2024/3/9(土)SMC

Word of the Day: SM Eda

The usage of "many" and "much

Lecture: SM Noro

Correct the Mistakes

1. She recommended me that I take a few days off from work.

2. I tried to explain him the problem, but he had difficulty understanding me.

3. I don’t know why you didn’t go. If I were you, I should have gone.

4. Kate claims that if she got an MBA after finishing her bachelor’s degree, she might have been considered for the position.

5. Kevin says he stopped to travel internationally because of his family.

6. We regret informing you that your application has been denied.

7. The interview was broadcasted live over the internet.

8. I’m so glad that he spoke in my behalf because I felt awful that I couldn’t make it to the event.

9. At first I studied engineering in college, but I ended getting a marketing degree.

10. It was a frustrating situation because we were uncapable of helping.

11. When the check came, I tried to pay but John told me to put away my wallet and insisted that he paid for dinner.

12. They had managed a few crisises in the past, so they were able to handle this situation fairly well.

13. If you would’ve told me, I would have given you my honest advice.

14. The four participants discussed it between themselves.

15. We thought we were going to expand this year, but we actually have less people now than we did two years ago.

16. She’s trying to concentrate herself on finishing her degree.

17. Unfortunately, the species has gotten extinct due to human activity.

18. I’m a little afraid to do this by my own.

19. He told me that he had never been in that restaurant before.

20. Never before I had seen something quite like that.

[Answers]

(The words displayed in red should be deleted and that displayed in blue should be added.)

1. She recommended me that I take a few days off from work.

2. I tried to explain him the problem the problem to him, but he had difficulty understanding me.

3. I don’t know why you didn’t go. If I were you, I should would have gone.

4. Kate claims that if she got had gotten an MBA after finishing her bachelor’s degree, she might have been considered for the position.

5. Kevin says he stopped to travel traveling internationally because of his family.

6. We regret informing to inform you that your application has been denied.

7. The interview was broadcasted live over the internet.

8. I’m so glad that he spoke in on my behalf because I felt awful that I couldn’t make it to the event.

9. At first, I studied engineering in college, but I ended up getting a marketing degree.

10. It was a frustrating situation because we were unincapable of helping.

11. When the check came, I tried to pay but John told me to put away my wallet and insisted that he paid pay for dinner.

12. They had managed a few crisises crises in the past, so they were able to handle this situation fairly well.

13. If you would’ve had told me, I would have given you my honest advice.

14. The four participants discussed it between among themselves.

15. We thought we were going to expand this year, but we actually have less fewer people now than we did two years ago.

16. She’s trying to concentrate herself on finishing her degree.

17. Unfortunately, the species has gotten become/gone extinct due to human activity.

18. I’m a little afraid to do this by on my own (or by myself).

19. He told me that he had never been in to that restaurant before.

20. Never before I had had I seen something quite like that.

Table Topic Speech

(1) What is the one thing you would most like to change about the world?

(2) When you are 80 years old, what will matter to your the most?

(3) What's the most recent dream you remember having while sleeping?

(4) Whoud you break the law to save a beloved one?

(5) When was the last time you felt lucky?

(6) When did you first realize tha tlife is short?

(7) What are you most grateful for?

(8) What does the 'American Dream' mean t you?

(9) What is your favorite quote?

(10) What do you love to practice?

(11) What does your joy look like today?

Prepared Speech

(1) Hangul: SM Ishimura

I’ve been in charge of washing dishes and cleaning rooms at home for about 7 years. Washing dishes isn’t fun at all. However, I prefer washing dishes to cleaning rooms because over the many years of doing dishes, I’ve been listening to simple Korean conversation on tape for about 30 minutes every morning, and thanks to that, I’ve become able to understand basic Korean.

You know, one really cool thing about Korean language is how it all started with Hangul, the Korean alphabet.  Back in the 15th century, King Sejong the Great decided that people needed a simpler way to write than those complicated Chines characters they were using at that time.

 So, he got a bunch of smart folks together and they came up with Hangul. It’s like an alphabet with 24 letters that represent sounds which makes it way easier to learn than those characters.

  Another interesting thing is how Korean and Japanese have similar words order;

Like Subject - Object - Verb.

  Okay, Leaning Korean isn’t all sunshine and rainbow. The pronunciation can be a real challenge, especially if you’re used to different sounds in your own Language. Understanding how they combine letters to produce sounds can be challenging, especially for Japanese speakers who are accustomed to a different writing system. There are consonants that change pronunciation.

And, did you know that Hangul is so special that UNESCO actually called it a Masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity. It’s pretty amazing how something as simple as an alphabet can have such a big impact on literacy and culture.

 So Yeah, Learning Korean isn’t just about the words and grammar. It’s like diving into a whole new world of language and culture.

Isn’t that what makes it so fascinating?    감사합니다

(2) Our future: SM Yoko Narisawa

 The world is evolving and improving day by day. Technological evolution can be seen in various fields. I’m truly impressed by the technological advancements created by humans, including AI. I stumbled upon a website called ‘ future lens ’. It introduced various latest technologies. I’d like to introduce two of them.

 1. House built with styrofoam

This is a dome-shaped house with specially processed styrofoam. It is surprisingly hard and doesn’t easily deteriorate over time. The house moves with the ground and is less susceptible to damage from earthquake motion. And moreover, the construction period is short. It is suitable for temporary housing in disaster-stricken areas.

 2. Super high-tech underground bicycle parking lot

We need not worry about theft or rain with this parking lot. It is located underground. There is only one booth for entering and exiting bicycles above the ground. All you have to do is press the button when entering and touch your card when exiting. It takes only 10 seconds to retrieve the bicycle from there. By making a parking contract, you can use it anytime and easily.

 Various technological innovations are progressing without our knowledge. I hope they will make our lives better and more comfortable.

(3) Self introduction: SM M.G

I joined this club last time, so I'm going to introduce myself. Since this is an English speech club, I am going to talk about my English journey.

I started to study English when I was a junior high school student.

My major was English literature at university, and I became a teacher in a junior high school. Then I quit and became a youth pastor at a baptist church. I quit that job when I got married, then I moved to Tokyo. I am a housewife now.

Until my first born child became three years old, I spoke English at home. However, when my child started to go to parks, I stopped using English.

Around 4 or 5 years ago, I had a chance to talk with my children's friend's mother who was an American. She didn't understand my English. I was shocked.

(I could have talked with native speakers before) My husband is a native speaker, too. So, I restarted studying English, starting from pronunciation. (I improved a lot)

Sometimes I do intensive studying, and other times I took rest from studying for a while. Now I joined this club, where there are a lot of good laughs.

(4) What's positive about 'Dodgers'?: SM Kaneko

I spoke about what is positive in the name 'Dodgers'.

Most baseball-team names have positive meanings. For example, 'Giants' is big, 'Tigers' is strong, 'Carp' is beautiful, etc. However, 'Dodgers' sounds rather negative because it might be from the verb 'dodge'. The synonyms of 'dodge' might be 'avoid' or 'duck'. 'Avoiders'? 'Duckers'? I searched this problem on the Internet and seem to find an answer.

Although now in LA, Dodgers was once located in Brooklyn, NYC with another name. At that time, there were trolley cars and the team's fans needed to 'dodge' them to reach the ballpark. Hence, the fans were called 'Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers' and  the team adopted the name (later simply 'Dodgers'). By doing so, it seems that the team showed strong ties with its fans. I think it is one of the positive aspects of the name 'Dodgers'. What do you think about it?

(5) Shimokitazawa Drama Festival: SM Koizumi

Shimokitazawa, often hailed as "The town of Drama," has been hosting this remarkable festival since 1990. This year, 20 incredible groups graced the stages of various theaters across Shimokitazawa, including the renowned Honda Theater, The Suzunari, The Ekimae Theater, OFF・OFF Theater, and Kitazawa Town Hall, among others, throughout the month of February.

I’ve watched one of these dramas, "Rouba no kyuujitsu," last month.  It marked my first attendance at the Shimokitazawa Drama Festival since the onset of the global pandemic.

The storyline unfolded as an audition for the part of "Roman Holiday," orchestrated by 11 talented women, with 8 candidates vying for the coveted role, and 3 judges.

Each of the eight candidates displayed a powerful, unique personality through their acting, dancing, and singing. As time marched on, the tension escalated, with all candidates aspiring to be the heroine, only to face rejection from the judges who deemed them too mature for the role of Audrey.

Chaos ensued, and just when all seemed lost, a surprising hero emerged – none other than Honda Kazuo, an 89-year-old professional actor and a prominent figure in Shimokitazawa.

　　Honda Kazuo was once a actor of “Shin-Toho” but couldn’t get good part of the play.  After quitting the actor started bar in Shimokitazawa.  As his friends of actors and actress enjoying at his bar, his bar was popular. His business expanded great and finally he made a big building to manage Honda Theater.  Gradually he opened many rental places for practicing drama.  Then Shimokitazawa become famous with “The town of drama”.

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the entire cast and crew for their dedication, passion, and the energy they bestowed upon us.

　　I strongly recommend that you mark your calendars for next February and witness this extraordinary festival free of charge. Shimokitazawa awaits, ready to enchant you.

(6) Disappearing Jobs: SM Kei Narisawa

The speech discusses the disappearance of various jobs due to technological advancements, particularly focusing on five specific occupations: bus drivers, guards/building maintenance workers, factory workers, hotel receptionists, and cashiers. It highlights the increasing presence of robots and automation in these roles, citing examples such as robotic servers in restaurants and self-checkout systems in supermarkets. The speaker identifies common factors among these jobs, including technological disruption, low skill requirements, and minimal economic benefits.

The speech also addresses the potential impact of AI on education, mentioning the emergence of advanced AI language models like Elis for language learning. It suggests that while certain jobs may become obsolete, new opportunities, such as drone instructors and remote work for disabled individuals, may arise.

Despite concerns about job displacement, the speaker expresses optimism about the potential of AI and robotics to address societal challenges, such as Japan's declining population and the need for better support for disabled individuals. The speech concludes with a hopeful vision of a future where collaboration and technological innovation contribute to a healthier and happier society.

(7) Relocation to Gunma: SM Odashima

Gunma Prefecture's popularity in 2023 is because it's near to Tokyo, low living costs, and minimal disaster risks. However, residents should expect to depend on cars, hot summers with thunderstorms, and strong dry winds in winter.

Takasaki's rising land prices may be linked to inflation and relocation trends.

Meeting Schedule

In-person: 9:30 AM on Mar. 23 at Oyama Community Center (tea room)

(Coordinator: SM Eda, Word of the Day: SM Ishimura, Lecturer: SM Takahata)

Zoom: 7:30 PM on Mar. 11 and 18