2024/11/9(土)*SMC*
Word of the Day: SM Kei Narisawa
‘What’s the purpose of your trip?’ is an often-asked question at an airport. What would your answer be?
The followings are some of the collocation often used in daily conversation.
1.* Serve a purpose 目的にかなう
"This old chair may look worn, but it still serves a purpose in the kitchen."
"Every piece of furniture in her house serves a purpose."
2. Main purpose
"The main purpose of this meeting is to discuss our budget for next year."
"Her main purpose in moving to the city was to find a job in her field."
3. *For the purpose of の目的のために
"The funds were raised for the purpose of building a new library."
"She enrolled in the course for the purpose of improving her writing skills."
4. On purpose
"He didn't spill the drink on purpose; it was an accident."
"She ignored his message on purpose to make a point."
5. Achieve a purpose 目的を達する
"The team worked hard to achieve the purpose set out by their manager."
"All of these changes were made to achieve the purpose of improving efficiency."
6. *Defeat the purpose 目的に背く
"Skipping meals to lose weight actually defeats the purpose by slowing down your metabolism."
"If we take shortcuts, it will defeat the purpose of this thorough review."
A) The collocations of purpose with asterisk attached are considered especially important. Would you care to compose your own sentences with one of those collocation used in them?
B) Put the following sentence into easy, descriptive English
I don’t really see what purpose was served by his turning into a bookstore clerk to set a trap for
her.
Lecture: SM Kei Narisawa
*Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
Do you remember the Catalonian independence movement in 2017? If you don’t, don’t feel bad because it wasn’t long-lived. In the fall of 2017, people in the Spanish autonomous community (basically what the
Spanish call a province) of Catalonia began protesting against the Spanish government and demanded
independence. Catalonia has always considered themselves somewhat different than the rest of Spain
and likes to point out that their primary language is Catalan, not Spanish. Well, the Catalonian political
leaders announced their independence from Spain in October 2017, calling themselves the Catalan
Republic. It sure looked like they would be the world’s newest country, but Spanish Prime Minister
Mariano Rajoy said, “not so fast, Catalonia.” When Catalonia’s leader Charles Puigdemont was threatened with arrest, he fled the country and the independence movement collapsed. But as ephemeral as
Catalonia’s independence may have been in 2017, there are other notable cases in recent world history.
*Choose a word from among words below meaning similar to ‘somewhat’.
1. sort of 2 somehow 3 quite 4. greatly 5. Vaguely
(Answer: 1)
*"Find a word in the paragraph above that means the opposite of 'ephemeral'."
(Answer: long-lived)
*True or False
Catalonia declared its independence from Spain in 2017. (T)
In Catalonia, people speak Spanish. (F)
Catalonia was just a province in Spain, not a country. (T)
The reason for Catalonia’s demise was because the leader fled. (T)
Catalan Republic still exist now. (T)
There are some reasons for independence. One of the reasons is they speak a slightly different language
than the rest of Spain. (T)
Today, they speak Catalan in the entire of Spain. (F)
Table Topic Speech
(1) What would you like to change?
(2) The effects of color on people
(3) What is your saddist memory?
(4) What activities make you lose track of time?
(5) If I were the opposite sex/president/an author/rich, I would ......
(6) What do you do with the majority of your money?
(7) What are three morale rules you will never break?
Prepared Speech
(1) GSIX: SM Koizumi
I was amazed by the 'GINZA SIX GARDEN' that I visited before a dance event on Saturday morning. Is this really Ginza? The crowded center of Tokyo, surrounded by tall buildings with poor visibility, where everything is expensive and feels out of reach—can this really be Ginza?
Ginza Six is located in the 6th block of Ginza. The name makes it easy to find. From the entrance, take the elevator up to the rooftop. The elevator display is surprising. Out of the 8 floors of commercial spaces, all floors from 1 to 5 are labeled 'Fashion'! Basement 1 is 'Food,' but basement 2 is 'Beauty,' and the 6th floor is 'Art'! This building even has a Tourist Business Center, a bus pick-up/drop-off area, and a Noh Theater.
As I stepped out of the elevator onto the rooftop garden, I entered a 'paradise of water, greenery, and open space.' There’s a large rectangular water pond, big enough to resemble a pool, where kids play on the water surface. Beyond it, you can see Tokyo’s cityscape from Ginza. A pathway from the garden goes around the entire GSIX building. You can see Tokyo Skytree, a tall red-and-white cylindrical building, probably a fire watchtower, ensuring safety in Ginza. Looking down, you can see many buildings with green rooftops. Going further, you can even spot Tokyo Tower and the Rainbow Bridge in the distance. You get a 360-degree view of Ginza, surrounded by tall buildings. The garden is free of charge, spacious, and not too crowded.
I felt quite moved, realizing such a place exists in Ginza. Even Tokyo, a big city that should be hard to live in, has many charming places that may still be unknown to me. If you ever go to Ginza, why not visit the GSIX rooftop garden?"
(2) Currency Museum: SM Yoko Narisawa
New banknotes were issued this July, and we’re getting used to them. We take it for granted that we buy
things with money, but money has played various roles in people’s lives throughout history, adapting to
each era’s needs. Money has a rich history.
The other day I visited the Currency Museum with some old friends. Located near Tokyo Station, next to
the Bank of Japan, the museum is open to visitors every day except Mondays and during the year-end
and New Year holidays, with no entrance fee. Additionally, visitors can receive explanations of the exhibits from the staff. We discovered fascinating new insights into its background.
Today Japanese currency incorporates the world’s most advanced anti-counterfeiting technology,
such as watermarks, 3D holograms and secret marking. Anti-counterfeiting measures have been a
concern for centuries, for instance, during the Edo era, each domain issued han bills and employed
unique techniques to prevent counterfeiting. As one example, a han bill was divided into three parts, with each part printed by a different person and a different color. I was surprised to learn that even in the Edo era, they used various anti-counterfeiting measures.
This visit taught me a lot of interesting things about currency. Money is an indispensable part of our lives. We couldn’t go a day without it. As an old saying goes, “ Money doesn’t grow on trees”, so let’s all be
mindful of how we use it.
(3) ig-lecture: SM Kaneko
ig-lecture*：偽レクチャー
1 barn:（晩）、納屋でね
2 occur:（おっ母ぁ）のヒス起こる
3 shelter:（死、得るたぁ）！、避難所で
4 deny: ～（デナイ）と否定する
5 authority:（恐れてい）るのは、権威
6 subordinate:（サボるでねぇと）部下に言う
7 legitimate:（理事、てめぇと）俺は、合法的な間柄
8 uncommon:（あんこもうん）と入った珍しい饅頭
9 undertake:（アンタ手引く）、それとも引き受ける？
10 lamentable:（ラーメン食べる）悲しき受験生 ('miserable' is better)
11 obey:（欧米）に従う
12 glare:（グレや）しねぇかとにらむ
13 accuracy:（アキラ氏）の正確さ
14 radical:（裸で怒る）急進的な人
15 fluid:（古井戸）の液体
16 obscure:（オンブ好きや）ダッコも好きやと曖昧な子
17 category:（勝て！ガリ）勉して、合格の範疇へ
18 stomach:（舌巻く）程、胃が強い
19 individual:（インド美である）独特の美
20 interrogation:（インドの芸者さん）を尋問する
*ig-lecture: The word "ig-lecture" isn't standard, but it evokes a playful blend of the prefix "ig-" (meaning not) with "lecture," suggesting something that is not a typical lecture or anti-lecture. This could imply a humorous, informal, or unconventional style of presentation, perhaps one that challenges the seriousness or format of traditional lectures.
It brings to mind something like the Ig Nobel Prizes, which honor unusual or amusing research that first makes people laugh and then think. Similarly, an "ig-lecture" could be an engaging, thought-provoking talk that uses humor or irony to convey ideas outside the norm of formal lectures. (ChatGPT)
(4) Manazuru: SM Ishimura
Manazuru is a beautiful coastal town in Kanagawa Prefecture, known for its stunning natural scenery for its stunning natural scenery, clear waters, and abundant seafood. This charming town is perfect for nature lovers, offering hiking trails, coastal walks, and breathtaking views of the surrounding area. This month, I turned 82, and to celebrate, I decided to visit a seafood restaurant called Uni-Sei, which I had last visited over 30 years ago when I was working in Tokyo. We made a reservation for 1 pm on a weekday. We left Sagamihara stn around 10 am., changed trains at Machida and Odawara, and arrived at Manazuru stn around noon. From there, we took a 7-minutes bus ride to Uni-Sei.
At Uni-Sei, we enjoyed platter called Funa-Mori, which included delicacies such as Spiny Lobster, Sea Urchin, chopped Horse Mackerel, fresh Turban Shell sashii, Sea Bream sashimi, and abalone sashimi.
We also savored individual items like grilled turban shell, grilled Kurua shrimp, grilled shizu fish and spiny lobster Miso soup.
Everything was incredibly delicious, and we were very satisfied.
Due to time constraints, we didn't do any sightseeing in Manazuru. However, even at this age, being able to go to Manazuru and enjoy such delicious food and beautiful scenery made me feel very happy.
(5) My news: SM M.G
I recently enjoyed an art exhibition and school festival with my daughter.
I love looking at art and recently discovered AI-made picture books.
I also sang gospel songs at an event and love listening to AI-created music.
I amazed by how AI can now create art, stories, music and sing.
(6) The importance of the basics: SM Eda
Meeting Schedule
In-person: 9:30 AM on Nov. 23 at Oyama Community Center (tea room)
(Coordinator: SM Eda, Word of the Day: SM Yoko Narisawa, Lecturer: SM Takahata)
Zoom: 7:30 PM on Nov. 11 and 18