Eyewear Brings Sight to the Legally Blind

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

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

1. live / laɪv / (adj.) – referring to something that can be watched or listened to as it happens

Example:  My friend is going to watch a live concert tonight.

2. adjust / əˈdʒʌst / (v.) – to make something fit or suitable

Example: You can adjust the camera lens to get sharper pictures.

3. genetic /dʒəˈnɛt ɪk/ (adj.) – relating to the genes or inherited traits

Example: Most genetic illnesses are difficult to cure.

4. practically /ˈpræk tɪk li / (adv.) – almost; in effect

Example: Without his eyeglasses, he is practically blind.

5. reimbursement /ˌri ɪmˈbɜrs mənt / (n.) – repayment for an expense or loss

Example: You may apply for reimbursement to get your money back.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

A $15,000 eyewear helps the legally blind to see. The technology—developed by Canada-based company eSight—uses a video camera to capture live images and display them onto the screens built into the glasses. This eyewear also allows the wearer to adjust the different aspects of the image, such as contrasts, brightness, or sharpness, to make viewing easier. Kathy Beitz is one of those who benefited from the eyewear. Beitz suffers from a genetic disorder that causes the light-sensitive cells in the retina to decay. When her second child was born, she used the glasses to see her baby, much to her amazement. Beitz says that the eyewear has changed her life completely. It helped her better attend to her children’s needs and do important chores at home. A person who is legally blind is not absolutely blind. But because the eyesight is so poor, the person is considered practically blind. In Beitz’s case, she could only recognize fuzzy shapes in daylight and none at all during nighttime. Presently, only about 140 people have these costly glasses in North-America. But eSight is finding ways to bring its eyewear to more visually-impaired people. Its actions include insurance reimbursements, government programs, corporate sponsorships, crowdsourcing, and other fundraising efforts to make the technology available to those in need of the glasses but cannot afford to pay.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A 

·         How does your government help those who are blind?

·         Would it be difficult for a legally blind person to live in Japan? Kindly explain.

Discussion B

·         If you could invent a tool to help people with disability, what would it be? Kindly discuss briefly.

·         How does disability help us change the way we look at the world?

Singer and Former US VP Team Up for ‘Live Earth’ Concert

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

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

1. hitmaker /hɪt ˈmeɪ kər/ (n.) – a popular singer

Example: The concert featured various hitmakers.

2. climate change /ˈklaɪ mɪt tʃeɪndʒ/ (n.) – changes in the Earth’s temperature and weather condition

Example: Extreme heat is one of the many effects of climate change.

3. icon /ˈaɪ kɒn/ (n.) – a person or thing that represents something

Example: His environmental projects made him an icon in raising global warming awareness.

4. agreement /əˈgri mənt/ (n.) – a negotiated and agreed-upon decision or action

Example: The board of directors reached an agreement on adapting environmentally friendly practices.

5. venue /ˈvɛn yu/ (n.) – a particular place of an event

Example: Paris will be the venue of this year’s environmental conference.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

Hitmaker Pharrell Williams and former US vice president Al Gore announced a worldwide concert aiming to raise awareness on climate change.     The concert called “Live Earth” was revealed during the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. Williams said at the forum that the event’s main message is to demand actions against climate change. With the wide-ranging concert, the two icons hope to influence the outcome of the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in France in December. One of the main agenda in the conference is to reach a universal agreement on carbon emissions control. The one-day event will happen on June 18. Performances featuring various artists will be held simultaneously across the world. The concert venues include Australia, Brazil, China, France, South Africa, and the United States. Gore said the concert will be shown in nearly 200 television networks drawing about two billion viewers. Each concert will last between four and six hours. The first Live Earth concert series happened in 2007 in Sydney, London, Kyoto, and Rio de Janeiro. Gore and music producer Kevin Wall co-founded the event. A sequel was supposed to be done in India in 2008 but was canceled because of terrorist attacks in the city a month before the event. A day before the World Economic Forum, accountancy firm PwC released a survey of 1,322 CEOs from 77 countries about their public policy priorities. Only 6% or about 79 business leaders wanted the government to prioritize policies against climate change. Most CEOs wanted lawmakers to focus on tax reductions and improvement of public infrastructures.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

·         If given the chance, would you attend the Live Earth? Why or why not?

·         Why do you think most CEOs do not prioritize policies against climate change?

Discussion B

·         Do you think concerts are effective in raising public awareness? Why or why not?

·         Aside from concerts, how else can awareness on important issues be raised? Kindly discuss.

Pizza Shop in Philadelphia Gives Free Slices to Homeless People

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

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

1. brotherly love /ˈbrʌð ər li lʌv/ (n.) – feeling of kindness and sympathy to another person

Example: The charity group promotes brotherly love to every person.

2. prepay /priˈpeɪ/ (v.) – to pay for or buy something in advance

Example: Customers can prepay food they will not consume yet.

3. sticky note /ˈstɪk i noʊt/ (n.) – a small piece of paper with a strip of sticky material on the back

Example: She listed a reminder on a sticky note.

4. keep track /kip træk/ (idiom) – to remain updated or informed about something

Example: The restaurant keeps track of the number of donations per day.

5. accumulate /əˈkyu myəˌleɪt/ (v.) – to collect something over a period of time

Example: He accumulated points for the items he purchased this year.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

A pizza shop in Philadelphia proves why the city is known for its brotherly love. At Rosa’s Fresh Pizza restaurant, customers can prepay a slice of pizza for homeless people. Each slice costs $1 and entitles a customer to a sticky note. The customer who prepaid a slice will write a message on the note to be posted inside the store. The store’s “pay it forward” pizza program has run since March 2014. The owner, Mason Wartman, originally used the sticky notes to keep track of the free pizza slices available. But upon getting about 500 prepaid slices, he used the store’s register to accurately monitor available pizza slices. For nine months, the restaurant accumulated 8,400 prepaid pizza slices. About 30 to 40 slices are given daily to the homeless. Now, recipients use the sticky notes to post their messages of gratitude. The owner said that the store does not verify if a customer is really homeless. The 27-year-old business graduate opened his store in December 2013 and named it after his mother. Oftentimes, he found himself giving free slices to people who cannot afford one. The owner then got the idea of pay-it-forward pizza when one customer asked to pay for a slice to be given to a homeless person. Wartman’s generosity earned him a check worth $10,000 from American television host Ellen DeGeneres for his business.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

·         Do you think a café or restaurant should also incorporate this in your city?

·         What do you think the customers gain from prepaying pizza slices?

Discussion B

·         How would you help people living in the streets?

·         Why do you think some people are homeless?

Study Links Fiber to Longer Life

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

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

1. fiber /ˈfaɪ bər/ (n.) – indigestible, plant-based food that helps digest other food

Example: Pineapples are rich in fiber.

2. premature /ˌpri məˈtʃʊər, -ˈtʊər, -ˈtyʊər/ (adj.) – being earlier than typical or expected time

Example: The 20-year-old patient’s premature death was surprising.

3. regulation /ˌrɛg yəˈleɪ ʃən/ (n.) – the process of controlling something to match a desired condition or level

Example: The doctor gave him tips on alcohol intake regulation.

4. bloating /bloʊtɪŋ/ (n.) – a situation in which the abdomen expands or swell

Example: Too much fat consumption can cause bloating.

5. cramp /kræmp/ (n.) – painful and sudden contraction of specific muscles

Example: Her leg cramps caused her to stop running.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

Fiber intake lowers risk of premature death, a recent study by the Shanghai Cancer Institute revealed. Researchers found that people with higher intake of fiber had lower risk of death than those who consume less fiber. The authors gathered the data from 17 previous studies published between 1997 and 2014. The samples include a total of 982,411 participants and 67,260 deaths. The researchers divided the participants into five groups according to their daily fiber intake. People from the first group had the highest amount of daily fiber intake, while the fifth group had the least. Results showed that the first group had 16% less risk of death than the fifth group. Also, researchers found a 10% drop in risk of disease-related deaths for every 10 grams of fiber added in a person’s diet. Thus, the authors conclude that higher fiber intake may help in living a healthier life. However, they acknowledge that factors like lifestyle or other food nutrients may have affected the people’s lifespan. The US Department of Agriculture’s recommended fiber consumption is 25 grams per day for women and 38 grams per day for men. Common high-fiber foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts. The nutrient is best known for its digestive tract regulation. While increasing fiber intake may be ideal, medical experts warn that a sudden increase in fiber intake can cause bloating and stomach cramps. Thus, people should increase their fiber intake slowly until they reach the recommended daily value.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

·         Would you eat more high-fiber food after reading the article? Why or why not?

·         What is your least favorite among the common high-fiber foods? Kindly explain.

Discussion B

·         Do you agree that eating the right food can extend people’s lives? Why do you say so?

·         What food do you consider delicious but unhealthy? How do you regulate your consumption?