2023/07/08(土)SMC
President’s remark
It’s amazing how many people I have come to know through the activities of SMC. I always appreciate that SMC has been helpful not just in improving my English abilities but in alleviating loneliness after my retirement. I fervently hope we develop friendship through learning English at SMC.
Word of the Day: SM Eda
"affirmative"
The Supreme Court of the United States strikes down college affirmative actrion programs. The ruling is the culumination of decates of effort to end the consideration in admission.
"Affirmative action" is a policy designed to redress past discrimination against women and minority groups through measures. It is meant to improve thier economic and educational oportunities. This underlined expression was coined by President John F. Keneddy. Some women and minority group members can get into university a lot more easily than cancasions in this system.
President Biden didn't like the Supreme Court's ruling because he thought that affirmative actions quota system is good, whereas formet U.S. President Donald Trump believed otherwise.
Thaks to this system, a certain percentages of minoroty groups and women are allowed to be enrolled. However, not only causations but also very smart and studius Asian Americans cannot attend prestigious universities even thouth thier entrance exam or Achievement test scores are much higher than those of women or minority group applicants.
We cannot say, "Mr. Trump is always in the wrong" about this matter.
Here're some useful expressions.
1) answer in the affirmative
2) an affirmative vote
3) an affirmative outlook
4) an affirmative attitude
5) an affirmative defense
6) an affirmative mindset
7) an affimative sentense (grammar)
8) take the affirmative
Lecture: SM Yoko Narisawa
[ Word Definition ]
Come up with a word which is suitable for the definition.
1. ( solitude ) : the state of being alone or isolated from others, especially when this is what you enjoy
2. ( onomatopoeia ) : the use of words that sound like the thing that they are describing, such as ‘ buzz ’ or ‘ sizzle ’
3. ( eloquence ) : speech that is vivid, forceful, fluent, graceful and persuasive
4. ( ubiquitous ) : present or found everywhere, widespread
5. ( melancholy ) : a feeling of sadness or gloom
6. ( fantasy ) : a story, film etc that is based on imagination and not facts
7. ( firefly ) : an insect with a tail that shines in the dark
8. ( category ) : a group of people or things that are all of the same type
9. ( legacy ) : something that happens or exists as a result of things that happened at an earlier time
10. ( strategy ) : a planned series of actions for achieving something
[ Riddles ]
1. I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I ? A. __An echo___
2. I can fly without wings. I can cry without eyes. Wherever I go, darkness follows me. What am I ? A. __A cloud___
3. What is always in front of you, but can’t be seen ?
A. _The future____
4. I am taken from a mine and in the central part of a wooden stick. You use it for writing or drawing. I am used by a lot of people. What am I ?
A. _Pencil lead___
5. I am full of keys, but I can’t open any locks. What am I ?
A. __A piano___
6. Add ten to nothing and what animal does it make ?
A. __ox___
7. What gets wet while drying ? A. __A towel___
8. The more you have of me, the less you see. What am I ?
A. __Darkness__
9. What belongs to you, but is used more by others ? A. _Your name___
10. What has a head a tail, but no body ? ___A coin___
Table Topic Speech
1) What is normal is decided by the society we live in
2) Who has been the most influential person in your life and why?
3) Climate chnge is a natural occurence
4) What goes around comes around
5) Manners matter
Prepared Speech
1) Unusual lecture style: SM Kakisu
I am organizing the NPO which is called “JESO”,Japan Employability Support Organization.
Main purpose of JESO is to support employee’s employability through skill development to meet with new technologies on their work places, and also to support students who are seeking job.
Now the pandemic is over. And social activities are returning to pre-Corona state. JICA has also started many programs to accept trainees from overseas to Japan.
JESO has been sending instructors to JICA training programs in Japan for 20 years.
One such training program is for people of Japanese descent, NIKKEI, and will be held for three days next week. The participants for this training will be from Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, and Peru.
Their languages are Portuguese, Spanish, and Japanese. The aim of the training is to learn advanced Japanese production system , specifically we will teach the Toyota Production System.
The instructor is a NPO member and an engineer. He has over 30 years experience in production system at Toyota Motor Corporation. He is not good at English, so the lecture is given in Japanese, and the textbook and PowerPoint are in Japanese. Then JESO translated these materials into English.
From now on I start the main part of my speech.
The lecturer explains in Japanese. Two interpreters will be assigned, one in Portuguese and one in Spanish. The textbook is in English, but some participants understand Japanese better than English so we will provide Japanese textbook also. The PowerPoint presentation will be in English.
Actual lectures will be conducted as follows:
(1) Explanations will be given in Japanese using the English PowerPoint
(2) Interpretation will be provided in Spanish and Portuguese.
(3) Textbook will be in English and Japanese.
Like this. This is unusual lecture style isn’t it?
Although the training will be conducted in such an unusual lecture style, the trainees will return home having learned the advanced production system of Japan, and will be able to contribute to the development of industry in their respective countries. I am looking forward to seeing next week's lecture.
2) Out of sight, out of mind: SM Kei Narisawa
Once you have no use for anything, you gradually forget them. How many of you still remember the school song of your junior high school or high school, even though you have sung them a thousand times? Likewise, he doesn’t want English to go the same way as the school songs. That’s where SMC comes in. We should make full use of SMC to stay in touch with English.
3) Change in the ways to listen to music: SM Takahata
The speaker talked about the change in the ways to listen to music over the past few decades. She was nostalgic about the time when she deligently listened to music by records, casssette tapes or on the radio. The emergence of digital formats created a profound shift. We are allowed to download music from flatforms like ITune Stores, which made it possible to enjoy music anytime and anywhere. She has a lot of CDs, including those she no longer listen to. But she said it's hard to dispose of them.
Meeting Schedule
In-person: 9:30 AM on Jul. 22 at Oyama Community Center
(Coordinator: SM Kei Narisawa, Word of the Day: SM Takahata, Lecturer: SM Yu. Narisawa)
Zoom: 7:30 PM on Jul. 10, 17, 24, 31
