レアジョブ：New Electric Barrier Repels Sharks

こうしたテクノロジー系の話題は、結構苦手です。

でも、毎日レアジョブ！となると、やらざるを得ない（出てしまうイヤイヤ感）。
苦手なトピックについて読む事は必要ですよね。

今日のお題：New Electric barrier Repels Sharks.

覚えたい単語：
repel：寄せ付けない
electric current:電流
pore：毛穴


Summary of the article

Some researcher developed a way to repel sharks. 
The way is a new method to keep sharks at bay by using a cable that emits electric current. 

The electric current can be effective only for sharks, which are sensitive to electric current because of their special pores around their noses. Therefore, no other fish will not feel electric current and a person who touch a electrode will only feel a sting. 

Q: What is your opinion about using electricity to repel sharks?

I believe this is a good tool to keep them at bay because
the tool takes advantage of sharks' traits like special pores, that can sense electric current. 
Considering the safety for other sea animals, the way is environment friendly and harmful. 
They won't destroy the ecological chain since it doesn't hurt anything. 

Q: Do you feel safe if that barrier is available in your country’s beaches? 

I rarely hear sharks attack human in Japanese sea. But safe is better than sorry.

Q How else can we ensure safety against attacks of wild animals?

First, we need to know the basic traits of each wild animal. Then we should take precautionary measures. When it comes to a shark, they have a special pores. That's why the researchers was able to develop an appropriate tool to repel sharks.

Q What is your opinion about the humans' killing of wild animals such as sharks?

I think that killing wild animals easily is a selfish behavior. Human is invading their habitat and they have no choice but to move to the city and neighborhoods for some foods.

They don't intend to hurt human at all and they are just looking for food. However, we consider them dangerous enemy and kill them as soon as we find them.

Basically, the earth or planet is not only for human, but also for other creatures. We should recognize how we can share habitat with others.

I 

レアジョブ： Women in High Positions, More Likely to Suffer Depression

今日で52回目の受講となりました。

ほぼ毎日受けていますが、
毎回違う記事を読むと、ボキャブラリーが豊富になる気がしますし、
色んな事に関心が向くようになります。

なかなかいいです、レアジョブ。

今日のお題：Women in High Positions, More Likely to Suffer Depression

関連記事

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-30127275

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?section=todaysfeatures&xfile=/data/todaysfeatures/2014/November/todaysfeatures_November26.xml

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/entertainment/20-Nov-2014/job-authority-spells-depression-for-women-study


使えそうな表現

*masculine behavior 男っぽいふるまいをする
ex) Women in authority position need to adopt masculine behavior.

* feminine characteristics 女性らしい特徴
ex)Colleagues would not believe the women were good leaders if they saw only their feminine characteristics.


Summary of the article

According to a recent study, the risk of falling into depression is higher for women in executive positions compared with men.

The female corporate leaders have an authority like hiring and firing employees and deciding the salaries of their workforce. It seems that such authority makes them feel stress in the workplace. 


Aside from the stress of authoritative power, the study said that stereotypes and prejudice were still common in the workplace. So, unlike men, women in authoritative positions constantly face high expectations because of their gender. 

Q Do you think that stereotypes and prejudice in the workplace is an issue in your country?

Yes. Stereotypes and prejudice against working women are still common in Japan. 
Some companies tends to think that women easily quit jobs after getting married or pregnant.
Therefore, they don't have company policies to improve the working environment for women.
There are some companies which have no policies of maternity leave. 
Because of these unpleasant working condition, the number of working women  is decreasing.
However, a lot of women keep motivation to work even after they get married or pregnant and recognize the necessity to balance between their work and life. 

When it comes to women in executive positions, some of men think that women are not good leaders because women lack the assertiveness or confidence of strong leaders. 
But when women display such characteristic, they are judged negatively for being unfeminine. 
It could be a stress for women. 

Q What other forms of stress do bosses usually have to deal with?

This article is mainly talking about the depression by mental stress. 
However, there is a chance that women in an authority position suffer from insomnia and mood swings. 

Q What do you think would be a good way to deal with stress in the workplace?

First of all, I think companies need to establish company policies to protect working women to some extent as long as they suffer from negative stereotypes and prejudice in the workplace. 

Secondly, as another idea, to give them a chance to talk with a staff counselor. 
It might be not usual to provide the opportunity to talk with a counselor in Japan and  I don't know how effective it is. However, leaders tend to be isolated, so talking with someone might be a big help for them.

レアジョブ受講 第20回 Belgian Beer Company Innovates to Save Old Facility

一日１回必ずレアジョブを予約しレッスンしていたらアッと今に20回目！！
1回が25分なので・・・

トータル8時間くらい話している事になりますね。

1回受講したら必ず復習をしようと思っていますが、
なかなか時間が取れない（涙）

そういう場合は同じトピックのレッスンをもう一度取ろうとも思うのですが、
復習しないで、改善された話し方ができるのかも疑問です。

やっぱりきちんと復習！に限ります。

Summary of the article

There is a famous brewery in Belgium. The brewery is known for 500 year old brewing facility.

A new filtering and bottling plant built a few kilometers away from the brewing facility and requires beer products to be carried by truck from the brewery to the new plant.
The company has realized that this process is quite impractical because of the added fuel and maintenance costs.

The brewery has found a way to improve the process of transporting beer products to the new processing plant without using transport trucks.

It emphasizes how the owner valued the old brewing facility. 

Q: How do you find the innovation done by the Belgian beer company?

It's natural for the company to look for the way to reduce the cost.
They focused on the transportation cost. I think it is a good idea.

But, I don't know if it is a good idea to keep the old building when it comes to the safety
The facility attracts about 100,000 visitors a year.
So the owner needs to secure the visitors' safety.

Q: Do you agree with the decision to keep the historic facility?

I can understand they want to value the historic facility because it attracts many visitors and
it could be one of the factors which makes them famous.

But, as long as they hold the tour package which charges the visitors,
they have to guarantee the visitors' safety.

So, they might need to reinforce the facility or check if it can withstand a earthquake on a regular basis.

Q: Why is it important to preserve old buildings and establishments?

These things remind us of something historic.
For example, a couple of years ago, a big earthquake hit Japan and caused a big tsunami,
which killed a lot of people.

Many houses were collapsed by the flood and  washed away,
besides,  some ships got stranded.

The residents decided to leave some of them as historic establishments.
They definitely reminds us how tragic the disaster was and
the children who don't know this matter can take it seriously and have a chance to
take precautionary measures.


「過去に起きたことを後世に伝えるため」と言いたくて、
2011年の東日本大震災で、
岸に乗り上げた船を歴史的なものとして残している例をあげたかったのですが、
上手く伝わったかどうか微妙です。

それに、実際に今でもあの船を残しているのか・・・後で調べたら、
もう既に解体＆撤去されていたのですね。間違った情報を伝えてしまいました（汗）。

東日本大震災で被害にあった物を残している物はないのでしょうか。。。

レアジョブ受講6回目 Human Intelligence Is Declining

今日はdaily news articleの話題についてディスカッションしました。

そのお題は「Human Intelligence Is Declining」でした。


Summarize of the article

Some scientist insists that people is getting less intelligent after observing IQ in the first world countries.

The scientists think that the main reason why IQ is dropping is mainly genetic. In general, intellectual people chose to have fewer children because raising children is very hard and they tend to give their first priority to their carrier.

On the other hand, other scientist say that IQ drop is only a lapse, and human intelligence will stabilize in time.


Q: Do you agree that people have already reached their intellectual peak?

I don't agree with this idea because I believe there are many areas we don't know yet.
A few months ago, one scientist announced her theses about a new cell, which can be helpful
to regenerate a new cell for body's parts.
It was considered a breakthrough discovery. So she got a lot of attention from media and public.

However she didn't have enough ability so, she failed to prove it completely.
She was criticized for the failure a lot.

Besides, her senior co-worker felt responsibility too much and committed a suicide.
He was also one of the professors who cooperated with her theses.
I is very ashamed that the portion of the study might be delayed because of the incident.

So when it comes to this new cell, we can say the progress is on its way.


「人間の知能レベルはピークに達しているという意見に賛成か？」という質問でした。

私としては、
「まだまだ科学的にも未知の部分があると思うので、その意見には賛成できない」
と答えました。

例として、小保方さんが新しい細胞　"ＳＴＡＰ細胞"を発見し、
それがまだ証明されておらず、研究過程だという点。

ＳＴＡＰ細胞の説明がうまくできなかったことが悔やまれます。
もっと新聞を読んで勉強しなきゃですね。

Wikipediaの記述によると
「She claimed she had developed a radical and remarkably easy way to make cells, called Stimulus-Triggered Acquisition of Pluripotency (STAP) cells, that can grow into any tissue in the body.」

とあります。

なるほど、develop a racial and remarkably easy way to make cellsという事は、
「新しい細胞を作ったのではなく、それを作る為の方法を発見した」ということなのですね。

で、その細胞と言うのは、
the cells can grow into any tissue in the bodyということで、
「その細胞は体のどの組織にもなりえる」という事なんですね。


こんな風に言えたらいいですね。

レアジョブ受講 第5回 about children

今日は朝からレアジョブでした。
7時始まりでしたが、息子が寝ていてくれたのでレッスンを受けられました。

朝のレッスンを受ける時には必ず、
"I'm a bit sleepy. I'm out of it."(ちょっと眠いのでボーっとしてます）
と言ってしまいます。

それにしても、今日の講師はとてもいい講師でした。
的確な質問を次々にしてくださり、沢山話させてくれました。

一部ですが備忘録として残します。


Ｑ：For you, what is the best way to discipline your child?

I think the best way is to be a role model for my child.
Because I have to show what the good thing is and what the bad things is in a daily life.

Q: They sometimes have mood swings. 
What do you do when they are in a kind of mood. 

I try to distract their attention from what they are obsessed with.

For example, if my son wants to get a new toy in the store and starts to cry bitterly,
I start to talk about the different topics, which sounds more fun.

Of course, it doesn't work sometimes.
But, If I force him to do what I want him to do, he would strongly refuse to do it.

Q: How about spanking? Do you do that sometimes?

I've discussed it with my husband before because I wanted to have same idea about it with him.
Also, if you have a different idea about it, it can be a big problem in the family.

We decided that spanking was my husband's job.
If both of his parents do that, he would get stressed so much.

My husband is not always at home.
So even though he is really strict, that wouldn't pressure him.


Ｑ：What was the worst thing your child did?

He can't explain what he is feeling and express himself well.
So he easily hit me instead of talking with me when he are stressed out.
He tends to express physically.

I told him " You shouldn't do what you don't want others to do".

No matter what the reason is, he is never allowed to hit me at home.
I told him no matter what the reason is, he is never allowed to hit girls.
This is very important because it would be how to treat their wives in their future.




講師は、

I set only two rules because kids can't remember many rules.
They have to follow at home, they have to follow in school and in the country.
If I set many rules at home, it's becoming annoying.

と言っていました。確かに

Even though I set many rules at home, my son can't follow all of them and
doesn't know what is the most important thing.


ですよね。

レアジョブ受講 第3回 Free Conversation

今日はレアジョブ3回目。

先生に妊婦だという事を伝えたら・・・

I'm a perceptive person.(自分は敏感な人なんです）

といい、

If you think you look beautiful in the mirror,
maybe your baby is a girl.

When I saw the sister-in low, her face was looming and I could see luminant or something.
Her baby was a girl.

と言っていました。ホントかいな。

そこで、と
I took an ultrasound yesterday, but the doctor didn't say clearly.

と言いましたが、

ultrasound:発音はəltrəˌsound と訂正されました。

今日の話題は「lifeについて」でした。

Ｑ：What are your dreams and goals in your life?

I used to work until summer as an English teacher.
But I want to come back to be a teacher after giving birth.

If I want to be hired by a company, I need to proof my English ability.
So I think I need to get TOEIC score,
 but I think it is natural for the teachers to have a perfect score as a certificate.

So my immediate goal is to get a prefect score of TOEIC.
Maybe the certificate would support me when I start to look for a job.

Q: What or who make your life meaningful?

Of course my family, my husband and my son.
and of course they sometimes irritate me, but they give me a lot of happiness.

Part  of me think half of my life exists to support their lives
because I need to cook for them, do house chores, do the laundry and clean my house for them.
Of course I do that for myself, but if I need to do that only for me, I can cut corners. 
But if I think I should do that for them, I think I want to improve my cooking skill,
keep my house clean anytime and so on.

Eventually, these things makes my life meaningful.

Q: What kind of life would you like to have?

I've discussed it with my husband.

My life style will be dramatically different from my current one.
So I'm sometimes wondering how I work. Until summer, as a teacher, I used to work part-time.
I came back home by the time my son came back home.

But after giving birth, I want to work regularly and make more money.
If I think in that way, it would be difficult to continue to be a teacher.
Because teaching job is in the morning and in the evening mainly.

On the other hand, I don't know if I can be satisfied with cushier at a store.
Teaching is more fun, meaningful, and enjoyable.

So my husband asks me "which is more important, money or making your life meaningful?".

I know money is also important,
but If I continue to have a boring job everyday, I don't think I can live a life full of passion.

Therefore, maybe I need to pursue my dream and make effort to fulfill my dream.

レアジョブ受講 第2回 Free Conversation

今日は病院で妊婦健診などあり、
ゆっくり時間も取れないだろうと思い朝6時にレッスンを取りました。

やはり、妊婦健診では、
9時30分予約にもかかわらず、
お会計など全て終わったのは12時でした・・・（トホホ）

さて、朝に受けたレッスンはというと、
今回は行き当たりばったりで先生を選んだのですが、
「この人単純に相手とチャットしてるだけでいいと勘違いしてませんか？」
と言うくらい、自分の事ばかりをペラペラ話、全くこちらのミスを指摘してくれない先生でした。

本当にレアジョブって当たり外れがあるんです。

ただ、
「外国人の友達とチャットしたらこんな感じで会話を進めるのだろう」というイメージを持ち、
「この人が話している内容を100％理解できるのか」という意識と、
「この人が話している単語やフレーズを自分のモノにしよう」という意識で臨む事にしています。

今日はフリーカンバセーションでしたが・・・
両者の子供の話をしました。

出産やら育児、そんな話をしたときの単語やフレーズを
思い出したままに備忘録としてまとめておきます。

次回はもっとスムーズに話せるといいな～。

＊今は簡単に太っちゃう
It is very easy to get fat now. 

＊一週間で数キロ簡単に太っちゃう。だから食べ物に気を使うの。
I easily put on a few kilos in a week. So I need to be careful about what I eat.

＊出産後は体重が落ちたけど。
I lost weight after giving birth.

＊お兄ちゃんが赤ちゃんに焼きもちをやくの。
My older son is jealous of the baby.

＊授乳/ミルク
breast feeding/formula milk

＊妊婦はセンシティブだから、いつも安全策を取ったほうがいいよね。
Pregnant woman's body is very sensitive, so it is better to play it safe anytime.

＊育児
child-rearing

＊予定日は3月下旬です。
The expected date of birth is around the end of March.

＊子供に食事させるのも着替えさせるのも時間がかかるよね。
It takes time to feed a child and dress him up.




もっと記述すべきことがあった気もするけれど・・・
録音がうまくいっておらず分からない（汗）

とりあえず上記のものは忘れないようにしておきます！

レアジョブ受講 第1回 about children

ツワリからくる吐き気が無くなり、
その他に日常生活に障害をもたらす症状がやっとなくなりました。

ホント・・・その症状は、ほとんどの人が「出産まで続きました」とか言うもんだから、
私もその覚悟でいましたが、治って本当に良かったぁ～！！

神様、ありがとう！！（と絶叫してたら、旦那から「神様ってどこにいるの？」と言われました。）

さて、
こうなったら与えられたチャンスをムダにする事はできません。

目標として、

・毎日2時間以上は英語の勉強
（レアジョブ・ＴＯＥＩＣ勉強）
・ＴＯＥＩＣ満点を果たす
・ＳＷ受験を果たす

この3つを実現するために頑張ります。
っていうか具体性にかける・・・。

以前レアジョブをやっていたこともありますが、
イマイチ消化不良でした。

なので、今回は、

「25分受講、その後30分はその復習」としたいと思います。

今日は、「children」について話をしました。
本当に単語が出てこない。

「こんな風に言ってみた、もしくは、こんな風に言いたかった」というのを書いておき、
次に活かします。
やっぱり反復が大事です。

Ｑ：What are the things that you like and dislike about children?

Children are very moody. They sometimes feel bad, sometimes good.

They easily throw a tantrum if they can't do what they want to do.

I don't like this part. 

We have to control them. It is very difficult and needs experience to control them very well.

Especially, in the public places like restaurant and transportation, 

they easily get bored and distracted. They end up acting up. 

So we always need to entertain them with something 

they are curious about. 

Q:Do you like being around children? Why or why not? 

A:

Actually, I'm not maternal type at all. Of course I love my son.

But this is a different story from I love my son and I like being around him all day.

I don't think I can stand being with him all day.

So, I decided to start working when he was one year old.

Of course making money is important, but spending my own time is also important. 

If you are away from your children for a couple of hours,

the time would be a good chance to reflect on your life, and refresh yourself, 

and you would think you value the bonding time with your son.

Q: What can adults learn from being around children? 

I always learn something from children.

Whenever I need to scold my son, 

I have to think how to explain why this is wrong before doing so.

And I need to think what is right and wrong. 

Furthermore, of course I have to be an good example for him. 

So I can't do the wrong thing. 

Q :Do you think that children are funnier than adults? Why or why not? 

I think they are funnier than adults.

Because they don't know much about the things yet.

Instead of that, their imaginations are beyond adult's ones. 

They are sometimes really creative and funny. 

And they are not shy about making mistakes.

They really enjoy new things and like sharing their ideas.