夜明け前、ミャンマー軍政 僧院を襲う

Myanmar Raids Monasteries Before Dawn
( New York Times )

Beginning the second day of their crackdown on nationwide protests in Myanmar before dawn today, security forces raided at least two Buddhist monasteries, beating and arresting dozens of monks, according to reports from the capital, Yangon.

Facing its most serious challenge since taking power in 1988,
the ruling junta is attempting to contain the uprising
by tens of thousands of monks who have been at the heart
of more than a week of huge demonstrations against economic hardships and the political repression of the military junta.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・monastery　修道院、僧院
・raid　襲撃する、急襲する
・monk　僧、修道僧
・contain　含む、（敵などを）封じ込める、阻止する
・uprising　起上ること、反乱、暴動.
・repression　抑制、抑圧


● 解説ザブ〜ン！

言語死すとも、言葉は死なず

Languages Die, but Not Their Last Words
( New York Times )

Of the estimated 7,000 languages spoken in the world today, linguists say, nearly half are in danger of extinction and likely to disappear in this century. In fact, one falls out of use about every two weeks.

Some languages vanish in an instant, at the death of the sole
surviving speaker. Others are lost gradually in bilingual cultures, asindigenous tongues are overwhelmed by the dominant language at school,in the marketplace and on television.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・estimate　推定する、見積もる
・indigenous　固有の、土着の
・tongue　舌、言葉
・overwhelm　（大波や洪水が）おおいかぶさる、圧倒する
・dominant　優勢な、支配的な


● 解説ザブ〜ン！

穏健派、日本の新首相に

Moderate Is Chosen as Japan’s Next Prime Minister
( New York Times )

Yasuo Fukuda, a mild-mannered political moderate known for his abilityto build consensus behind the scenes, was chosen Sunday by Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party to become the country’s next primeminister.

Facing one of its deepest crises in its half-century grip on power, the Liberal Democrats settled on Mr. Fukuda, 71, to steady a party wobbling from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s troubled one-year government, his abrupt resignation 11 days ago and a surging opposition.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・moderate　穏健な（人）
・grip　握る（こと）
・settle　落ち着く
・steady　しっかり押さえる、安定させる
・wobble　ぐらつく、よろめく
・surge　急に高まる、急上昇する
・opposition　反対、野党


● 解説ザブ〜ン！

旧習から少女を守れ！エジプトで声が高まる

Voices Rise in Egypt to Shield Girls From an Old Tradition
( New York Times )

The men in this poor farming community were seething. A 13-year-old girl was brought to a doctor’s office to have her clitoris removed, asurgery considered necessary here to preserve chastity and honor.

The girl died, but that was not the source of the outrage. After her death, the government shut down the clinic, and that got everyone stirred up.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・shield　盾、保護する
・seethe　沸騰（する）、怒りや興奮に沸く
・preserve　保つ、保存する
・chastity　貞節、純潔
・outrage　激怒
・stir up　かき混ぜる、興奮させる


● 解説ザブ〜ン！

「己の欲せざる所を」は遺伝子のしわざ？

Is ‘Do Unto Others’ Written Into Our Genes?
( New York Times )

Where do moral rules come from? From reason, some philosophers say. From God, say believers. Seldom considered is a source now being advocated by some biologists, that of evolution.

At first glance, natural selection and the survival of the fittest mayseem to reward only the most selfish values. But for animals that livein groups, selfishness must be strictly curbed or there will be no advantage to social living. Could the behaviors evolved by social animals to make societies work be the foundation from which human morality evolved?


【 まずは準備運動 】

・gene　遺伝子
・reason　理由、理性
・advocate　主張する、支持する
・evolution　進化（論）、動詞が evolve
・natural selection　自然淘汰
・survival of the fittest 　適者生存
・reward　〜に報いる、褒美・報酬を与える
・curb　抑制する、阻止する


● 解説ザブ〜ン！

市場揺らいで日本の主婦も汗をかく

Japanese Wives Sweat as Markets Reel
( New York Times )

Since the credit crisis started shaking the world financial markets this summer, many professional traders have taken big losses. Another,less likely group of investors has, too: middle-class Japanese homemakers who moonlight as amateur currency speculators.

Ms. Itoh is one of them. Ms. Itoh, a homemaker in the central city of Nagoya, did not want her full name used because her husband still doesnot know. After cleaning the dinner dishes, she would spend her evenings buying and selling British pounds and Australian dollars.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・reel　揺れる、動揺する
・investor　投資家
・speculator　投機家


● 解説ザブ〜ン！

日本の総理大臣、辞任

Prime Minister of Japan Will Step Down
( New York Times )

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the nationalist leader whose vision of an unapologetic and strong Japan foundered on scandals and gaffes, announced abruptly this afternoon that he would step down.

Mr. Abe, deeply unpopular, had already been written off by Japan’s political establishment and news media, his political future measured in months. But the resignation’s timing ― three days after the start of a parliamentary session ― stunned Japan. It drew accusations of irresponsibility from inside and outside his party, and threw the country’s already tense political situation into further disarray.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・unapologetic　謝罪（しようと）しない
・founder　沈没する、（馬が）つまずいて足をけがする、完全に失敗する
・gaffe　失言、失態
・establishment　（社会の）権力層、上位層
・stun　衝撃を与える、気絶・失神させる
・accusation　告発、非難
・disarray　混乱（状態）


● 解説ザブ〜ン！

安倍首相、テロ対策法の延長に命運を賭ける

Abe stakes future on terror law extension
Strikes conciliatory note as he opens Diet session
( Japan Times )

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe opened the 62-day extraordinary Diet sessionMonday, one day after indicating his readiness to step down if he fails to win extension of Japan's support for antiterrorism operationsin Afghanistan.

In the evening, Abe told reporters that his remark Sunday should be "taken at face value."

"I made the remarks with the determination to stake my job on and dealwith the issue with the utmost effort," Abe said.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・stake　賭ける
・extension　拡張、延長
・extraordinary　並外れた、特別の
・indicate　指し示す、表す
・face value　額面価格、文字通りの意味
・deal with　取り組む、扱う、処理する
・utmost　最大限の


● 解説ザブ〜ン！

ビンラディンは新映像、CIAは警戒令

Bin Laden Releases Video as C.I.A. Issues Warning
( New York Times )

A videotaped message by Osama bin Laden, the first in nearly three years, compares the Iraq war to American blunders in Vietnam, criticizes the Democratic Party for failing to pull American troops from Iraq, and urges Americans to embrace Islam.

Details of the video emerged yesterday, the same day that the directorof the Central Intelligence Agency gave a public warning about Al Qaeda’s gathering strength and
unapologetically defended his agency’s campaign to kill and capture the group’s operatives worldwide.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・issue　出す、発布する
・blunder　へま、しくじり
・embrace　抱擁する、受け入れる
・urge　促す
・emerge　現れる
・operative　工作員、作戦隊員


● 解説ザブ〜ン！

トンプソン候補 目指すはレーガン流

For Thompson, Goal Is to Don Reagan Mantle
( New York Times )

Fred D. Thompson had one central strategic goal as he formally began his presidential campaign on Thursday: to win over conservatives who are disheartened at their current choice of Republican candidates by positioning himself as the ideological and stylistic heir of Ronald Reagan.

Mr. Thompson is certainly conservative, and has been throughout his public life ― particularly on the question of federalism, the size ofgovernment, tax cuts and his unwavering support for the war in Iraq.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・mantle　マント、役割
・campaign　キャンペーン活動、政治運動、選挙運動
・win over　味方に引入れる、懐柔する
・heir　相続人、後継者
・conservative　保守的な（人）
・unwavering　動揺しない


● 解説ザブ〜ン！

米が制裁解除 北朝鮮発表

North Korea Says U.S. Will Lift Sanctions
( New York Times )

North Korea announced Monday that the United States had agreed to lifteconomic sanctions and remove it from a list of countries accused of sponsoring terrorism, a move that would satisfy one of the North Korean government’s principal conditions for giving up nuclear weapons.

But a State Department spokeswoman in Washington said she did not haveconfirmation of the North Korean announcement, and Christopher R. Hill,the chief American envoy, made it clear in comments on Sunday that theNorth Koreans still had work to do before the United States would takethe country off the terrorism-sponsor list.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・sanction　制裁（措置）
・satisfy　満たす、満足させる
・principal　主な、主要な
・envoy　使節、特命全権公使


● 解説ザブ〜ン！

９・１１が近づき論争 どれだけ追悼すれば？

As 9/11 Draws Near, a Debate Rises: How Much Tribute Is Enough?
( New York Times )

Again it comes, for the sixth time now ― 2,191 days after that awful morning ― falling for the first time on a Tuesday, the same day of the week.

Each year, murmuring about Sept. 11 fatigue arises, a weariness of reliving a day that everyone wishes had never happened. It began before the first anniversary of the terrorist attack. By now, though, many people feel that the collective commemorations, publicly staged, are excessive and vacant, even annoying.


【 まずは準備運動 】

・tribute　貢ぎ物、賛辞
・murmur　つぶやく、ささやく
・fatigue　疲労、倦怠感
・collective　集団の、集まった
・commemoration　記念すること、記念式典
・vacant　空いている、空虚な
・annoy　うるさがらせる、苦しめる


● 解説ザブ〜ン！