イーマック emac english and preschool

英検準１級/TOEFLスタディグループ 課題015

メンバーは課題を金曜までに読んで、「質問を２つ」考えてきて下さい。ノートに写すと力💪になります。今週は 「労働力不足をロボットで」について。今後どのような職種が人口知能AIやロボットに代わっていくでしょうか？そしたら人間には何が残る？（生まれる？）

Desperately short of labor, mid-sized Japanese firms plan to buy robots

（Reuters file photo
Humanoid robots work side by side with employees in the assembly line at a factory of Glory Ltd., a manufacturer of automatic change dispensers, in Kazo, Saitama Prefecture, in July 2015.）

 

Desperate to overcome Japan's growing shortage of labor, mid-sized companies are planning to buy robots and other equipment to automate a wide range of tasks, including manufacturing, earthmoving and hotel room service.

According to a Bank of Japan survey, companies with share capital of 100 million yen to 1 billion yen plan to boost investment in the fiscal year that started in April by 17.5 percent, the highest level on record.

It is unclear how much of that is being spent on automation but companies selling such equipment say their order books are growing and the Japanese government says it sees a larger proportion of investment being dedicated to increasing efficiency. Revenue at many of Japan’s robot makers also rose in the January-March period for the first time in several quarters.

"The share of capital expenditure devoted to becoming more efficient is increasing because of the shortage of workers," said Seiichiro Inoue, a director in the industrial policy bureau of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, or METI.

If the investment ambitions are fulfilled it would show there is a silver lining as Japan tries to cope with a shrinking and rapidly aging population. It could help equipment-makers, lift the country's low productivity and boost economic growth.

The government predicts investment in labor-saving equipment will rise this fiscal year, Inoue said.

The way Japan copes with an aging population will provide critical lessons for other aging societies, including China and South Korea, that will have to grapple with similar challenges in coming years.

"More than 90 percent of Japan's companies are small- and medium-sized, but most of these companies are not using robots," said Yasuhiko Hashimoto, who works in Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd’s (7012.T) robot division. "We're coming up with a lot of applications and product packages to target these companies."

Among those products is a two-armed, 170-centimeter (5-foot-7) tall robot. Kawasaki says it is selling well because it can be adapted to a range of industrial uses by electronics makers, food processors and drug companies.

Hitachi Construction Machinery (6305.T) says it is getting a lot of enquiries for its computer-programmed digging machines that use a global positioning system to hew ditches that are accurate to within centimeters and can cut digging time by about half.

"We focus on rentals and expect business to pick up in the second half of the fiscal year, which is when most companies tend to order construction equipment for projects," said Yoshi Furuno, a company official. Hitachi Construction declined to provide figures.

Mid-sized companies are planning on increasing spending much more than large-caps, which are projecting just a 0.6 percent increase in the fiscal year, according to the Bank of Japan. Smaller companies tend to have less flexibility in overcoming labor shortages by paying workers more or by moving production overseas.

（ロイター Stanley White | TOKYO）

 

＜アカデミー１クラスへ＞

そろそろ文章の組み立ても見ながら読んでみましょう。同じような文章が書けるようになるようにイメージしてみて下さい。

アカデミー１には今秋からアメリカの大学へ進学する生徒さんも参加しています✨頑張っていますよ！

＜アカデミー１クラス以外の皆さんへ＞

アカデミー２（金6:10）、３（火5:30)クラスにも配信しています。

取り組みを続けると慣れていずれ簡単になります。まずは一段落だけでも読みましょう。

意味は分からなくても書き写しましょう。単語は興味があれば少しだけ調べてみて下さい。

但し時間は10〜20分で。それ以上かかる場合は日を改めましょう。

続ける事が何よりも重要なポイントです。欲張ってやりすぎると楽しくなくなります。興味がわかないと学習効果は上がりません。

おうちの方は、記事について日本語でいいので（新しく知る単語のとこだけは英語に差し替えて）、子供達とディスカッションしてください。（特にお父さんと）使うと血肉になります💖のでここ、重要です！！！

英検準１級/TOEFLスタディグループ 課題014

メンバーは課題を金曜までに読んで、「質問を２つ」考えてきて下さい。ノートに写すと力💪になります。今週は 「自動翻訳」について。人工知能の翻訳機があれば英語できなくてもよくなるでしょうか？

２つ目は「お弁当」日本のお弁当を英語でどれくらい説明できますか？

 

 

課題１ Use automatic translation cleverly to break down language barriers

(photo:geeky-gadgets.com)

音声認識 voice recognition

〜に遠く及ばない be far inferior to

Automatic translation should be used wisely to communicate with foreigners smoothly.

Automatic translation services that recognize the content of a conversation and instantly translate between Japanese and a foreign language are continuing to grow.

A system developed by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology to better communicate with foreigners looks likely to be especially handy at scenes of emergencies. The system started being supplied to fire department headquarters nationwide in April.

When an emergency service worker says something such as, “Where does it hurt?” in Japanese into a smartphone, a translation is displayed on the screen. It also can provide audio output. The system can handle 15 languages including English, Chinese and Thai.

The system was introduced earlier in Sapporo. It is said that it enabled the swift treatment of foreign tourists during emergencies at locations including the Sapporo Snow Festival.

The spectacular development of artificial intelligence has brought great improvements in the performance of automatic translation services. Sophisticated calculation methods also used in Go software programs that have defeated top professional Go players have been applied to automatic translation, making accurate voice recognition and natural translations possible.

In April, Microsoft Japan Co. launched an automatic translation feature that can handle Japanese for its internet calling service. A smartphone app developed by U.S. company Google Inc. is also popular.

 

課題2  Nutritious, appetizing 5-color lunchbox

A  five-color combination of okazu, or main and side dishes, is key for a colorful and nutritionally balanced bento box, says Reiko Tsunabuchi, a teacher at the Ecole de Cuisine Egami.

The color of the main dish is usually brown, meaning salisbury steak, fried chicken or fish saute. These are best accentuated by red, green, yellow and black side dishes.

Red and green vegetables are usually high in vitamins. A fried or boiled egg, adding yellow to the bento box, boosts the nutrition of the entire lunch. Black can come from seaweed, including hijiki, or stir-fried mushrooms such as shimeji and maitake. These are rich in minerals and fiber.

The addition of white rice completes the nutritious bento. Cherry tomatoes and broccoli can readily represent the needed red and green, although using these go-to items too often can make the bento boring.

"Use other vegetables that can produce the same hues, and also change the seasoning," she said. "It will make the bento taste better."  Red bell peppers can be marinated, and purple cabbage works well, too. Vinegar keeps the food from going bad while helping to mix things up a bit. 

Tsunabuchi suggested tossing spinach, asparagus or snap peas with peanut butter. "Peanut butter makes the food taste richer than if you use grated sesame," she said. "It will also delight men and children," Tsunabuchi said to boil spinach, squeeze any excess water out, drizzle it with soy sauce and then squeeze the sauce out to keep the vegetable from becoming soggy. "If you find it difficult to use five colors in your bento box every day, don't force it -- just do what you can," she said.

(The Yomiuri Shinbun)

 

 

英検準１級/TOEFLスタディグループ 課題013

メンバーは課題を金曜までに読んで、意見を考えてきて下さい。ノートに写すと力💪になります。今週は中学生にも話題になっている💕💕フランスのマクロン新大統領❗️「ＥＵ崩壊を防いだマクロン氏」より。

（写真：media-groove）

Macron’s win in French election saves EU, but challenges remain

It is safe to say that the worst-case scenario of a possible collapse of the European Union has been averted. Will France’s latest election result facilitate political stability in the country?

Former economy minister Emmanuel Macron, an independent centrist candidate who is pro-EU integration, won a runoff for the French presidency by a wide margin, defeating the leader of the far-right National Front, Marine Le Pen, who campaigned on a platform promoting French secession from the EU. Macron, 39, will be France’s youngest president in history.

In his victory speech, Macron vowed to “fight the division that undermines France” and to “guarantee the unity of the nation and ... defend Europe.”

The main reason for his win was the desire of French voters to preserve the status quo, as they appeared reluctant to rapidly turn away from the EU. Macron’s denouncement of Le Pen’s election pledge to withdraw France from the eurozone as dangerous appears to have been persuasive.

There is no doubt that Macron’s electoral bid was also boosted by a favorable tailwind supplied by established political parties — the center-right and center-left wings — when they swung over to him after their candidates had been defeated in the first round of votes.

Le Pen won a record number of votes for a National Front candidate, adding to her gains in the first-round ballot. She enjoyed broader support in regions where the manufacturing industry has suffered a decline. Serious divisions clearly exist in French society.

Solve mountain of problems

Voter turnout in the latest election dropped from that in the 2012 presidential race, and the number of blank and invalid votes reached a record high. This seems to indicate that a number of voters rejected both Macron, who hails from the elite, and Le Pen, who stresses a firm rejection of immigration.

After selecting a lineup of cabinet members for his new administration, Macron will attempt to lead his new political party to win seats in June’s National Assembly election. The assembly has the power to put forward a vote of no-confidence against the cabinet, and it is not easy to win a sufficient number of seats to avert such a move.

If Macron seeks to carry out such election promises as economic rejuvenation through deregulation and job creation, he will need to adopt a flexible approach, such as tie-ups and cooperation with the established political parties.

France, the second-largest economy in the eurozone, has served as a driving force for European integration. Macron’s endeavors are vital to reinforce the unity of EU members at a time when they are undergoing the difficult process of Britain’s exit from the bloc.

In many EU nations, populist parties seeking to protect the interests of their own countries have sought to reject refugees and immigrants. These parties have been attacking the EU’s austerity policy line and contesting established political parties in their countries.

Anti-EU forces did not fare too well in the recent Netherlands lower house election, and such forces in France were stopped from snatching power in the latest presidential poll. Top political leaders of EU countries, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have welcomed the electoral results.

However, the EU cannot afford to feel satisfied with the current situation. There is a mountain of problems to be solved, such as devising effective refugee policies and reducing economic disparities between northern and southern Europe. Serious efforts must be made to implement reforms, while also stemming an increase in the strength of populist parties in various parts of the region.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 9, 2017)

英検準１級/TOEFLスタディグループ 課題012

メンバーは課題を金曜までに読んで、意見を考えてきて下さい。ノートに写すと力💪になります。今週は「将棋の最年少プロ✨藤井聡太四段（１４歳）」より。

（写真：朝日デジタル）

Shogi world brightened by rise of brilliant young star, 4th-dan Fujii

無限の可能性 infinite possibilities

プロ入り（する）turn professional

〜の）手ほどきを受ける be taught rudiments of

〜に昇格する be promoted to

希望の星 rising star

〜は無理もない it is no wonder that ...

下す defeat

磨く hone

力をつける improve one's skills

The winning streak achieved by an extraordinarily gifted professional shogi player who is only 14 years old makes people feel he has infinite possibilities ahead of him.

Since turning professional in October last year, fourth-dan Sota Fujii, a junior high school student, has continued to win, so far scoring 14 successive wins in officially sanctioned matches. He has easily broken the record for consecutive wins, which previously stood at 10. Fujii’s skills are said to already compare with those of a top-notch professional player.

Fujii encountered shogi when he was taught the rudiments of the game, at the age of 5, by his grandmother. The boy attended a shogi class, and when he was a fourth-grade elementary school student, he enrolled at Shoreikai, a professional shogi player training institution.

At the age of 14 years 2 months, Fujii was promoted to fourth-dan, thereby becoming a professional. He thus set a new record for turning pro at the youngest age, which had been unbroken for 62 years. The previous record was held by ninth-dan Hifumi Kato, who had been called “the greatest genius since the dawn of our nation’s history.”

Ninth-dan Kato, along with ninth-dan Koji Tanigawa, and Yoshiharu Habu, who holds three titles, as well as the Ryuo title holder Akira Watanabe, are all shogi players who turned pro during their junior high school days. They constitute the whole list of such players who achieved the elite status.

Shogi circles have seen a rise in the game’s popularity every time a new star emerges. In recent years, the shogi-playing population has remained nearly unchanged at about 10 million. It is no wonder that expectations are running high for fourth-dan Fujii as a rising star.

Fujii’s strength in the final phase of a match can be illustrated by the fact that he has so far achieved three consecutive wins in championships to determine Japan’s top “tsume shogi” problem solver. He is also increasingly sharp in deciding where to move in the initial and middle phases of a match, too. He has defeated triple titleholder Habu in an unsanctioned match, too.

We hope Fujii will further hone his playing style that is well-balanced in both attack and defense.

（The Yomiuri Shimbunより）