日本の与党、選挙で大敗

Governing Party in Japan Suffers Election Defeat
( New York Times )

Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party suffered a crushing defeatSunday in the election for the upper house of Parliament, but Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed that he would not step down.

The main opposition Democratic Party seized control of the upper houseby a landslide, capturing seats not only in cities but also in rural districts that had long been strongholds of the Liberal Democratic Party. The rout was widespread, with household names in the governing party falling one after another before opposition newcomers. It could also stall Tokyo’s moves toward a more assertive foreign policy and
active military.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・suffer　（苦痛・被害を）こうむる
・defeat　敗北
・Parliament　議会、国会
・opposition　反対、野党
・seize　つかむ、捕える
・rural　田舎の、地方の
・rout　敗走
・widespread　広まった、広がった
・stall　引き止めておく、立ち往生させる
・assertive　断定的な、我を張る


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タリバーン、韓国の人質で取り引き要求

Taliban Seek a Deal for Korean Hostages
( New York Times )

The Taliban, threatening to kill 23 South Korean hostages unless an equal number of their own fighters are released, on Sunday extended the deadline of their ultimatum by 24 hours, said a man identifying himself as a spokesman for the insurgents.

“A delegation from Korea arrived in Afghanistan today, and we hope to talk to them,” said the spokesman, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, reached via telephone from an unknown location. “We are optimistic that the Afghan government can be convinced to release our prisoners.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・hostage　人質
・extend　伸ばす、広げる
・ultimatum　最後のことば［申し出・条件］
・identify　同定する、見分ける
・insurgent　暴徒、反対分子
・delegation　代理［委員］派遣［任命］
・via　〜を通って、〜経由で
・optimistic　楽天的な
・convince　確信［納得］させる


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ベッカム、スーパーリーガ初戦は欠場か

Beckham Doubtful for SuperLiga Opener
( New York Times )

David Beckham missed another training session with the Los Angeles Galaxy on Monday because of a nagging left ankle injury that left him doubtful for the team's opening game in the SuperLiga tournament.

Beckham had been scheduled to attend Monday's news conference in Hollywood, but he stayed away to continue treatment. He has yet to participate in full training since joining the team on July 13.

今回はベッカム選手の話です。元記事の第１と第３段落を取り上げます。


【 まずは準備運動 】

・nag　うるさく小言を言う　絶えず悩ます
・injury　怪我
・attend　出席する
・conference　会議、相談
・treatment　取扱い（方）、治療
・have yet to　まだ〜していない
・participate　参加する


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ハリー・ポッター、速読で書評記事

Hurry Potter: Speed - Reading Critics Rush Reviews
( New York Times )

Spare a thought for the reviewers of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

The seventh and final book in the boy-wizard series was released at one minute past midnight, British time, on Saturday, and in the age ofinstant reaction and online blogs, newspapers wanted an opinion in time for editions the same morning.

The British version is 608 pages long, meaning critics were forced to race through the pages to meet their deadlines, as newspapers receivedno advance review copies.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・rush　大急ぎで行う
・wizard　魔法使い
・advance　前もっての
・copy　（本・新聞などの）原稿


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村上世彰氏に懲役２年

Murakami given two-year sentence
NBS share buy ruled inside trade
( Japan Times )

The Tokyo District Court sentenced fund manager Yoshiaki Murakami to two years in prison Thursday for using inside information obtained from Livedoor Co. to trade in shares of Nippon Broadcasting System Inc.

Murakami, 47, whose investment advisory firm MAC Asset Management Inc.profited by some 3 billion yen in the deal, claimed innocence
throughout the nine-month trial.

His lawyers filed an appeal, and Murakami was freed on 700 million yenbail Thursday afternoon.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・share　株式
・rule　裁定する、判決する
・district court　地方裁判所
・obtain　手に入れる
・Co.（Company）　会社
・Inc.（incorporated）　法人組織（の）
・investment　投資
・profit　利益を得る
・innocence　無罪、純潔
・bail　保釈、保釈保証人［金］


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日本北西部で大地震

Earthquake Shakes Japan’s Northwest Coast
( New York Times )

A powerful earthquake shook Japan’s northwestern coast on Monday
morning, killing at least nine people and injuring more than 900,
flattening hundreds of buildings and leaving thousands homeless.

The earthquake also caused a small fire at a nuclear power plant, the world’s largest, which later leaked a small amount of water
containing radioactive materials into the Sea of Japan.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・flatten　平らになる、平らにする（flat　平らな）
・nuclear　原子力の、核の
・plant　建物、施設、植物
・leak　漏れる、漏らす
・contain　含む
・radioactive　放射能を持った、放射能による
・material　物質、原料


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ダイエットの方法はあまたあれど、意志の力はもう古い？

今日は趣向を変えて、エッセーを取り上げます。

As Diet Ideas Abound, Is Willpower Obsolete?
( New York Times )

When I was growing up, the word “willpower” was used a lot. If only one was strong enough to resist sweets, according to logic of the time,one could stay thin.

Yet today, based on a series of scientific discoveries, the importance of willpower in promoting weight loss is becoming an obsolete notion. Is it worth saving?


【 まずは準備運動 】

・abound　（物、人が）たくさんある［いる］
・obsolete　すたれた
・according to〜　〜によれば、 〜に従って
・thin　薄い、細い
・promote　昇進［進級］させる、促進［助長］する
・notion　概念、考え


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オールスター戦 ア・リーグ粘り勝ち

A.L. Hangs On in Baseball’s All-Star Game
（ New York Times ）

It was supposed to be Barry Bonds’s All-Star Game, Bonds’s latest, greatest show. It was his stadium, his baseball town, his Giants fans and his chance to hammer a ball into orbit.

But Bonds was gone by the fourth inning, hitless yet still happy.

Instead of Bonds dominating the game, Ichiro Suzuki came closest to doing so. Suzuki had the first inside-the-park home run in All-Star Game history, and added two singles and drove in two runs to power the American League over the National League, 5-4.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・hang on　踏みとどまる、粘る
・orbit　軌道
・be gone　去った、なくなった
・dominate　支配する
・inside-the-park home run　ランニングホームラン
・drive in　打点をあげる
・run　得点


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パキスタンのモスクでの戦闘 死者多数

Scores Dead in Battle at Pakistani Mosque
（ New York Times ）

The eight-day siege of the Red Mosque exploded into an all-day battle on Tuesday that left eight members of the security forces and at least50 militants dead, including the ring leader, and presented a test of Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s ability to root out religious radicals.

After storming one corner of the mosque compound before dawn,
government security forces and militants armed with automatic weapons,rocket launchers and grenades battled building to building and then room to room into the evening.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・Scores　多数
・siege　包囲（攻撃）
・militant　戦闘的な、好戦的な（人）
・present　提出する、手渡す、差出す
・root out　根絶する
・compound　混合［複合，合成］の、構内.
・launcher　（ミサイルなどの）発射装置
・grenade　手榴弾


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奇妙な生命を探せ

Scientists Urge a Search for Life Not as We Know It
（ New York Times ）

A panel of scientists convened by the country’s leading scientific advisory group says the hunt for extraterrestrial life should be greatly expanded to include what they call “weird life”: organisms that lack DNA or other molecules found in life as we know it.

“The committee’s investigation makes clear that life is possible in forms different from those on Earth,” the scientists conclude in their report, “The Limits of Organic Life in Planetary Systems,” published yesterday by the National Research Council.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・convene　招集［召喚］する
・extraterrestrial　地球外の
・expand　広げる［がる］
・include　含む、含める
・weird　 不思議な、奇妙な
・organism　有機体、（微）生物
・molecule　分子
・investigation　調査、研究
・Planetary　惑星の
・Council　会議、評議会


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日本の新防衛相 就任

Japan's New Defense Chief Takes Office
（ New York Times ）

Japan's first female defense minister was sworn in Wednesday, pledgingto restore trust in the government after her predecessor resigned for suggesting the U.S. atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima were inevitable.

Yuriko Koike took office a day after former Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma apologized for remarks that offended many in a nation that holdsthe 1945 bombings as a senseless slaughter of civilians. His departurewas ill-timed, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe facing parliamentary elections on July 29.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・swear　誓う
・pledge　誓約する［させる］
・restore　元通りにする
・predecessor　前任者
・resign　（職を）辞する、放棄［断念］する
・suggest　暗示する、ほのめかす
・atomic　原子（力）の
・bomb　爆弾、爆撃する
・inevitable　避けられない
・remark　意見
・offend　感情を害する
・slaughter　屠殺（する）、（大量）虐殺（する）
・departure　出発


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英国のテロで４人逮捕、警戒高まる

4 Held in Scottish Attack as British See Broader Plot
（ New York Times ）

British officials raised the country’s terrorism threat alert to its highest level on Saturday after two men slammed an S.U.V. into entrance doors at Glasgow Airport and turned the vehicle into a potentially lethal fireball.

Less than 38 hours earlier the police uncovered two cars in London rigged to explode with gasoline, gas canisters and nails.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・raise　起す、高める、上げる
・threat　 おどし、脅迫
・alert　油断のない、警戒警報
・slam　ぴしゃり（と閉める、閉まる）、荒っぽく投げ出す
・S.U.V（sport-utility vehicle）　スポーツ用多目的車
・potentially　潜在的に　可能で
・lethal　致命［致死］的な
・rig　索具を装着する、装備（する）
・explode　爆発させる［する］


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９０年代の日本の首相、宮沢喜一氏死去

Kiichi Miyazawa, Japan Premier in the ’90s, Dies at 87
（ New York Times ）

Kiichi Miyazawa, who, as prime minister and holder of many other top government posts, helped guide Japan from postwar ruin to economic superpower, died yesterday at his home in Tokyo. He was 87.

Mr. Miyazawa emerged from a wealthy and politically powerful family to attain influence as an aide to policy makers who fashioned Japan’s immediate postwar recovery and went on to hold important cabinet posts,including that of foreign minister, before becoming prime minister in November 1991.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・holder　所持［保持］者
・ruin　破滅（の状態）
・emerge　現われ（出）る
・attain　（目的を）遂げる、獲得する
・influence　影響（力）
・aide　側近
・recovery　取り戻すこと、復旧
・cabinet　飾り（戸）だな、内閣


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