【Unlocking Word Meanings】
今日の単語・フレーズ
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. elsewhere /ˈɛlsˌwɛər/ (adv.) – in another or different place
Example: The tourists bought clothes elsewhere because the shops in the city were closed.
2. constitute /ˈkɒn
stɪˌtut/ (v.) – to compose or form something
stɪˌtut/ (v.) – to compose or form something
Example: Men constitute more than a half of the workers’ population.
3. keep up /kip
ʌp/ (phrasal v.) – to perform at the same or close level with another
Example: Some stores offered bigger discounts to keep up with their competitors.
4. shut /ʃʌt/ (v.) – to close something
Example: The shop shuts during weekends.
5. tourist spot /ˈtʊərɪst spɒt/ (n.) – a place that is often visited by many tourists
ɪst spɒt/ (n.) – a place that is often visited by many tourists
Example: We want to go to the top tourist spots in the country.
【Article】
ニュース記事
Read the text below.
France’s Foreign
Minister proposes that shops should be allowed to operate during Sundays to
give tourists more time to shop in the country.
Currently, the
country prohibits most establishments from operating on a Sunday, a usual day
when there are many customers. This tradition has led some people to
think that it could potentially harm France’s tourism and economy as many
tourists might shop elsewhere
instead.
Foreign Minister
Laurent Fabius, who handles trade and tourism matters, said that tourists should
be able to visit shops on Sundays. He added that tourism is an important
factor in the country’s economy and that it constitutes seven percent of jobs in the country.
Other politicians
also suggest letting employees work on Sundays. Former mayoral candidate
Nathalie Morizet [MAWR-iz-it] said that employees want to work on Sundays because
they get an additional payment for working on a non-working day. She added
that France cannot keep up with
neighboring countries in terms of economic growth if many establishments are shut during Sundays.
The French Trade
Council president Gerard Atlan expressed the same opinion as Morizet. He
emphasized how unfortunate it is to see tour operators leave Paris on
Saturday night so tourists can shop on nearby countries on Sunday.
On the other hand,
Joseph Thouvenel [TOO-ven-ehl] from the French Confederation of Christian
Workers said that France’s rich culture ─ and not shopping stores ─ makes the
country a popular tourist spot.
He added that big
stores already operate on Sundays in areas with many tourists. For him, allowing
all stores to operate on Sundays would have negative effects.
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【Viewpoint Discussion】
ディスカッションテーマ
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
· How do you think the “no work during Sundays” rule helps French citizens?
· Should France let people work on Sundays? Why or why not?
Discussion B
· Would you like to work on non-working days for extra income? Why or why not?
· How do you think a country can further improve its tourism?
