Notes of the Day

I saw my TOEIC score on its web site today.
It was 695(Listening 405 / Reading 290) points and the one I took last year was 635(Listening 365 / Reading 270). I should be humble but the score disappointed me.
I studied for the test for three month. And most of the time I spent for the R-section since my previous reading score was worse.
In this test, I could understand in long articles section more than before so I expected better points in the reading section. But in R-section, I only got 20 points higher than last year? sigh..

日本語訳はこちら
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Have you come up with the answer to my question?
What we talked about in the lesson was gossip.

Here is my opinion about Mona's affair.

Mona lost her job opportunity because of her affair. Personally, I think that's harsh punishment.
She has done the same trouble a few years ago. Since then she performed as a scandalous woman.
Even after she was offered a news show again, nobody expected she to be a fine woman, didn't you?
And compared to her great punishment, Nioka was suspended only for a few games.
I don't say what they did was good. However, the problem should be solved in their family.

日本語訳はこちら
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I hardly look over on my lesson note, but I read this blog constantly.
Here is some expressions from today's lesson just for my review.
Guess what we were talking about.


whisk = 泡立てる　泡だて器

alight = 下車する(formal)

Are you speaking from experience?

I found something in common with them.

They had fun watching her talk about her affairs.
They have fan.
It was fun.

The general public likes to pick on someone.
pick on = いじめる

5 o'clock shadow = 無精ひげ

She hooked up with someone. 関わり合いになる（付き合う）


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Crime and punishment / Nancy TaylorF.M. Dostoevsky / YL6.5 / 32,748words TOTAL 1,900,150 / ★★★★☆

"Crime and Punishment" (Penguin Longman Penguin Readers) (2006/03/23) Nancy TaylorF.M. Dostoevsky 商品詳細を見る

Can you believe our company didn't allow us to use an air conditioner until this Monday?
The main switch is controlled by the main office and they forced us to stand the humidity.
There are about ten workers in our office and each worker keeps turning on their PC all day long. We have only one window but the air from the window was blocked by the walls and partitions, so we hardly expect the air cool the room.
How could we accept the situation?
One day, one of us brought an electric fan personally. Since then, the number of fan is increasing year by year.
Now six fans were working in our room instead of one air conditioner.
How stupid we were!

"Musenmai" is one of the ways to milling rice.
You don't need to wash rice, which is milled with the way.
It is expensive than traditional one. You can avoid one step preparing for boiling rice but I used to think "Musenmai" is for lazy people (sorry).
Since our district is one of the major rice productions there are many rice milling stations here. I found a sign in front of the station. It was read "You can save your time and also can reduce both wash water and waste water".
Oh, that's true. I know waste water, after wash rice, includes a lot of phosphorus. But I couldn't come up with those merits.
I shouldn't have refused new way before I search it by myself, though it's difficult to keep up with the advances of technologies.


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Chemical Secret/ Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 3 / YL3.1 / 10,000 words Total 1,867,402 / ★★★★☆

Chemical Secret: Stage 3: 1,000 Headwords (Oxford Bookworms) (2000/08/03) Tim VicaryJennifer Basset 商品詳細を見る

My family wouldn't have own house at least in a few decades. Because as long as we live in a rental housing most of the rent will be covered by a company welfare. We don't want to give it up.
Even so dreaming own house is sweet.

An advertisement from a real estate company was posted the other day. A house near my apartment was for sale. Although, it was almost 20 years old it was enough big for a family of two, gets a lot of sunshine. I thought it was reasonable.
But as soon as my husband saw the flier, he told me it's not in the option.
"No way! There is only one parking space. I want a covered parking for three cars!"
Oh, my! We might afford that house one day. But both the house and three cars? I don't think we can

Anyway, for him the first priority of house is a parking space. For me, it's a light and airy living room. How about you?

It was half past 10 p.m. last night.
I got off a bus and when I was about to reach home a man on a bicycle suddenly grabbed my hip.
He pedaled away straight and I could see his back over 10 sec. At that time, I had a camera cell-phone in my hand. I couldn't decide whether to take his photo or call police. He seemed in his teens to 20s, in a navy blue T-shirt, had short hair, on a whitish bicycle, but I couldn't see his face. I thought police were not going to be able to catch him, and I didn't want to get into a trouble. So I decided not to do anything.
My husband was not at home yet. When I locked the door, suddenly I felt afraid.
He could have robbed me or stabbed me!
It was a residential area, there were many houses and it was not dark. I screamed loud so someone could have looked his face. It was possible that he was arrested.
I should have called police soon.

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Little House in the Big Woods (Little House) (1953/06) Laura Ingalls Wilder 商品詳細を見る

Little House in the Big Woods / Laura Ingalls Wilder　/YL4.4 / 32,066wards TOTAL 1,857,402 / ★★★☆☆

My father is a mechanic. He is muscle and tanned for his age, because he had been working hard outside and often carried heavy metals.
By the way, he is going to have an operation in two month. He would be fine after that, but until then he has to keep being quiet and avoid those hard work.
I went to his company to do accounting work yesterday.
And he was also at the office all day long.
Since there wasn't a lot of work to do there, he seemed uncomfortable.
He pretend as if he was doing some paper work, but I looked him to take a nap from time to time.
I didn't mind that he didn't do any thing. Besides, I hope his enough rest.
But maybe, he wanted me to think he was still a hard worker.
He was cute, wasn't he?

In any age, adults tend to reject any popular fashion among boys and girls.
When I look back in my teens, girls always dressed in all black and people called us "Karasu-zoku (Crow-people)".
Adults in those days saw us ghastly as if we were on a way to a funeral. So we should allow new fashions in gentle mind, shouldn't we?
Even if boys wear their trousers loosely and show us their under pants we have to accept it... maybe..
By the way, I recently see girls in balloon skirt and they make my feel weird. The skirt reminds me of "Kabocha Pants", babies' diaper covers.
Hey girls! Ten years later, your kids will see your photos and will ask you, "Mom, how old were you when you stopped wetting your pants?"

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Skyjack! / Tim Vickery / OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY / STAGE3 / ISDN: 0-19-423015-5/ 9300words TOTAL 1,825,336 / ★★★★★

Skyjack! (Oxford Bookworms Library) (2000/10/18) Tim Vickery 商品詳細を見る

Hi! Long time no see.
I hadn't written any articles recently. Because I focused all my efforts into TOEIC test which I took yesterday.
I have been taking this test periodically to see how much I have improved my English.
By the way, there are many books for teaching us how to get a good result technically in the test. I used to be dismissive of that. If I took a good score in that way, it wouldn't reflect my real ability.
However, I have changed my mind.
It would be possible to take better score than the one we took last time. But as long as we don't improve our English skill itself, we wouldn't proceed to the next step.
And in these days, many people learn the techniques, so I thought the result that I take after learn the technique would reflect to my real skill.
I guess some people disagree with the thinking. How about you?