The Great Wall of China (an excerpt)
Walls and wall building have played a very important role in Chinese culture. These
people, from the dim mists of prehistory have been wall-conscious; from the
Neolithic period – when ramparts of pounded earth were used - to the Communist
Revolution, walls were an essential part of any village. Not only towns and villages;
the houses and the temples within them were somehow walled, and the houses
also had no windows overlooking the street, thus giving the feeling of wandering
around a huge maze. The name for “city” in Chinese (ch’eng) means wall, and over
these walled cities, villages, houses and temples presides the god of walls and
mounts, whose duties were, and still are, to protect and be responsible for the
welfare of the inhabitants. Thus a great and extremely laborious task such as
constructing a wall, which was supposed to run throughout the country, must not
have seemed such an absurdity.
この英文自体がなじみのないストーリーだったので、理解するのが難しかったです。
先生がフィリピン人で、フィリピンからスカイプでやりとりするので、教材の内容は、東南アジアや
中国に基づいたストーリーになります。
欧米やオセアニアといった英語圏の国の文化に触れる機会は、英語を習う上で、経験して
きたのですが、レッスンを通して、新たにフィリピンを主として、東南アジアの文化に触れる事ができます。
1.ramparts= wall
The ramparts goes all the way around the prison grounds.
2.poundered= pulverized, powdered
Tough cuts of beef were poundered to soften them before cooking.
3.essential=vital,critical
An occupation is essential for a comfortable lifestyle
4. overlooking= able to see over an area
Overlooking the beach is the restaurant at the top of the resort building.
5. wandering = walk, roam
On some mornings, I prefer to just wander around to enjoy the scenery.
6. maze = labyrinth, difficult to navigate
Many guests have gotten lost in the maze at the garden.
7. presides = control, supervise
The Prime Minister shall presides over the proceedings.
8. welfare = interests, benefit
The integral priority of a parent should be the welfare of the children.
9. inhabitants = occupant, dweller
Ring the door bell to see if the inhabitants are home.
10.absurdity = irrationality, meaninglessness
When I was younger, too many things were an absurdity to me.
スカイプ英会話
人気ブログランキングへ ブログランキングに参加しました
クリックして応援してね！
にほんブログ村 こっちもクリックしてね
