UEFA Proposes a More Competitive Football Tournament

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. continental /ˌkɒntnˈɛntl/ (adj.) – referring to a continent as a whole

Example: The team wants to win the continental championship.

2. alternative /ɔlˈtɜrnətɪv, æl-/ (n.) –  anything that serves as another choice or option

Example: Green tea is a good alternative to energy drinks.

3. prequalifying /prɪkwɒləˌfaɪŋ/ (adj.) – referring to a process that one needs to accomplish before being able to participate in the main event

Example: Being able to run fast is a prequalifying skill for a football player.

4. semifinal /ˌsɛmiˈfaɪnl/ (n.) – a match that happens before the final event or championship

Example: The team was not able to reach the final competition because it lost in the semifinals.

5. garner /ˈgɑrnər/ (v) – to successfully gain or earn something

Example: She garnered the respect of her opponents after winning the competition. 

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has recently introduced a new game format that allows a more challenging continental football competition. It took the UEFA three years to review proposals for this competition. Called the UEFA Nations League, the new competition will serve as a better alternative for international friendly matches, which are games that do not affect a team’s standing. The UEFA Nations League will also serve as a prequalifying tournament for the 2020 UEFA European Championship (Euro 2020). Its first tournament will take place in September 2018. The UEFA Nations League will split 54 European teams into four divisions, which are determined by the team’s ranking. Each division will have four sub-divisions or ‘pools’ composed of three to four teams that would compete against each other. The four winning teams from each pool will then compete in the semifinals until one team becomes the overall winner of each division. The last part of the tournament is the finals, in which the four overall winners of each division will contend with each other. Regardless who wins the finals, all four overall winners are already automatically qualified for the Euro 2020. This new game format has generally garnered positive feedback from different football organizations. The general secretary of the English Football Association said that the new concept will make the games more interesting. The European Club Association (ECA) also approves of the Nations League, as teams will no longer need to travel far for friendly matches. However, FIFPro is hesitant about the new game format as it would add pressure to top players.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

·         Do you think this new game format makes the football tournament more interesting? Why or why not?

·         What do you think are the advantages of doing international friendly matches? 

Discussion B

·         Why do you think professional football games are important to European countries?

·         What are the benefits of sports competition among different countries?

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Social Media Crimes are on the Rise

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. two-fold /ˈtuˌfoʊld/ (adv.) – in double, twice as many

Example: People’s average hours spent on the Internet increased two-fold, from three hours to six hours per day.

2. alarming /əˈlɑrmɪŋ/ (adj.) – causing fear, often involves danger

Example: The increasing number of robbery in the city is so alarming.

3. address /əˈdrɛs/ (v.) – to deal with a particular issue or problem

Example: The government wants to immediately address the problem on increasing crime rate.

4. barrage /bəˈrɑʒ/ (v.) – to attack (as with criticisms, questions, or punches) excessively or overwhelmingly

Example: She was barraged with a lot of negative criticisms because of her controversial post on Facebook.

5. offender /əˈfɛndər/ (n.) – a person who committed a crime

Example: Drug offenders are sentenced to 5-10 years in prison.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

A recent research found that crimes related to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have significantly increased since 2011. According to the research by the Parliament [PAHR-luh-muh nt] Street, crimes increased two-fold on Twitter alone, from 677 in 2011 to 1,291 in 2013. On Facebook, reported crimes increased from 9,917 to 13,019. The Parliament Street got the data from Freedom of Information reports, which were from 25 police forces in England and Wales. One crime incident on Twitter was that of a British activist Caroline Criado-Perez [kri-YUH-do pe-rez]. After her high-profile campaign for women in England, she was barraged with a lot of insults, criticisms, and even death threats. Fortunately, she was able to have her offenders jailed. More social media crimes related to football games have also been reported. Fans were warned not to express their anger on social networking sites should their favorite team lose the game. With this alarming situation, researchers said the government should find ways to address cybercrimes effectively. They said the police should equip themselves with the latest cyber skills to be able to punish the offenders on social networking sites. However, the police should not concentrate on cybercrimes alone, said Nick Pickles, director of an advocacy group in the UK. Pickles added that the police should not ignore crimes committed on streets just because they are busy monitoring posts on Twitter or Facebook.  In addition, Pickles stressed that social media play an important role in people’s communication. Thus, monitoring posts on social networking sites may threaten people’s freedom of speech.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

·         Do you agree with the police monitoring posts on social media? Why or why not?

·         How else can cybercrimes be prevented? Please explain your answer.

Discussion B

·         Why do you think some people express their feelings more on social media than in person?

·         In your opinion, is it appropriate to share too much information on the Internet? Why or why not?

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Pandas Love Sweets Too

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. carnivore /ˈkɑrnəˌvɔr, -ˌvoʊr/ (n.) – an organism that eats meat or flesh

Example: Tigers, dogs, and cats are examples of carnivores.

2. feed on /fid ɒn/ (phrasal v.) – to rely on something as food; to be sustained by something

Example: Aside from fish, bears also feed on plants.

3. notion /ˈnoʊʃən/ (n) – an opinion or general belief about something

Example: Galileo Galilei rejected the notion that all heavenly bodies revolved around the Earth.

4. solely /ˈsoʊlli/  (adv.) – not involving anything else

Example: Elephants solely eat fruits, vegetables, and other kinds of plants.

5. sweet tooth /swit tuθ/ (n.) – strong liking for sweet food

Example: Children usually have a sweet tooth.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

A recent study has confirmed that pandas also love to eat sweet foods. Gary Beauchamp [bee-ch uh m], director of the Monell Center, and his team tested eight pandas to find out whether the animals would respond to sweet taste. Researchers gave their subjects two bowls of liquid, one sweetened while the other was just plain water. All pandas chose the sweetened water over the plain one. Although pandas are carnivores in nature, they strictly feed on bamboos. Because bamboos have very low sugar content, scientists wonder if pandas have lost their ability to recognize sweet taste. However, findings of Beauchamp and his team’s study prove this notion wrong. According to the researchers, pandas can still detect sweet tastes.  In fact, when the researchers tested all other forms of sugar, all pandas preferred sucrose and fructose, which humans consider the sweetest.  Even so, experts are still not sure why pandas solely eat bamboos if they have a sweet tooth. One theory is that fruits might have been their original food diet before human activities such as agriculture and forest destruction forced them to live on the mountains. This may have led pandas to rely so much on plants such as bamboos. Some experts say that bamboo contains nutrients that enable these animals to survive. Additionally, Beauchamp said that scientists also examine the possibility that bamboos may taste like candies for pandas.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A 

·         What do you think would be the impact of this study on the preservation of pandas?

·         If you were an environmentalist, how would you promote the preservation of pandas?

Discussion B

·         Why do you think it is necessary for humans to preserve animal species?

·         What can we do to help preserve endangered animals?

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Britain Will Release New One-pound Coin in 2017

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. ditch /dɪtʃ/ (v.) – to stop using something

Example: The country will soon ditch paper money.

2. circulate /ˈsɜrkyəˌleɪt/ (v.) – to move or spread from one person to another

Example: The old money will stop circulating next year.

3. forged /fɔrdʒd/ (adj.) – fake and illegally produced

Example: The government warns the public about forged dollar bills.

4. self-checkout /sɛlf ˈtʃɛkˌaʊt/ (adj.) – referring to machines (often in grocery/retail stores) that allow a person to purchase items even without a cashier

Example: Some customers prefer paying to cashier instead of using self-checkout machines.

5. revamp /riˈvæmp/ (v.) – to apply changes to make something look better or new

Example: The government plans to revamp the old museum.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

The United Kingdom will ditch its one-pound (£1) coin that has circulated for over 30 years in the hopes of solving the problem on the production of fake coins in the country. The spread of fake one-pound coins has significantly affected the British economy over the past years. Out of the estimated 1.5 billion one-pound coins in circulation, about three percent or 45 million are forged. The original one-pound coin has a round shape and a copper color. On the other hand, the new coin will be 12-sided and will have a mix of gold and silver colors. The shape of the new pound coin is similar to the old threepenny [THRIP-uh-nee or THREE-pen-ee] coins that circulated until 1971. The right side of Queen Elizabeth II’s face will also appear on one side of the new coin, while the design of the other side will be determined through a public contest. In addition, the one-pound coin’s new look will include an advanced anti-forgery technology that is also used in British paper money. According to the country’s treasurer, the new coin will be the most secure coin in the world. With the arrival of the new coin, several establishments will need to revamp its coin machines. Among these are supermarket self-checkout machines, parking meters, vending machines, and gym lockers. Applying changes to these machines will cost the UK about $30 million. Aside from the coin, a new 10-pound bill will also be released in 2017. The new money will use plastic to make the money more durable and harder to forge.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

·         Do you think creating the new coin will be an effective way to prevent the production of fake coins? Why or why not?

·         In your opinion, how else can the production of fake money affect a country?

Discussion B

·         Please describe the denominations of your country’s money (i.e. in the Philippines – 5, 10 centavo coins, 1, 5, 10 peso coins, etc.).

·         In what other ways can the circulation of fake money be prevented?

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