2008年1月23日水曜日

Education

After listening to today’s presentations and reading what the new Minister of Education in the newspapers. Please read the opinion in the December 6th International Herald Tribune. http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/06/opinion/edkumiko.php Do you agree with the writer? Why? Give at least 3 examples to support your answer.

I can agree the auther. First, I can understand "Japan's economic prowess, and how many Japanese travel and work overseas, the country has a surprisingly low level of fluency in English." I think that Japan is not concerned with the major economic power of the world top-class either , and unless there was the person who could speak English fluently. Compare Japan with the people of other Asian countries, score of TOEFL is low. Is it ashamed? They have taken education since they are eLementary students, so we should follow them, too.
Second, I can understand "The competition now faced by Japanese company A is not another Japanese company, but Chinese or Korean or American. The embarrassingly low level of English spoken by Japanese managers, while a mere embarrassment before, is now a major business liability." Naturally, they had better have dealings with the person who can speak English than can't speak Engrish. In this situation, I wonder we are defeated by China and Korea in busines.
Finally, I understand "To forge ahead, Japanese students will also have to overcome their shyness in trying out new words." When They speak English in public, Japanese students are shy very much. Of course I am so, too. I think that I must review Japanese English education fundamentally so that a student does not become like this.

2008年1月21日月曜日

Happy New Year

This week's homework is to read an article from the Japan Times and give your opinion. Do you agree or disagree with the author (who is Japanese). Please explain why in your blog.

An opinion to serve as a reference very much was written for this article for love of our future. However, the opinion of a man written for this article cannot understand me. I have two opinions that I cannot understand.
At first, "today's girl friend is tomorrow's former girl friend". This way of speaking has a feeling that the man does not watch a woman as one human being.
Second, I am against an opinion that "It is a heavy load for a man there is a girl friend, and to marry". I do not think it to want an expensive present on Christmas. Probably the woman of the world should think so, too. Should not a present be full of the feeling of the partner? I think the present not to be an amount of money. I think that I do not need to do it if the marriage becomes the heavy load. The person thinking like that does not respect a partner and thinks that I do not value it. Will not it be important that the marriage is considerate of each other?
It is said that a woman has a cause as for the fall of the birth rate, but I am against the opinion recently. Because the women that a woman does not marry as for this problem because society went increase, the nuptiality falls, the birth rate did not fall. Men thinks in such a way, will not a woman be that marriage awareness has faded?

Homework4

Today we talked about time in different societies and the English words associated with them. For homework, answer the following question:
The English language has many proverbs and sayings about time.
1. Time is money.
This means that as for time, it is valuable almost as same as money. The money is necessary in the life, but it is important for an encounter with the person and the experience of things in time to spend.

2.A stitch in time saves nine.
This means "If you finish early anything, you will not have a problem later." This proverb is the words that are very necessary for present me. Because I put off what I should do at the time, what I regret if I do it at that time when it was it in such a thing happens quite often. Therefore I must spend time well.

3.There's no time like the present.
I think that I spend it carefully because there is never this meaning as for time like the present and mean. I think that it is rare to be sorry by "the future" if I value "the present".

4. Fashionable late.
I don't know this means.

Homework10

Have you ever eaten in a foreign restaurant? Where? What did you eat? Did you make any mistakes? Please explain your experience. Did you learn anything?

Yes, I have. I have eaten Indian curry and spagetti with carbonara in England. But, I made mistakes in Indean restaurant.  I didn't know how to eat Indian curry. So, a waiter told us how to do it. I not only learned Western table manner but also Indian table manner in England.