【Unlocking Word Meanings】
今日の単語・フレーズ
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. suburb /ˈsʌb ɜrb/ (n.) – town usually with middle-class residents
Example: The family moved to the suburb after staying in the city.
2. panoramic /ˌpæn əˈræmɪk/ (adj.) – having wide-ranging horizontal view of an area
Example: John did a panoramic shot of the beach.
3. snag /snæg/ (n.) – an unexpected situation and difficulty
Example: They were prepared for any snags that may occur tomorrow.
4. up and running /ʌp ænd ˈrʌn ɪŋ/ (adj.) – functioning properly
Example: The website is now up and running after a few hours of maintenance.
5. spike /spaɪk/ (v.) – to suddenly go up and increase
Example: The views for the singer’s latest video spiked a few minutes after its release.
【Article】
ニュース記事
Read the text below.
Locating directions along the suburbs of Indonesia just got easier with the help of Google Street View.
Indonesia became the latest country to be covered by Google’s mapping technology that gives users panoramic views of various streets across the world. The Street View tool presents images joined together to provide a 360-degree vision on specific areas in a country. Fifty-seven other countries globally offer Street View.
In partnership with Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Google started the project in November 2012. Google Indonesia’s country director Rudy Ramawy [ra-MA-wi] shared how difficult the making of Street View was. He said factors like weather and traffic situations presented snags for the photographs’ completion.
But now that Street View Indonesia is up and running, tourism minister Mari Pangestu [pa-NGES-tu] is hopeful that the tool can help attract travelers and promote the country’s tourism. Ramawy added that Street View can help tourists and even locals be more familiarized with Indonesia’s sites.
Among the Southeast Asian countries with Street View, Indonesia serves as Google’s largest market mainly because of the country’s huge population composed of about 250 million people. Ramawy recalled that searches for Indonesia’s Street View spiked one week after its launching.
The tool currently just provides images from four cities: Jakarta, Surabaya [soo r-uh-BAH-yuh], Denpasar [den-PAH-sahr], and Bogor [BOH-gawr]. Ramawy clarified that Google plans to widen the coverage.
Aside from the Street View, Google also lets users view Indonesia’s marine life photos through imagery of coral reefs at Komodo [kuh-moh-doh] National Park.
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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
· Do you think Street View would be beneficial for foreign commuters? Why or why not?
· How would you feel if your house is featured on Street View?
Discussion B
· Do you think traditional maps will soon be gone because of digital maps? Why do you say so?
· How do you prepare going alone to an unfamiliar place for the first time?
