日本人にとって富士山はどうして大事なのでしょう？

Why is Mount Fuji so important to Japanese people? *

日本人にとって富士山はどうして大事なのでしょう？

私は2回、富士山に登ったことがあります。初めて登ったのは2003年の7月、あいにくの雨で素敵な景色をみれませんでした。
2回目は2007年の10月。その時は幸運にも、空も晴れ雲もなく素敵な日でした。景色もすばらしく、火山にいることが信じられませんでした。
さて、下記の記事をよんで、なぜ富士山が特別な存在なのかみてみましょう。　　 by Michele

Wow, I have been to Mt. Fuji twice! Once in 2003 it was July and there were lots of clouds and rain so I didn’t have the best view,
but it was breathtaking nevertheless. The second time I went was in 2007 and the month was October so it was, luckily, a clear, gorgeous sunny day!
The view was amazing and I couldn’t believe I was on a volcano! Well, read below to see why Mt. Fuji will become even more special.


“Japan's Mount Fuji will become a World Heritage Site in June.
The United Nations (U.N.) decided on April the 30th to give the famous mountain UNESCO World Heritage status.
The U.N. team that made the decision said Fuji was very important to Japanese religion and art.
They also said that the 3,776-meter-high volcano was important outside of Japan too.
Fuji-san (as Japanese people call it) has been a sacred mountain for more than 1,000 years.
Priests say that when you climb it, you move from the "everyday world" at the bottom, to the "world of gods, Buddha and death" at the top.
They believe people can wash away their sins by climbing to the top and coming back down again. Mount Fuji is a major tourist destination.
It is very popular with hikers, who want to see the rising sun from its peak.
More than 318,000 hikers visited the mountain last summer, with up to 15,000 people climbing each day.
Local residents are now worried the World Heritage status will mean more visitors. That means there will be more litter and environmental problems.
The local government may ask people to pay to climb the mountain to help preserve its beauty.
Governor Shomei Yokouchi said: "It's likely we'll ask mountain climbers to help financially with keeping the mountain clean.
" Another idea being talked about is to limit the daily number of hikers allowed to the top.”


(This article was taken from the website >> Read more: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1305/130504-mount_fuji.html#ixzz2SiJS5atF)


Let me know if you have ever had the pleasure of hiking up Mt. Fuji or any other special mountains!
What did you think of the article, what can we do to keep our environment clean?


CYO ^^ Michele



オンライン英会話Skype.de.English

Brain drainとは何でしょう？

What's a brain drain and why is it bad? *


Brain drainとは何でしょう？　

下記の記事をよんで　‘brain-drain’について考えてみましょう。

スペインでは経済問題が増えています。そして人口の減少を引き起こしています。2月１日の国家統計によると
スペインの人口は　205,788人減少した。アナリストたちは雇用がないなか、他国へ移住しているからと言っています。
多くのスペイン人は海外での仕事を求め出て行っています。


Read the article below to find out what a ‘brain-drain’ is if you don’t already know!

Spain's increasing economic problems have led to a shrinking population. The country's National Statistics Institute stated that in the year to February 1st,
Spain's total registered population fell by 205,788. Analysts attribute much of this decline to immigrants fleeing the country amid high unemployment
and the bursting of the property bubble. There was also a sharp rise in the number of Spaniards leaving the country in search of work abroad.
This brain drain represents a fall in the pool of qualified and skilled workers in the event of the economy picking up pace again.
Albert Esteve, a demographics expert, explained why people are leaving, saying: "Spain is less attractive because there are no jobs."
Spain's economic woes are putting a huge social cost on all sectors of society.
The middle class in particular is suffering badly.
The capital, Madrid, is seeing increasing numbers of university-educated and professional people sleeping rough.
Samur, a charity for the homeless, said 25 per cent of those sleeping on the streets completed some kind of higher education.
It also revealed that over 40 per cent of them are homeless as a result of losing their job.
The charity also reports that homelessness has not dented enterprise.
Many of those who lost their regular work are trying to make ends meet by collecting and selling scrap metal,
becoming street artists or putting their musical skills to good use by busking.”


(This article was taken from the website >> Read more: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1304/130424-spain.html#ixzz2SiPcoaRN)


What should Spain do about their economic problems?
What about other countries whose populations are also dwindling, should the governments take more actions to increase the population?
What do you think about these issues?


I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this! **) Michele

日本でも、雇用が厳しくホームレスや生活保護の申請増加など問題がでてきていますね。
それでも世界的にみればまだ良い方なのでしょうか？


オンライン英会話Skype.de.English

being lazy a better feeling than exercising?

Is being lazy a better feeling than exercising? *
怠けていることはエクセサイズをするより気持ちよいですか？

Read the article below and tell me what you think!
下記の記事を読んであなたの意見を聞かせてください。

Do you walk enough? It seems easy to achieve enough walking in Japan, don’t you think?
あなたはよく歩いていますか？　日本ではウォーキングは手軽にできるのではないでしょうか？

“Research has found that 25 per cent of British people walk for less than one hour each week.
That's just nine minutes a day. Another 43 per cent walked for less than two hours per week.
This research suggests people need to do more exercise. The British government recommends 150 minutes of physical activity every week.
Most British people are doing less than this. The research is from an online survey of 2,021 adults.
People answered questions about how far they walked a week.
This included walking to work, schools or to local shops.
Increasing numbers of people are using their cars instead of their feet,
and playing games on video and computer screens rather than in sports centres and parks.
Britain's largest walking charity said the research showed that there was an 'inactivity pandemic' in Britain.
More and more people are avoiding any physical exercise.
The charity said: "Walking is the key to helping reverse this pandemic of inactivity."
It added: "We want people all over Britain to join the walking revolution….
Walking is one of the most accessible and achievable ways to truly conquer this inactivity.
" Politician Diane Abbott said the research was a 'worrying' indication of the nation's health.
She said: "We need to plan activity into the way buildings are designed. T
he first thing you see in a building is often a lift [elevator], then you have to look for the stairs.
It should be the other way around."

調査によるとイギリスでは25％の人が1週間に1時間以内しか歩いていないそうです。
1日にすると、たった9分しか歩いていないのです。43%の人は歩く時間は１週間で2時間以内だそうです。
この調査ではもっと運動をすることを進めています。イギリス政府は毎週150分の運動を薦めています。
現状はおおくのイギリス人はこの時間より少ない運動時間になっています。
オンラインの調査で2021人に「どのくらい遠くまで歩いていきますか？」とアンケートをとったところ、会社や学校、近くのお店
などでした。最近は、歩くかわりに車をつかう人が増えてきています。そして公園やスポーツセンターにいくよりも家でゲームをしているようです。
イギリスのある大きな団体（walking charity ）はこの調査結果は'inactivity pandemic'（運動不足のまん延）を示している。
そして多くの人々が運動をすることを避けている傾向にある。

その団体は「ウォーキングは運動不足を解消するきっかけになる。私達は皆さんがこの運動に参加してほしい。」


(This article was taken from the website >>
Read more: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1305/130508-physical_activity.html#ixzz2SiEBBBu9)


So were you shocked to read that some people walk less than 9 min. a day?
I probably walk for at least 30~60 min. a day! What about you? Let’s chat soon! Love~~Michele :@@)


この記事を読んであなたはショックでしたか？たった9分しか（1日に）歩いていないなんて！！
あなたは何分1日に歩いていますか？　

By　ミッシェル

Silent Final E in English サイレントE

Silent Final E in English

There are hundreds of words in English that end with a silent E.

The silent final E sometimes affects the pronunciation of the word, sometimes doesn’t.

For example, in “curve” and “blue”, the e does not affect each word’s pronunciation.
The e is there so the words wouldn’t end in v or u; because English words usually do not end in v or u.


Would you like to learn more about the silent E in English?
Teachers at Skype de English can help you. Take an Accent Reduction course today!

サイレントE
英単語には最後に発音しない　e がつく単語がたくさんあります。
そのサイレントEは　発音に影響を及ばすことがあります。

例えば　“curve” “blue”　など　E　は発音しません。　普通は、英単語に　V　や　U　で終わることはありません。



Skype.de.Englishで発音、アクセントのコースを受けてみませんか？　By Alison

英文法とお金は因果関係があると思いますか？

Do you think there's a link between grammar and money?


英文法とお金は因果関係があると思いますか？

とてもおもしろい記事をみつけましたので、ここに紹介します。是非読んでみて、あなたの意見などをお聞きしたいです。
レッスンで会いましょう。
I thought this was a pretty interesting article and it, as many other articles do, raises a lot of interesting questions.
Read the article below, and Skype me soon!


“An economics professor has said English speakers may be poorer because of English grammar.
Dr Keith Chen of Yale University suggested that differences in the tenses of the world's languages
may explain why people in some countries save more money than people in other countries. He told people at a presentation
that the future tense in English could actually make people believe the future is not important now.
He said English speakers might think the future is separate from the present,
and that this may make people not think about their future.
He explained this could stop people saving money for their retirement.
He also suggested future tenses may make people smoke more and exercise less.
Professor Chen divided the grammar of countries into two ? those with a "strong future-time reference" and those with a weak reference.
He explained: "If I wanted to explain to an English-speaking colleague why I can't attend a meeting later today,
I could not say 'I go to a seminar'. English grammar would [require] me to say 'I will go, am going, or have to go to a seminar'".
He contrasted this with "weak future-time reference" languages" that can express the same meaning without future words like "will".
Chen says speakers of these languages are those who save more money.
He believes this could be because they do not separate the present time and future in their grammar or in real life.”


(This article was taken from the website: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1302/130225-speaking_english.html)


After reading this, what are your thoughts?
Do you think the present and future are separate?
What about the possibility that grammar could make people smoke more?
Is grammar the most important thing to know to be able to speak?


Are you happy with your speaking level in English?

Let’s have a lesson soon!

CYO ! Michele