2009/07/26
クリストファー・ベルトンの「英語の世界」 ＜第８９号＞
============================================================================= クリストファー・ベルトンの「英語の世界」 第８９号： ０９年０７月２６日 Official Site: http://www.chrisbelton.com/ ============================================================================= ------------------------------------ 目次 ------------------------------------ ☆ What's New? ☆ Belton's Blog ☆ ワン・ポイント英語 － ＜犬の比喩－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 #4＞ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ What's New? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ 「例文でまるごと覚える 28日完成 合格できる単熟語 英検2級」（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．．．！） ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ Belton's Blog ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I joined Twitter this week. Twitter is similar to an on-line blog, but each entry (known as a "tweet") can be no longer than 140 characters, so it is impossible to write anything lengthy. Twitter is enormously popular recently, and many celebrities now use it to pass information across to their fans in the real time. Once you are a member, you can "follow" anybody you like, and every "tweet" they post is automatically sent to your computer or cell phone so you can read it. I am currently following Stephen Fry, a famous British actor/philosopher who also read the Harry Potter audio books, John Cleese, the British comedian famous for Monty Python, Jeffery Deaver, one of my favorite American authors, and Haruki Murakami, who needs no introduction. Receiving messages from these people everyday is very interesting, and I can really recommend Twitter as good fun. You don't have to be a member of Twitter to see the member profiles (although you can't receive their messages in the real time if you are not a member,) so please feel free to take a look at mine at the following URL. http://www.twitter.com/beltonwriter/ Also, if you are a member, please also feel free to "follow" me and get regular updates on my activities. ------------------------------------ My website has been completely renewed and the new site will be cut over on Tuesday July 28. The new design is very attractive, and the entire site has nearly 110 pages in total. We have reinstated the One-Point English illustrations, and we have also included a page that shows all of my Twitter tweets in the real time for people who are not members (see above.) Please come and see it... Don't forget: Tuesday July 28....!!!! http://www.chrisbelton.com/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ ワン・ポイント英語 ＜ 犬の比喩－Part I＞ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ★ 犬の比喩－Part I ☆ go to the dogs アメリカよりイギリスでよく使われるフレーズ。何かが落ちぶれたとき、 悪くなったときに使います。 - This restaurant has gone to the dogs since the new owner took over. このレストランは新しいオーナーになってからだめになった。 - Education levels are going to the dogs since the new curriculum was instated. 新しいカリキュラムが導入されて以来、教育レベルが大幅に下がっている。 ☆ in the doghouse 他人の怒りを買い、まだゆるされていない状態。いたずらをした犬を罰として 犬小屋につなぐことから生まれたフレーズです。 - I told my wife she was a lousy cook, and now I’m in the doghouse. 料理が下手だねと言ったために、私は妻の不興を買った。 - The entire sales department is in the doghouse for failing to improve on results. 売り上げを伸ばすことができなかったので、販売部の者はみな立つ瀬がない。 ☆ dog-ear 読みかけの本のページの隅を折り、ここまで読んだという目印にするもの。 dog-earedという形容詞として用いる場合は、「みすぼらしい」「ぼろぼろの」 の意味になります。 - Considering that he is supposed to be rich, it is strange that his clothes are always dog-eared. 金持ちだと思われるのに、彼の服がいつもみすぼらしいのはが不思議で ならない。 - Every time I lend him my books, they come back dog-eared. 彼に本を貸すと、いつもぼろぼろになって戻ってくる。 ☆ hair of the dog (that bit you) ひどい二日酔いをさますために飲む酒（迎え酒）のこと。動物に噛まれた場合、 その動物の毛か皮膚を傷口につけると感染を防ぐという古い迷信に由来します。 自分を噛んだ犬の毛を傷口にあてがうように、前の晩に飲んだアルコールの酔い をさますためにアルコールを飲む、というわけです。 - You look terrible. Can I interest you in the hair of the dog? ひどく具合が悪そうだね。迎え酒でもどう？ - I drank too much last night and desperately need the hair of the dog. 昨晩は飲みすぎたので、酒を飲んで酔いをさますしかない。 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ Potluck － ＜イギリス版オヤジ・ギャグ＞ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ★ イギリス版オヤジ・ギャグ－ウェイターのジョーク 「ウェイター・ジョーク」もまた対話形式のユーモアであり、レストランの客が 苦情を言うと、ウェイターがユーモラスな答えを返すというものです。どうぞご 用心！ イギリスにはこんなウェイターたちが実在するのです。 Man: “Waiter, waiter, there’s a fly in my soup.” Waiter: “Don’t worry, sir. We don’t charge extra for meat.” 男： 「ちょっと君、スープの中にハエが入っているよ」 ウェイター：「ご心配ありません。肉代を割増したりはしませんから」 Man: “Waiter, waiter, there’s a fly in my soup. Waiter: “Just a moment, sir, I’ll send the spider in after it.” 男： 「ちょっと君、スープの中にハエが入っているよ」 ウェイター：「少々お待ちください。クモを入れてハエを捕まえさせますから」 Man: “Waiter, waiter, your thumb is in my soup. Waiter: “Don’t worry, sir, I’ll wipe it later.” 男： 「ちょっと君、親指をスープの中に突っこんでいるじゃないか」 ウェイター：「どうぞご心配なく。あとで拭きますから」 Man: “Waiter, waiter, this knife is filthy. Waiter: “It’s cleaner than the plate, sir.” 男： 「ちょっと君、ナイフが汚れているよ」 ウェイター：「皿よりはきれいです」 Man: “Waiter, waiter, do you have frog’s legs?” Waiter: “Yes, sir.” Man: “Then hop over to the kitchen and get me a hamburger.” 男： 「ちょっと君、カエルの脚はあるかな？」 ウェイター：「ええ、ございます」 男： 「それじゃ、ピョンピョンはねて厨房に行き、ハンバーガーを持って きてくれ」 ※ do you have frog's legsは、「（この店のメニューには）カエルの脚があるか」 とも「（君には）カエルの脚があるか」ともとれるというわけです。 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ☆ 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。 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/0000251837/20090706103319000.html ----- Koropokkuru: The End of a Colony ----- Chapter Four Joy and Despair for Nipa ‘You speak Japanese?’ asked Chiaki politely. ‘Yes, I do, Chiaki,’ replied the old man. ‘I have had many years to learn.’ Chiaki and Koki stared at him in wonder. ‘You know my name?’ ‘Yes, of course I do. I remember the day that you and Koki were born, and I have watched you grow every day since then.’ ‘But... but... but...’ Chiaki was lost for words. ‘But… why haven’t we seen you?’ The old man grinned at her through his long beard and tapped his staff on the ground. ‘Well, Chiaki, the Koropokkuru enjoy their privacy, and we have had many years of practice hiding from humans. We only go out into the fields at night to forage for food, and in the daytime we watch you from inside the woods.’ While Chiaki and Koki were trying to absorb this information, one of the female Koropokkuru left the group and walked over to Nipa. She bowed and handed him a potato, but Nipa refused. She spoke rapidly to him and tried to force the potato into his hands, but Nipa shook his head and gestured for her to return to the group. Once she had left, Nipa returned his attention to the two children and said, ‘That is Hapo, Yup and Tresi’s mother. She seems to think that I need food, but I think the colony needs it more than me. I am an old man, now, and I don’t need as much as the younger folk.’ Chiaki looked meaningfully at Koki, who understood what she was trying to say and dashed off into the woods. A few minutes later he returned with another plastic bag, full to overflowing with potatoes, eggplants, a large cabbage and half a pumpkin. ‘Here you are, Nipa,’ said Koki happily. ‘You can have first choice.’ But instead of accepting the proffered vegetables, Nipa turned his face down to the ground. Chiaki and Koki watched in alarm as his shoulders sagged and started to shake. ‘Nipa?’ said Koki. ‘What’s the matter? Are you all right?’ But still the small Koropokkuru stared at the ground, his body shaking and trembling. Chiaki lowered herself onto the ground and tried to see into his face. What she saw caused her to exclaim in sadness. ‘Nipa! Oh, please don’t cry! Have we done something you upset you?’ Nipa lifted his staff and waved it in the air, as if trying to tell them that every- thing was fine. After a deep sniff, he raised his face and looked at them, his cheeks moist with tears. ‘No, no. You have done nothing to upset me.’ He sniffed again. ‘I am moved by your kindness. The Koropokkuri have lived for many centuries thinking that humans were cruel and heartless.’ Nipa broke off again here and struggled to control his emotions. ‘And yet,’ he continued after another huge sniff, ‘you have been kinder than I could ever have hoped. I thank you, Chiaki and Koki. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.’ Chiaki and Koki looked at each other in wonder. That a little bit of kindness could affect the small Koropokkuru to this extent had come as a surprise, and they weren’t sure how to handle the situation. But, before they could voice a response, Nipa spoke. ‘But, please. Tell me why your father has stopped growing vegetables. Is he ill?’ ‘Oh, no,’ Chiaki assured him. ‘He’s not ill. He is going to sell the farm and we are moving to the city. They are going to build a hotel here.’ Nipa’s reaction to this sentence caught the children by surprise. His mouth dropped open, his eyes rolled up into his head, and, with a pitiful groan, he fell over backwards and lay still on the floor of the forest. ‘Oh, no!’ exclaimed Koki. ‘You’ve killed him!’ ＜Chapter #5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 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
