2025/3/8(土)*SMC*

Word of the Day: SM Yoko Narisawa

[ map ]

< noun >

1. a drawing of a particular area, showing the shape and position of different countries, political borders, natural features such as rivers and mountains, and artificial features such as roads and buildings

Ex. * I’ll draw a map of Tokyo.

    * I’m just trying to find Vancouver on the map.

* a street / road map

2. a drawing of a particular area, showing some kind of special feature, such as the type of weather, population etc.  = chart

Ex. * He bought a map showing the population distribution of Scotland

   * a weather / railway map

3. a very simple drawing that shows a direction of travel between one place and another

Ex. I’ll draw you a quick map if you’re worried about finding the hotel.

[ idioms ]

1. put someone / something on the map

  = make a thing, person, place famous

Ex. The event put the small town on the map.

2. wipe something off the map 

  = destroy something completely

Ex. The explosion wiped the island off the map.

< transitive verb >

1. to make a map of a particular area

Ex. Scientists have mapped the surface of the moon.

2. to discover or show informationn about something, especially about its shape or how it works

Ex. * I have mapped the forest trails.

    * Researchers have mapped the parts of the brain associated with      language learning.

3. to show how something is put together or organized

Ex. After gathering data, the next step is to map the decision-making process.

4. to represent as if on a map 

Ex. Sorrow was mapped on the mother’s face

[ idiom ]

< map out >

1.They mapped out the sea bottom in the area of the sunken ship.

     = drew a map carefully

2. He mapped out a route on the paper.

     = showed information about a route

3. I mapped out my schedule for the next six months.

   = planned something in detail   

Lecture: SM Kei Narisawa

There are 10 blanks to distribute among everyone. Make an educated guess and try to fill in what you 

think is the most appropriate word.

Gertie and Ida Belle both exploded at once. “What were you doing in his lawn?” “He’s going to know we’re up to something!” I held up a (hand) to stop the outrage. “I didn’t intend to be in his lawn. It was an 

(accident).” Then I explained my attempt to sneak to Gertie’s house, my worry about Deputy LeBlanc 

watching me, my bright idea about cutting through a lawn, and the comedy of errors that followed. When I was done, Ida Belle and Gertie looked at each other, their expressions unreadable; then they both 

started (giggling), then laughing. Finally, Gertie sank into the chair next to me with a snort, unable to 

remain (standing), she was laughing so hard. I drummed my fingers on the table and waited for the 

hilarity to (end). Finally, they took a few deep gasping breaths, Ida Belle wiped the (tears) from her eyes 

with the bottom of her blouse, and they sat back in their chairs. “My word,” Ida Belle said, “you have got to have the absolute worst (luck) in the world. The irony of your mother calling you Fortune is priceless.” 

Gertie nodded. “Maybe we should revert to your beauty days and call you Miss Fortune. Get it—(misfortune)?” She started howling with laughter all over again. Ida Belle scrunched up her (face), clearly 

trying to hold it in, but finally, a burst of air came barreling out and she started laughing again. I yanked 

the dish towel from Gertie’s hand and began patting my sore head. “Go ahead and keep laughing,” I said. “You two will die long before me. I’ll get plenty of peace and (quiet) then.” They sobered a bit and reduced 

their laughter to gasping for air. “You have to admit,” Gertie wheezed, “it is an odd coincidence. What are 

the odds that the one lawn you pick belonged to Carter?” “One in forty, given the size of the 

neighborhood,” I said, not nearly as convinced of the hilarity as they (were). “It’s not like I ran across him in Manhattan or something.”

“And he caught you tossing your shoes into the bayou, trying to kill an alligator you thought was a frog, 

eating Sunday lunch with the Sinful Ladies, and the bone was found in your yard,” Ida Belle pointed out. 

“That’s a statistical improbability even for a town this size, especially given the amount of time you’ve been here.” I threw up my hands. “So, what am I supposed to do? You guys got me in the middle of this mess, 

and now it seems no matter what I do, the spotlight is (on) me.”

DeLeon, Jana. Louisiana Longshot (A Miss Fortune Mystery, Book 1) (p.117). Jana DeLeon. Kindle 版. 

Table Topic Speech

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

2) What's the best decision you've ever made?

3) Your favorite island

4) The best way to learn things is....

5) What type of person angers you the most?

6) Unexpected disasters that can happen

7) Which activities make you lose track of time?

Prepared Speech

1) "If I Were": SM Koizumi

 If I Were a Bird, I Would Fly to You Right Now

When I was young, my imagination was boundless. The power of "what if" allowed me to explore endless possibilities. Isn't it wonderful to find joy in imagining "what if"?But as we grow older, we tend to dismiss imagination. We think, "It won’t come true, so there’s no point." We feel that dreaming is futile, even meaningless.

 February 22, the day of "Cat Day" in Japan was also "World Friendship Day."When I looked into World Friendship Day, I discovered that it was established at the 1963 World Scout Conference to honor the birthdays of Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts, and his wife. They shared the same birthday, but were 32 years apart in age! They met in January 1912 and secretly married in October of that same year. He was 55; she was 23. I was truly impressed—but what exactly impressed me?

 To answer that, we need to map out the Baden-Powell’s life story. Baden-Powell was born in England, and his father passed away when he was just three years old. At 19, he joined the military and served in India, Afghanistan, Oman, and South Africa. He excelled in reconnaissance, fought bravely, and rose through the ranks. At 27, he published Aids to Scouting. At 49, he serialized Scouting for Boys in a magazine, which inspired boys to start patrol activities—the foundation of the Boy Scouts. At 53, he retired from the military to devote himself to the scouting movement. He helped establish the Boy Scouts of America. In 1912, while traveling the world at age 55, he met 23-year-old Olave and secretly married her. They had one son and two daughters.

 If I Were Baden-Powell...   I would not have joined the military.  I would not have traveled across different countries.  I would not have engaged in reconnaissance or combat.  I would not have devoted my life to children's education after retiring.  I would not have had the passion to marry at such an advanced age.  Baden-Powell transcended geographical, physical, and temporal limitations.  His energy, wisdom, and vision for the future were almost divine.

 If I Were Baden-Powell, I would advise myself like this to say.  Here’s My Advice:  Don’t say you can’t—just try!  Move forward with what you believe is important now.  Believe in yourself and keep moving forward.  As you grow, you will develop skills in observation, critical thinking, and cooperation.  And with that, hope for the future will naturally arise.  I leave it in your hands.

2) Do you have any favorite raw food that may cause food poisoning?: SM Takahata

She talked about food poisoning caused by raw seafood and meat. She said that her sister's family suffered from food poisoning caused by raw oysters recently. She introduced the risk of food poisoning caused by raw seafood and meat, such as type-A hepatitis and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Actually, her elder sister's husband developed type-A hepatitis from raw oysters and was in a critical state for a while about 20 years ago. She decided not to eat raw oysters when witnessing her brother-in-law's oyster incident. She asked us, "Is there any food you would still eat, even if it has a risk of food poisoning?"

3) Something New: SM Kaneko

  It’s March. Although it’s still cold, I feel that spring has begun. If I were to divide the year into four seasons, I would assign three months to each: March, April, and May for spring; June, July, and August for summer; September, October, and November for autumn; and December, January, and February for winter. I recently noticed that each season starts with a month that is a multiple of three—3, 6, 9, and 12. This was the first time I had thought about it this way.

  Speaking of experiencing something for the first time, here’s another story. Two weeks ago, I invited our leader, SM Kei Narisawa, to another English study group I belong to, called English 109. I needed to tell him the name of the facility where our meetings are held—"Waku-Waku Plaza Machida." However, somehow, in his mind, it turned into "Hono-Bono Machida." I’m sure I never said that because I had never heard of "Hono-Bono Machida" before. But after our conversation, I found it amusing and even pleasant to hear. It made me wonder—do I have a "Hono-Bono" personality?

  Experiencing something new is always refreshing. That’s the message I’d like to share as we welcome the start of spring.

  Thank you!

4) Pet turtle: SM M.G

My family has a pet turtle.

He is not like usual turtle because he tries to communicate with us. For example, when he is hungry and needs more attention from us, he splashes his hands. He is like a dog.

5) The power of songs: SM Eda

Meeting Schedule

In-person: 9:30 AM on Mar. 22 at Oyama Community Center (tea room)

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

Zoom: 7:30 PM on Mar. 10 and 17