【Unlocking Word Meanings】
今日の単語・フレーズ
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. pledge /plɛdʒ/ (v.) – to promise or to vow to give or do something
Example: Several businessmen pledged to give half of their next salary to typhoon victims.
2. flounder /ˈflaʊn dər/ (v.) – to experience many struggles and problems
Example: Some schools flounder because they receive very little budget from the government.
3. pediatrician /ˌpidiəˈtrɪʃən, ˌpɛdi-/ (n.) – a doctor who specializes in care and treatment of babies and children
Example: My parents consulted the pediatrician when my baby sister got sick.
4. worthy /ˈwɜr ði/ (adj.) – having great qualities that deserve attention
Example: His love for teaching makes him a worthy candidate for the teaching position.
5. charity /ˈtʃær ɪ ti/ (n.) – the act of giving donations or helping the needy
Example: Many celebrities do charity works during their free time.
【Article】
ニュース記事
Read the text below.
Facebook’s founder and his wife have pledged to give $120 million to public schools located at the San Francisco Bay Area in California.
Mark Zuckerberg [ZUHK-er-burg] and Priscilla [pri-SIL-uh] Chan announced their plans to support Bay Area public schools through a newspaper article published in The San Jose Mercury News. They said that they want to help schools that are floundering because of financial problems and outdated education system.
As a resident of the Bay Area, Zuckerberg values his community and is committed to solve its educational issues. Chan, a former teacher, also devoted her life to helping communities that lacked support and attention from the authorities. Now a doctor, Chan is currently training to be a pediatrician at the University of California, San Francisco.
Labeled as Facebook’s royal couple, Zuckerberg and Chan said that their donation is just a small step toward achieving better educational policies in the U.S.
A non-profit organization called Startup:Education will handle the donated money and help schools improve their education processes and facilities in the next five years. Leadership training, teacher seminars, and addition of computers are among the priorities of the project.
Zuckerberg believes that education is always a worthy investment because better education can benefit everyone. In 2010, he also had a charity project for public education. He gave $100 million to public schools of Newark [NYOO-ahrk], New Jersey. In addition, he is a member of The Giving Pledge, in which he was committed to give half of his wealth to charity groups.
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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
· What do you think Zuckerberg and Chan can gain from donating money? Kindly explain.
· Aside from education, what other areas should the couple focus their donations on? Please discuss.
Discussion B
· What are the common donation projects in your country? Kindly discuss.
· If you had the resources, would you be willing to donate money to charity? Why or why not?