2023/06/10(土)SMC
President's remark
Once people break the wall they've set, they maintain a more stable performance thereafter. For example, breaking the 10-second mark in the 100-meter dash was something they hadn't been able to do in Asia for a long time. After one Chinese splinter did it, Kiryu followed shortly after with a 9.98, and then several Japanese players achieved the same.
This time, Yoasobi, a popular J-pop group, achieved the feat of claiming the number one spot on Billboard. I knew that Yoasobi was becoming popular worldwide, but they are truly the pioneers, and there will be many more to follow. Even for us English learners, once we work hard and break through a wall, it becomes easier for us to overcome it.
Word of the Day: SM Kei Narisawa
squeak vs squeal
User
How do you differentiate 'squeal' from 'squeak'?
ChatGPT
"Squeal" and "squeak" are similar in that they both refer to high-pitched sounds, but they have distinct characteristics that help differentiate them. Here's how you can differentiate between the two:
Pitch and Tone: A "squeal" is generally a higher-pitched and more intense sound. It often has a piercing quality and can be quite loud. On the other hand, a "squeak" is typically lower in pitch and softer in tone. It is often described as a faint or subtle sound.
Duration: A "squeal" tends to be longer and more prolonged, lasting for several seconds or even longer. It can be sustained and continuous. Conversely, a "squeak" is usually shorter in duration, consisting of brief, quick bursts of sound.
Emotional Expression: A "squeal" often conveys excitement, delight, or even pain. It is associated with strong emotions and can be expressed intentionally or involuntarily. In contrast, a "squeak" is commonly associated with mechanical or object-related sounds, such as a door hinge or a rusty mechanism. It is less likely to be associated with emotional expression.
Volume: "Squeals" are generally louder and more attention-grabbing due to their higher pitch and intensity. They can be heard from a greater distance. "Squeaks," on the other hand, are usually quieter and more subdued, often requiring closer proximity to be heard clearly.
Test on ‘squeal and squeak’
I’m a generous man, so I give you big hints, showing the first five letters in each blank. One more thing, take into consideration the length of each blanks, so that you can successfully make a guess as to what kind of form each word should be used, like is it a past form, or a plural?
1) The children (squealed) with joy as they ran through the sprinklers on a hot summer day.
2) The old wooden floorboards (squeaked) under their weight as they tiptoed through the abandoned house.
3) The brakes of the car suddenly locked, causing it to skid and emit a high-pitched (squeal).
4) The piglet let out a loud (squeal) when the farmer picked it up.
5) The audience couldn't help but (squeal) in excitement when their favorite band took the stage.
6) The door hinges (squeaked) loudly as he opened the creaky cupboard, revealing a hidden stash of treasures.
7) The rusty bicycle chain (squeaked) as she pedaled her way up the steep hill.
8) When the puppy's favorite toy was squeezed, it emitted a playful (squeak) that made him wag his tail.
9) As the roller coaster descended at high speed, the thrill-seekers couldn't help but let out exhilarated (squeals).
10) The classroom was silent, except for the occasional (squeak) of a chair as the students shifted in their seats.
11) The mouse scurried across the floor, leaving behind tiny footprints and the faint (squeak) of its movement.
12) The baby squeezed a rubber toy, causing it to make a delightful (squeal) that filled the room.
13) Startled by the unexpected noise, she let out a surprised (squeal) and dropped the dish she was holding.
Lecture: SM Noro
He introduced "Opposites List" as shown below.
- Appearance, Personality, Feelings for discribing people
1) beautiful/ gorgeous/ handsome/ pretty →ugly/ hideous
2) feminine→macho
3) adult/ grown up/ mature→babyish/ immature/ juvenile
4) proud→humble/modest
5) bold/ brave/ courageous→cautious/ cowardly/ timid
6) crazy/insane/mad→sane
7) easy-going /indulgent/ lenient/ relax→strict
8) generous→mean/stingy
9) angry/upset→calm
10) boiling/roasting→freezing/frozen
11) distracted→focused
12) willing→reluctant/unwilling
- Adjectives for discribing objects, places
13) ancient/ antique→ brand new/ cutting-edge/ the latest
14) back to front/ inside out→ the right way round
15) breakable/fragile → hard-wearing/ hardy / sturdy
16) common/popular → rare/ exclusive
17) custom-made/ tailor-made → off-the-shelf/ standard
18) disposable → reusable
19) flat/ horizontal → pointing up/ virtical
20) fresh → rotten/ stale
21) pure → contaminated/ impure
22) slippery → sticky
23) upside down → the right way up
24) authentic → fake
25) rural → urban
26) partial → total
27) permanent → temporary
- Verbs, Phrasal verbs
28) accept/ choose/ select → decline/ reject/ refuse/ turn down
29) add → remove/ subtract/ take away
30) appy/ put on → remove/ strip off/ take off
31) arrange/ classify/ organize/ put into order→ mess up/ mix up
32) assemble/ put together → dismaltle/ disassemble/ take apart
33) bend/ flex → flatten/ straighten
34) blame/ criticise → praise
35) bless → curse
36) brighten → fade
37) coat/ cover/ wrap → strip/ uncover
38) conceal/ hide → reveal
39) cut → paste
40) dread → look forward to
41) give up → persevere
42) grant → refuse
43) help → hinder
44) improve → worsen
45) move → remain
46) freeze → melt
47) relax → tense up
48) save → spend/ waste
49) carry on/ keep on/ stick on → give in/ give up
50) chill out→ stress out
51) cool down/ warm up
52) look down on → look up to
53) eat in → take away/ take out
54) mess up → sort out/ tidy up
- Nouns
55) boss → subodinate
56) follower → leader
57) customer → supplier
58) coward → hero
59) native → foreigner
60) blame/ criticism→ praise
61) democracy → dictatorship
62) gloss → matt
63) poetry → prose
64) vice → virtue
65) exterior → interior
66) comedy → tragedy
67) failure → success
68) benefits → drawback
69) everyone/ everybody → no one/ nobody
70) antonym/ opposite → synonym
Table Topic Speech
1) Your favorite relative
2) What's the most significant effect of the internet?
3) Importance of communication
4) The worst/best book you've ever read
5) What I fear most
Prepared Speech
1) Listening to others is vital: SM Eda
Lots of perpetrators are commiting all kinds of crimes, such as unprovoked war, murders, fraud...
In my opinion, we live in days that some can keep yesmen and fire people who have courage to oppose their leaders if necessary. In the end, there's nobody who can stop the leaders' stupid idea. That's what's going on in an autocratic nation.
Most of us don't have such a great power, but we may be mean or indifferent to others.
One of the reasons is the Internet. We can get what or who want and we can reject them if we are offended by them. We can gather what we want and throw away what we don't want but is really
needed.
We can be like these selfish people rather easily. I sometimes find myself become self-centered and don't put myself in their shoes. I believe we'd be a lot better off if we become we become considerate of others.
2) OALD and Me: Sm Yu. Narisawa
What English dictionary do you all often use? I personally use the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 8th edition installed on my PC. It's very user-friendly and easy to read, so I find it very useful. These days people mainly use digital dictionaries. I also do. By the way, recently, I bought a new used PC, the same type of which I use, because the one I had been using was showing signs of potential failure at any moment. But it’s still now working OK.
Anyway today’s topic is not about my new used PC though it’s a little to do with it, but the problem was the 8th edition of OALD was missing, so I had to install on my new used PC the 7th edition instead, its previous edition. It's quite cumbersome to operate, and it takes a relatively long time to start up. Nevertheless, I couldn't bring myself to buy the 8th edition, the same version as I use on the old used PC just because it made me feel it would be a waste of money if I bought the same one. When I looked into buying the 10th edition, the latest edition, I discovered that it would only come with a four-year license, and after four years, I would have to renew the contract. I realized that the 9th edition would be the last one I could purchase and use indefinitely. In that sense the 9th edition was perfect.
In conclusion, I bought a used 9th edition at 2,300 yen from Amazon, and I'm extremely satisfied with it.
PS. Three hours after I finished this script, I happened to find my missing 8th edition deep in a bookshelf I didn’t usually put CDs in. Murphy’s Law says, the thing you are looking for will be found as soon as you stop searching.
3) Rising prices in Japan: SM Takahata
She told that her's been struggling dramatic increase in her home energy costs as well as rising food prices. These rising prices are caused by increases in several kinds of costs in Japan, like logistics, raw materials and electricity as well as weak yen. As a minor resistance to food price rise, she tries to go to a supermarket less frequently and to use up foods without any waste. But she said it might be like a drop in the bucket.
Meeting Schedule
In-person: 9:30 AM on Jun. 24 at Oyama Community Center
(Coordinator: SM Eda, Word of the Day: SM Noro, Lecturer: SM Takahata)
Zoom: 7:30 PM on Jun. 12, 19, 26
