外国でも平和を話し合うために

アダム・ベック

米国イリノイ州出身。ニューヨークの大学と、サンフランシスコの大学院で演劇を勉強。大学院生のときに「ピースコール」というボランティアとして、ヨーロッパのチェコで英語の先生をした。広島市東区在住。

English Challenge

皆さん、今日はちゃんと朝食を食べましたか。私は米国で生活していたころからの習慣で、シリアルに牛乳をかけて食べました。完璧な朝食とは言えませんが、体のこと、そして昼食まで活動するエネルギーが必要なことを考えると、毎日きちんと朝食を取ることは大切なのです。

前回の課題は「ちゃんと食べていますか。今より健全な食生活のためにどんなことができると思いますか」でした。広島市西区のXiaoさんは時々朝食を抜いていたら太ったそうです。朝食を取らなければ体重は減ると思いがちですが、朝食をきちんと食べている人の方が活発に活動でき、健康的な体重を保っているのです。

Xiaoさんは「I know it's bad for my health, but it's difficult to change my habit.（体に良くないと分かっていますが、習慣を変えるのは難しい）」とつづっています。同感です。私は夜寝る前にいつもお菓子を食べてしまい、良くない習慣だと思っています。まずは問題を認識し、注意することが重要です。私はもっと健康的なお菓子を食べるか、夢の中でアイスクリームを食べることにしようと思います！

今回の課題へジャンプ

　　前回の日本語訳

Do you eat well? What could you do to have healthier eating habits?

食べていますか。今より健全な食生活のためにどんなことができると思いますか

In general, I think I eat pretty well. There are two reasons why. First, because I live in Japan, I can eat a lot of healthy food every day like rice and fish. In America, there is so much junk food and it's more difficult to maintain healthy eating habits. If I still lived in America, I think I would be fatter now, like many Americans. And the second reason is because my wife is a good cook and she makes healthy meals for me and my children. If I had to cook - and I can't cook very well at all - I'm sure my meals would not be so healthy. I would probably eat pizza every day! At the same time, it's true that I could be more careful about snacks. I eat too many snacks, especially sweets like chocolate and ice cream. When you read this essay, I will probably be eating a big box of Valentine's Day chocolate!

概して、私はちゃんとした食事をしていると思います。それには二つの理由があります。一つは、日本に住んでいて、米や魚など健康的な物を毎日食べられるからです。米国は、高カロリーで低栄養な物が多く、健康的な食習慣を保つのは難しいのです。もしも今、米国に住んでいたら、多くの米国人と同じように、今より太っていたと思います。二つ目の理由は、妻が料理上手で、私と子どものために健康的な食事を作ってくれるからです。もしも私が料理をしないといけなくなったら（私は料理が苦手です）健康的なメニューにならないのは間違いないでしょう。毎日ピザになると思います！が、同時にお菓子を食べるのには、今より気を付けるようになるでしょう。チョコレートやアイスクリームなどの甘い物を中心にお菓子をいつも食べ過ぎているので…。皆さんにエッセーを読んでもらっているころには、私は沢山のバレンタインチョコレートを食べていることでしょう！

ベックさんのコメント

Ms. vine eggs :	I like oysters, but my wife is allergic to them so we never eat them at home. I can't complain much, though, because she's a good cook and she makes healthy meals for me and my children. She also tries to provide us with "foods in season"-I think that was the expression you were looking for in your essay. Also, when you talk about age, say "When I was in my 20s" or "She's in her 30s."
Ms. Xiao :	Thank you for your well-written essay. I completely understand. It’s hard for me to change my eating habits, too. But let’s keep trying! For the last sentence of your essay, I suggest something like this would be more natural: “For now, I would like to eat less junk food, and more healthy food.” I look forward to your next essay!
Ms. bison :	Thanks for writing again! I have a “sweet tooth,” too, so I understand how difficult it is to stop eating sweets! I’m determined, though, to do better. Good luck to you, too! As for your essay, here’s a suggestion: use the expressions “gain weight” and “lose weight.” For example: “Recently, I’ve gained weight.” or “He lost a lot of weight!” Keep writing! Keep improving!
Ms. MURATA :	It’s funny, when I lived at home with my mother, my eating habits were poor because my mother can’t cook! And they were even worse when I was living on my own! Fortunately, my wife is a good cook and she makes healthy meals for us. Otherwise, I think I would be very, very fat! About your essay, just a couple of suggestions: “In the past, I...”; “live at home”; “for a long time”

さて、今回のひろしま国の特集は、田舎暮らしの良さを取り上げています。私も米国イリノイ州の田舎で育ったので、田舎暮らしの魅力はよく分かります。ということで、皆さんの住んでいる所についておたずねします。今回の課題は「あなたが暮らしている地域の良さは何ですか」です。いつも通り、私の回答例を読み、自分でエッセーを考えてください。

What is something you like about the place where you live?

I've lived in Ushita for a few years. One thing I like about Ushita is the fact that it's an interesting area. Old and new houses side by side; narrow, winding streets; hills and woods - it's a good place to go for a walk. I take a walk almost every day and I'm always surprised by something. On the day I wrote this essay, in fact, I took a walk after lunch and was strolling along a small, quiet street when I suddenly saw a "tanuki"! I stopped and stared at it. It stopped and stared at me. Then it limped away. It was limping because one of its back legs was somehow injured. Of course, it's rare to see a "tanuki", but I think it's always possible to see something surprising if we keep our eyes open wide to the world around us. And, for me, seeing something surprising each day helps keep life fresh and interesting.

＜Vocabulary＞
narrow＝狭い, winding＝曲がりくねった, stroll＝散策する, stare＝じっと見る, limp＝足を引きずる, rare＝めずらしい

　※締め切りは３月６日（必着）です。

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