語 － ＜猫の比喩－Part I＞ ☆ Potluck － ＜イギリス版オヤジ・ギャグ＞ ☆ オンライン英字小説 － ＜Koropokkuru: The End of a Colony/Chapter #2＞ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ What's New? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ 「２８日完成－例文でまるごと覚える。合格できる単熟語」（ASK)が 出版されました。 ☆ 「多聴多読マガジンVol.15」は07月06日に出版されました。今回の 連載記事のテーマは[My Stroke of Insight (by Jill Bolte Taylor )] 。 また、連載小説[Gateway to Hell]の第２章が搭載します。 今回は [Chapter Three: Sanctuary and Insight]です。 （ちなみに、今回のPage 27にインタービューも．．．！） ☆ 今月のAsahi Weeklyの連載記事は１９日に発行されます。 今回のテーマは[Suspense and Thrillers]です。 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ Belton's Blog ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- First of all, an apology for the lateness of last week's magazine. The magazine server went out of service between July 01 and 03 for maintenance purposes, and the URL for magazine issuers changed. I didn't realize this, so I kept returning to the same address to sign on, which caused an error. I consequently thought that the maintenance had been extended, and it wasn't until Monday morning that I realized the truth. So, I didn't send out last week's mag until Monday. Apologies to everybody... m(_ _)m --------------------------------------- So, how are you all getting on with the new online novel? I think you've probably noticed that the level of English has been lowered quite dramatically in comparison with the previous novel, and when this is added to the fact that it is set in Japan, I am sure that you will find it much easier to read. In this week's edition, Chiaki and Koki get to meet up with the two Koropokkuru they saw from the kitchen window in last week's edition. Although the names of the Koropokkuru have not yet been revealed, this week I will let you into a little secret as to how I chose their names. Well, all of the names come from the Ainu language. I found an Ainu dictionary, and decided to name all of the Koropokkuri characters based on Ainu equivalents. A list of the main characters is below, together with the meaning of the names in Ainu. Yup = Elder brother Tresi = Younger sister Nipo = Chief Hampe = Father Hapo = Mother Ekasi = Grandfather Huci = Grandmother Ak = Younger brother Unarpe = Aunt Henke = Old man Okkay = Boy Menoko = Girl Poho = Child And, if you are interested in a small preview of next week's edition, the names of the two Koropokkuri who have already made an appearance are Yup and Tresi. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ ワン・ポイント英語 ＜ 猫の比喩－Part I＞ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ★ 猫の比喩－Part I ☆ rain cats and dogs 「雨が激しく降る」こと。由来は明らかではありませんが、18世紀から 使われています。 - You can’t go out without your umbrella. It is raining cats and dogs. 傘を持っていかなくちゃだめよ。どしゃ降りだから。 - It was difficult to concentrate on the soccer match because it was raining cats and dogs. ひどい雨だったので、サッカーの試合になかなか集中できなかった。 ☆ cat got your tongue? 質問されても黙っている人（たいていは子ども）に向かってこう言います。 猫に舌を取られてしまって、話すことができないというのです。なぜ猫が 人の舌を噛み切って持っていってしまうのかは、謎に包まれていますが…。 - Answer me when I speak to you. Has the cat got your tongue? 話しかけられたらちゃんと返事をしなさい。しゃべれなくなっちゃったの？ - Why don’t you answer me? Has the cat got your tongue? なぜ返事をしないの？ 何かしゃべったらどう？ ☆ something the cat dragged in 夜遅くよれよれになって帰宅する酔っ払いの外見を表しています。最近 は、ただ不健康でだらしない外見を表すことも。動物の死体を飼い主へ の贈り物として運んでくる猫の習性にちなんだフレーズです。 - He came home really drunk, looking like something the cat dragged in. 彼は泥酔して、見るもだらしない姿で帰宅した。 - Are you sure you are feeling all right? You look like something the cat dragged in. 大丈夫？ ひどく具合が悪そうだけど。 ☆ be a cat 「意地が悪く嫌味」なこと。女性のみに使われます。おとなしいかと思えば、 急に機嫌をそこねて爪と牙をむきだしにしたりする猫になぞらえています。 - She can be a real cat when people disagree with her. 彼女は人から反対されると、とげとげしくなる。 - I didn’t realize that she was such a cat until I saw her arguing with Mary at the party. パーティでメアリと口げんかをしているのを見るまで、彼女がこれほど 性悪だとは知らなかった。 ☆ let the cat out of the bag 「秘密を漏らす」こと。猫は狭いところに閉じ込められると逆上し、そこから 出されると、暴れまわってあたりをメチャクチャにしてしまうことから。 - The national newspapers let the cat out of the bag by revealing the latest political scandal. 全国紙が最新の政界のスキャンダルをばらまいた。 - If I tell you the name of my boyfriend, you must promise never to let the cat out of the bag. 私のボーイフレンドの名前を教えてあげてもいいけど、絶対に人にばらさ ないでね。 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ Potluck － ＜イギリス版オヤジ・ギャグ＞ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ★ イギリス版オヤジ・ギャグ Q: What do you call a man with a cable hanging out the back of his head? A: Mike 問： 頭のうしろからコードが出ている男をなんて呼ぶ？ 答： マイク。 Q: What do you call a man who is made of rock and stands beside the sea? A: Cliff 問： 岩でできていて海のそばにいる男をなんて呼ぶ？ 答： クリフ（崖）。 Q: What do you call a man who lives in autumn leaves? A: Russell 問： 落ち葉の中に住んでいる男をなんて呼ぶ？ 答： ラッセル。 ※ Russellの発音はrustle（カサカサ音をたてる）と同じ。 Q: What do you call a man on whom people wipe their feet? A: Matt 問： みんなの足拭きになる男をなんて呼ぶ？ 答： マット。 Q: What do you call a man who likes to work out every day? A: Jim 問： 毎日トレーニングをしたがる男をなんて呼ぶ？ 答： ジム。 ※ Jimの発音はgym（体育）と同じ。 Q: What do you call a man with no legs below the knees? A: Neil. 問： 膝から下の脚がない男をなんて呼ぶ？ 答： ニール。 ※ Neilの発音はkneel（ひざまずく）と同じ。 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ オンライン英字小説 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ★★★★ Koropokkuru: The End of a Colony ★★★★ (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！ 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。 ----- Koropokkuru: The End of a Colony ----- Chapter Two A Hunt and Some New Friends ‘Come on, Koki,’ shouted Chiaki excitedly, ‘Let’s follow them!’ The two children ran across the kitchen and out to the front door, where they quickly put on their sandals and dashed outside. A strip of gravel approximately five meters in width separated the house from the beginning of the fields, and to the left was a large garage containing farming machinery and their father’s car. To the right was a small garden laid out with beautiful flowers that their mother tended. A stone path led through the garden and ended at the start of the woods beyond, but the children ignored the path and instead ran to the flowerbed into which the two small creatures had disappeared. ‘Over here, Koki!’ prompted Chiaki, staring at the earth in the flowerbed. ‘Here are some footprints.’ Koki hurried over and crouched down beside his sister. The soft earth of the flowerbed revealed two sets of tiny footprints that disappeared beneath the flowers. Chiaki spread the leaves and blossoms aside with her hand and followed the footsteps deeper and deeper inside, with Koki following her on his hands and knees. They eventually reached the end of the flowerbed and crawled out into the woods. The earth was harder here and Chiaki had more difficulty tracing the footprints. She could, however, see small scuffs in the earth, which led to a large chestnut tree approximately ten meters away from the garden and then disappeared. She placed a finger over her lips to keep Koki quiet and nodded towards the tree. Koki knelt beside her and raised his eyebrows in a silent question. Chiaki gestured for Koki to move slowly around the tree in one direction, and indicated that she would move around the other side at the same time. Trying to keep as quiet as possible, the two children slowly edged their way around the tree. The tree was quite large, but it only took a few seconds for them to move around it in opposite directions until they were looking at each other’s faces around the back of it. There was nothing there. Disappointed, Chiaki began to search around for more footsteps, when a high-pitched scream disturbed the quiet air and something fell onto Koki’s head before bouncing off onto the ground. Koki stared in wonder at the small creature that sat blinking up at him with large eyes. Its head was almost as large as its body, and the little legs kicked against the ground it an effort to scuttle backwards away from Koki. ‘Oh!’ screamed Chiaki in delight, her hands quickly covering her mouth. ‘It’s so cute! Hello, little fellow. My name is Chiaki. What’s yours?’ The Koropokkuru continued to stare up at them, its eyes wide with fear, when a small scrabbling noise above them caused them to look up. Another Koropokkuru was sliding down the tree. This one also had a large head and tiny legs, but its waist-length hair and pretty face indicated that it was a girl. When she had reached the ground, she ran across to the other Koropokkuru and held it in a hug, chattering away in a language that neither Chiaki nor Koki could understand. The boy Koropokkuru responded to the comfort, and lifting his bottom off the ground, he pointed to it. The girl chattered back at him and rubbed the injured spot. ‘Um, excuse me,’ interrupted Chiaki. ‘Thank you for the fish. It was very nice of you. My name is Chiaki.’ The two Koropokkuru jerked their heads towards her. The girl helped the boy to his feet and they stood in front of Chiaki and Koki. As if rehearsed, they then held out their hands with the tiny palms upwards. ‘Potato,’ they said in unison. ‘Hungry.’ ＜Chapter #3は来週につづく＞ (C) Christopher Belton, all rights reserved ============================================================================= 発行者の紹介 ------------ 発行者はイギリス人作家クリストファー・ベルトンです。『「ハリーポッター」が 英語で楽しく読める本』シリーズをはじめ、TOEIC、英検、英会話、多読、 ライティングなどの数多くの英語教材を出版する傍ら、海外では小説家として 知られているプロ・ライターです。 オフィシャル・サイトは下記のURLにて、是非アクセスしてみてください。 http://www.chrisbelton.com/ ============================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
