Comments about Reading
Kaito - 6/6/2019
I read Toy Story 2. The Japanese title of this book is Omocha no Monogatari (トイストーリー). This book was published in 1999. The release date in Japan was March 11, 2000. This is also a Disney movie and a world popular movie. This book is level 3 and the number of words in this book is 748. In this story, there is a dream that the toys move. I have seen this movie many times. I think that this movie is great CG.
I learned various words from this book. I will introduce them. The first is storage (保管する). The word means "keep from being damaged or lost". Another word is airport (空港). This is the place everyone uses to go on a trip. It is a familiar word.
I was able to find two words by doing this task, but these words are junior high school student level. I need to study more words and I need to acquire grammar skill and basis knowledge. For that reason, I have bought a junior high school student level word book.
I read Toy Story 2. The Japanese title of this book is Omocha no Monogatari (トイストーリー). This book was published in 1999. The release date in Japan was March 11, 2000. This is also a Disney movie and a world popular movie. This book is level 3 and the number of words in this book is 748. In this story, there is a dream that the toys move. I have seen this movie many times. I think that this movie is great CG.
I learned various words from this book. I will introduce them. The first is storage (保管する). The word means "keep from being damaged or lost". Another word is airport (空港). This is the place everyone uses to go on a trip. It is a familiar word.
I was able to find two words by doing this task, but these words are junior high school student level. I need to study more words and I need to acquire grammar skill and basis knowledge. For that reason, I have bought a junior high school student level word book.
Wataru - 6/6/2019
I borrowed The Journey To The West from the library of Tsurumi University. This book was written in China in the 16th century. This story is known as 西遊記 (Saiyuki) in Japan. I already knew this story, but I forgot the end of the story. That’s why I tried to read this book again.
The main characters are 4 people (1 person and 3 monsters.): Sun Wukong (孫悟空), Sanzang (三蔵法師), Zhu Wuneng (猪八戒) and Sha Wujing (沙悟浄). They are travelling to India to get holy books from Buddha, but they have to fight many monsters and demons (creatures) in their journey. I think this book is written for children, but the book is rich in content.
I learned some new English expressions by reading this book. The first one is “monk (修道士)”. This word is "a person who live for religion". In this book, Sanzang was called a monk by Guanyin. In this book, this word was used for Buddhism. The second one is “Guanyin (観音)”. This word is one of the deities in Buddhism stories.
I read a Chinese traditional story in English. I think reading English books is good. This is because books are easy to try to read for non-native speakers of English. [?] I’d like to start reading easy English books.
I borrowed The Journey To The West from the library of Tsurumi University. This book was written in China in the 16th century. This story is known as 西遊記 (Saiyuki) in Japan. I already knew this story, but I forgot the end of the story. That’s why I tried to read this book again.
The main characters are 4 people (1 person and 3 monsters.): Sun Wukong (孫悟空), Sanzang (三蔵法師), Zhu Wuneng (猪八戒) and Sha Wujing (沙悟浄). They are travelling to India to get holy books from Buddha, but they have to fight many monsters and demons (creatures) in their journey. I think this book is written for children, but the book is rich in content.
I learned some new English expressions by reading this book. The first one is “monk (修道士)”. This word is "a person who live for religion". In this book, Sanzang was called a monk by Guanyin. In this book, this word was used for Buddhism. The second one is “Guanyin (観音)”. This word is one of the deities in Buddhism stories.
I read a Chinese traditional story in English. I think reading English books is good. This is because books are easy to try to read for non-native speakers of English. [?] I’d like to start reading easy English books.
Tsubasa - 6/6/2019
I'm not good at reading books, but I think reading books is important, so I borrowed an English book from the Tsurumi University Library. The title of the book is Pinocchio. I think Pinocchio is famous all over the world. The reason I chose Pinocchio is because I like the Disney version. I have read some Disney books written in English in the past. Most of them were easy. The Pinocchio I borrowed this time wasn't Disney, but I thought it was easy to read because I knew the contents.
I learned some words from Pinocchio. First, I learned "Be mad at 〜". The meaning is "〜に腹を立てる" in Japanese and "get angry" in English. Second, I learned "swallow". The meaning is "飲み込む" in Japanese and "to move something from one's mouth into one's stomach" in English.
I understood most of the English in Pinocchio, but some English I didn't know. I could learn English by reading an English book. Books can be simple to difficult, so you can tailor the book to your level. I have read only simple books so far, but I would like to try more difficult books. If you want to learn English that you don't know, I recommend that you try challenging books that are somewhat difficult. [Maybe, but if you soon give up because it's too difficult, then you won't make progress. I think you should find a level that's just a little higher than your level if you want to keep reading. - Kevin]
I'm not good at reading books, but I think reading books is important, so I borrowed an English book from the Tsurumi University Library. The title of the book is Pinocchio. I think Pinocchio is famous all over the world. The reason I chose Pinocchio is because I like the Disney version. I have read some Disney books written in English in the past. Most of them were easy. The Pinocchio I borrowed this time wasn't Disney, but I thought it was easy to read because I knew the contents.
I learned some words from Pinocchio. First, I learned "Be mad at 〜". The meaning is "〜に腹を立てる" in Japanese and "get angry" in English. Second, I learned "swallow". The meaning is "飲み込む" in Japanese and "to move something from one's mouth into one's stomach" in English.
I understood most of the English in Pinocchio, but some English I didn't know. I could learn English by reading an English book. Books can be simple to difficult, so you can tailor the book to your level. I have read only simple books so far, but I would like to try more difficult books. If you want to learn English that you don't know, I recommend that you try challenging books that are somewhat difficult. [Maybe, but if you soon give up because it's too difficult, then you won't make progress. I think you should find a level that's just a little higher than your level if you want to keep reading. - Kevin]
Chie - 6/5/2019
I read The Little Prince. The Japanese title of this book is “Hoshi no Oujisama“ (星の王子さま). This book, which was published in 1943, is famous in the world because its world circulation has reached more than 145 million, It has been translated into more than 270 languages and dialects It became an animated movie in 2015.
The main character is “I” (僕). "I" is a pilot who makes an emergency landing in the Sahara desert. He meets a boy who is a small prince of the stars who came over from a faraway asteroid. As a child, "I" (the pilot) drew a picture of a boa which swallowed an elephant, but no adults could understand the picture. However, the little prince understood it. The pilot listened to the story of the star where the prince and other various adults live while repairing the airplane. The prince becomes an irreplaceable person for him before long.
In this story, I have a favorite sentence. “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye”. (心で見なくちゃ、物事はよくみえない。肝心なことは目にはみえない。)
I could learn two words by reading this book. One of them was “return” [?] (報酬). It means “pay”. [?] I also learned “patience”(辛抱). It means “the ability to accept a problem without becoming annoyed”.
I read The Little Prince. The Japanese title of this book is “Hoshi no Oujisama“ (星の王子さま). This book, which was published in 1943, is famous in the world because its world circulation has reached more than 145 million, It has been translated into more than 270 languages and dialects It became an animated movie in 2015.
The main character is “I” (僕). "I" is a pilot who makes an emergency landing in the Sahara desert. He meets a boy who is a small prince of the stars who came over from a faraway asteroid. As a child, "I" (the pilot) drew a picture of a boa which swallowed an elephant, but no adults could understand the picture. However, the little prince understood it. The pilot listened to the story of the star where the prince and other various adults live while repairing the airplane. The prince becomes an irreplaceable person for him before long.
In this story, I have a favorite sentence. “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye”. (心で見なくちゃ、物事はよくみえない。肝心なことは目にはみえない。)
I could learn two words by reading this book. One of them was “return” [?] (報酬). It means “pay”. [?] I also learned “patience”(辛抱). It means “the ability to accept a problem without becoming annoyed”.
Kazuki - 6/5/2019
I borrowed A Dog of Flanders at the library of Tsurumi University. It is a famous animation both in Japan and overseas. I knew A Dog of Flanders, but this was the my first time to read the book. I read this book again and again. I could mostly understand the story, but there were English words and idioms I couldn't understand. I wrote the unknown words in a notebook and looked them up in a dictionary or on the internet. Then I memorized some new English words and understood the meaning and came to be able to read this book. This book contents was a bit of a sad story. However, I was glad to know the contents of the story. One word I learned was “thief”. The meaning is “泥棒” in Japanese. It means a person who steals the goods of a store, or the property or things of another person. The other word is “load”. The meaning is “積み込む/載せる” in Japanese, and it means putting something on a trolley or other vehicle. I feel that I need more English vocabulary to read books, so I should make an effort to remember English words and idioms. I think reading books is a good way to learn them. From now on, I would like to continue reading English books to improve my English proficiency.
I borrowed A Dog of Flanders at the library of Tsurumi University. It is a famous animation both in Japan and overseas. I knew A Dog of Flanders, but this was the my first time to read the book. I read this book again and again. I could mostly understand the story, but there were English words and idioms I couldn't understand. I wrote the unknown words in a notebook and looked them up in a dictionary or on the internet. Then I memorized some new English words and understood the meaning and came to be able to read this book. This book contents was a bit of a sad story. However, I was glad to know the contents of the story. One word I learned was “thief”. The meaning is “泥棒” in Japanese. It means a person who steals the goods of a store, or the property or things of another person. The other word is “load”. The meaning is “積み込む/載せる” in Japanese, and it means putting something on a trolley or other vehicle. I feel that I need more English vocabulary to read books, so I should make an effort to remember English words and idioms. I think reading books is a good way to learn them. From now on, I would like to continue reading English books to improve my English proficiency.
Yusaku - 6/4/2019
I borrowed an English book from the Tsurumi University. I usually don't read books, and I have never read an English book The book I chose was "Dictionary of Life for Those Who Choose to be Happy". This is a book in which many authors who used English as interpreters struggled with English words that they said were positive in meaning. In this book, various English words are classified into seven patterns. The seven are Joy (楽しい), Anger (怒り), Sorrow (悲しみ), Ambivalence (ためらい、迷い), Courage (勇気), Feeling good again (立ち直り), and Love (愛). You can find the right words for yourself from these seven. The book says "Dictionary of life is a dictionary for living freely and relaxed." This book is, of course, a good book for studying English, but I think it is also a useful book for your life.
I learned some words in reading this book. The first one is "withdrawal (撤退)". This is a word classified under Courage. The book says "Retreat is a strategic withdrawal". "Withdrawal" means "retreat". I thought the word "withdrawal" was a negative word. However, "withdrawal" is used in the sense of "temporarily fleeing in order to regroup and live to fight another day". I could learn not only the meaning of words but also the meaning of "when something bad happens, you can just escape" from this book. The second word I learned is "civility (丁寧)". This word is classified as "feeling good again." It is written in this book as "Educate yourself with civility. It is the human code of conduct." "Civility" means "being polite enough not to be rude." I learned from these words that acting in a polite manner is the right way of life for human beings.
I could learn two words by reading this book, but I could also learn something important in my life. This book was a bit difficult to read, but I think that you can understand it if you read it slowly.
I borrowed an English book from the Tsurumi University. I usually don't read books, and I have never read an English book The book I chose was "Dictionary of Life for Those Who Choose to be Happy". This is a book in which many authors who used English as interpreters struggled with English words that they said were positive in meaning. In this book, various English words are classified into seven patterns. The seven are Joy (楽しい), Anger (怒り), Sorrow (悲しみ), Ambivalence (ためらい、迷い), Courage (勇気), Feeling good again (立ち直り), and Love (愛). You can find the right words for yourself from these seven. The book says "Dictionary of life is a dictionary for living freely and relaxed." This book is, of course, a good book for studying English, but I think it is also a useful book for your life.
I learned some words in reading this book. The first one is "withdrawal (撤退)". This is a word classified under Courage. The book says "Retreat is a strategic withdrawal". "Withdrawal" means "retreat". I thought the word "withdrawal" was a negative word. However, "withdrawal" is used in the sense of "temporarily fleeing in order to regroup and live to fight another day". I could learn not only the meaning of words but also the meaning of "when something bad happens, you can just escape" from this book. The second word I learned is "civility (丁寧)". This word is classified as "feeling good again." It is written in this book as "Educate yourself with civility. It is the human code of conduct." "Civility" means "being polite enough not to be rude." I learned from these words that acting in a polite manner is the right way of life for human beings.
I could learn two words by reading this book, but I could also learn something important in my life. This book was a bit difficult to read, but I think that you can understand it if you read it slowly.
Shouta - 6/4/2019
I read Two Years Vacation. This book is famous in Japan. The Japanese title of this book is 十五少年漂流記. I had wanted to read the English version for a long time, so this was an opportunity for me. I will explain the story simply. The stage is Auckland in New Zealand. The characters are 14 children. However, an accident occurred and the ship drifted and arrived at an uninhabited island. After that, children were deceived when a villain came to the island. However, the children chased off the villain and returned to Auckland using the villain's ship.
I was able to learn English words through this opportunity. For example, "badly" (悪く) It means "the situation is not good" in English. I also learned "raft" (いかだ) This is easy to operate smaller than a ship in English [no]. Finally, I learned "journal" (日記、日誌). This means things written down by memory in English. I thought that I would like to borrow and read more books to study English. Shouta, please write some sentences about how reading is good or not good, useful or not useful for your English study.
I read Two Years Vacation. This book is famous in Japan. The Japanese title of this book is 十五少年漂流記. I had wanted to read the English version for a long time, so this was an opportunity for me. I will explain the story simply. The stage is Auckland in New Zealand. The characters are 14 children. However, an accident occurred and the ship drifted and arrived at an uninhabited island. After that, children were deceived when a villain came to the island. However, the children chased off the villain and returned to Auckland using the villain's ship.
I was able to learn English words through this opportunity. For example, "badly" (悪く) It means "the situation is not good" in English. I also learned "raft" (いかだ) This is easy to operate smaller than a ship in English [no]. Finally, I learned "journal" (日記、日誌). This means things written down by memory in English. I thought that I would like to borrow and read more books to study English. Shouta, please write some sentences about how reading is good or not good, useful or not useful for your English study.
Chiharu - 6/4/2019
I read the English manga version of a Japanese animation, Doraemon. I like to watch the Doraemon animation, so I bought the English Doraemon manga to study English. The episode I read was Yujo Capsule (友情カプセル) “Yujo” means "friendship". Suneo wants to stay with Doraemon, but Doraemon doesn't want to leave Nobita. Suneo used a tool on Doraemon that made him be a friend, but then Suneo used it to control Doraemon. Eventually, that tool was activated on another person so Doraemon could stay with Nobita.
The manga was written in both Japanese and English, so I could study English easily. I read some episodes and learned a few new words and expressions. One of them was “loud mouth” (うるさいやつ). It means "a noisy person", I also learned “snobby attitude” (偉そうな態度), which means "behave like a boss", “Servants” (家来) "a person who performs duties for others" and “discipline” (懲らしめる) means "to punish people".
When I read this manga, I learned how Japanese was translated into English. I sometimes wondered whether the translation was correct. There were a few strange sentences because maybe they weren’t natural English expressions. I thought it was like a direct translations. Nevertheless, I think English manga is very useful for studying English and having the Japanese translation is very helpful.
I read the English manga version of a Japanese animation, Doraemon. I like to watch the Doraemon animation, so I bought the English Doraemon manga to study English. The episode I read was Yujo Capsule (友情カプセル) “Yujo” means "friendship". Suneo wants to stay with Doraemon, but Doraemon doesn't want to leave Nobita. Suneo used a tool on Doraemon that made him be a friend, but then Suneo used it to control Doraemon. Eventually, that tool was activated on another person so Doraemon could stay with Nobita.
The manga was written in both Japanese and English, so I could study English easily. I read some episodes and learned a few new words and expressions. One of them was “loud mouth” (うるさいやつ). It means "a noisy person", I also learned “snobby attitude” (偉そうな態度), which means "behave like a boss", “Servants” (家来) "a person who performs duties for others" and “discipline” (懲らしめる) means "to punish people".
When I read this manga, I learned how Japanese was translated into English. I sometimes wondered whether the translation was correct. There were a few strange sentences because maybe they weren’t natural English expressions. I thought it was like a direct translations. Nevertheless, I think English manga is very useful for studying English and having the Japanese translation is very helpful.
Mayu - 6/3/2019
I have read some English books since I entered this University. I like to spend time in cafes, so I sometimes read books there. If you read a book, you can improve your reading ability reading and memorize some new words through seeing them again and again. But I think reading is not easy, because reading demands vocabulary, so you always have to make an effort to remember words. Nevertheless, I think reading books is a good way to learn English words. You can also choose a magazine or newspaper, but I think books are best because their size is small, so you can read easily wherever you are. I read a book titled Left. The number of words is about 4500, so it's not easy, but the contents were interesting.
Through reading, I learned some new words. First, I learned “shoplifting”. The meaning is “万引き” in Japanese and "stealing from stores" in English. Another word is “retail”. The meaning is “小売する” in Japanese and "the selling of goods to the public" in English. I think reading is a good way to learn English and if you read the newspaper, you can also learn about news. If you start reading, you should select easy ones at first. It's the best way to continue reading.
I have read some English books since I entered this University. I like to spend time in cafes, so I sometimes read books there. If you read a book, you can improve your reading ability reading and memorize some new words through seeing them again and again. But I think reading is not easy, because reading demands vocabulary, so you always have to make an effort to remember words. Nevertheless, I think reading books is a good way to learn English words. You can also choose a magazine or newspaper, but I think books are best because their size is small, so you can read easily wherever you are. I read a book titled Left. The number of words is about 4500, so it's not easy, but the contents were interesting.
Through reading, I learned some new words. First, I learned “shoplifting”. The meaning is “万引き” in Japanese and "stealing from stores" in English. Another word is “retail”. The meaning is “小売する” in Japanese and "the selling of goods to the public" in English. I think reading is a good way to learn English and if you read the newspaper, you can also learn about news. If you start reading, you should select easy ones at first. It's the best way to continue reading.
Seira - 6/7/2018
I borrowed an English book at the Tsurumi University library several times and read it. At that time, I often read Disney’s books. I read “Cinderella” and “Snow White”. If you get used to it a little I read a book of reasoning which is a little difficult. The reasoning book [?] also had pictures and select questions, and it was fun to read. Also, I read a movie book called “About Time” in a different class. Since I had seen the movie, I read it easily. I‘d like to challenge a little more difficult book from now.
I read “Hey That’s My Monster!” on Storyline Online. This story is for children to read, There is a monster under the bed. The pictures were colorful and very cute. A woman reads a story and subtitles are displayed on the screen. Although the audio was a little fast, it was easy to understand because there are pictures and subtitles.
I learned three words. The first word is “gulp”. The meaning is “ゴクリと飲み込む” in Japanese and “swallow something” in English. The second word is “ooze”. The meaning is “流れ出る” in Japanese and “flowing” in English. The third word is “creak”. The meaning is “ギシギシという音” in Japanese and “sound type” in English.
From now on, I would like to read many books by using Storyline Online and library.
I borrowed an English book at the Tsurumi University library several times and read it. At that time, I often read Disney’s books. I read “Cinderella” and “Snow White”. If you get used to it a little I read a book of reasoning which is a little difficult. The reasoning book [?] also had pictures and select questions, and it was fun to read. Also, I read a movie book called “About Time” in a different class. Since I had seen the movie, I read it easily. I‘d like to challenge a little more difficult book from now.
I read “Hey That’s My Monster!” on Storyline Online. This story is for children to read, There is a monster under the bed. The pictures were colorful and very cute. A woman reads a story and subtitles are displayed on the screen. Although the audio was a little fast, it was easy to understand because there are pictures and subtitles.
I learned three words. The first word is “gulp”. The meaning is “ゴクリと飲み込む” in Japanese and “swallow something” in English. The second word is “ooze”. The meaning is “流れ出る” in Japanese and “flowing” in English. The third word is “creak”. The meaning is “ギシギシという音” in Japanese and “sound type” in English.
From now on, I would like to read many books by using Storyline Online and library.
Takuya - 6/7/2018
I read a book on my tablet PC, I Can Do It Myself, which was written by Stephen Krensky. This is a picture book for children. I thought children’s books would be super easy and I could understand all of the words, but actually, there are some words which I don’t know.
I learned a new word, “stuffy”. “Stuffy” means “lacking fresh air” or “nose is blocked up and hard to breathe”. In Japanese, ”空気がムンムンとしている” or “鼻が詰まっている”. This word is used on the book like this “If I’m feeling stuffy, I blow own my nose.”
When I read this book, I felt reading with pictures is easy to understand because I can learn English words along with the situation of using the words, so that makes it easy to remember the meaning of the words.
I read a book on my tablet PC, I Can Do It Myself, which was written by Stephen Krensky. This is a picture book for children. I thought children’s books would be super easy and I could understand all of the words, but actually, there are some words which I don’t know.
I learned a new word, “stuffy”. “Stuffy” means “lacking fresh air” or “nose is blocked up and hard to breathe”. In Japanese, ”空気がムンムンとしている” or “鼻が詰まっている”. This word is used on the book like this “If I’m feeling stuffy, I blow own my nose.”
When I read this book, I felt reading with pictures is easy to understand because I can learn English words along with the situation of using the words, so that makes it easy to remember the meaning of the words.
Taisei - 6/7/2018
I think it is important for me to read books, magazine and novels, because reading is an important skill. It isn’t only in English but also in Japanese and Chinese. I think that reading is one way of studying, along with writing and speaking. I think that by reading, we can learn many new vocabulary words and the meaning of the words. But it is difficult for me to find suitable books. I was able to find an application for reading English articles. The name of the application is Fujisan. It is an application that can read alphabetical newspapers and magazines. I was able to find The Japan Times ST on the application. The newspaper is easy to read because it has Japanese and English. The newspaper article was about a trip to St.Kilda in Scotland. I was able to learn new words from the newspaper.
The first word I learned is harsh (厳しい). It means "harsh conditions are difficult to live in and very uncomfortable". The second word is choppy (波の荒い). it meaning is "choppy water has a lot of waves and is not smooth to sail on, or the small boat bobbed about on the choppy water".
I think it is important for me to read books, magazine and novels, because reading is an important skill. It isn’t only in English but also in Japanese and Chinese. I think that reading is one way of studying, along with writing and speaking. I think that by reading, we can learn many new vocabulary words and the meaning of the words. But it is difficult for me to find suitable books. I was able to find an application for reading English articles. The name of the application is Fujisan. It is an application that can read alphabetical newspapers and magazines. I was able to find The Japan Times ST on the application. The newspaper is easy to read because it has Japanese and English. The newspaper article was about a trip to St.Kilda in Scotland. I was able to learn new words from the newspaper.
The first word I learned is harsh (厳しい). It means "harsh conditions are difficult to live in and very uncomfortable". The second word is choppy (波の荒い). it meaning is "choppy water has a lot of waves and is not smooth to sail on, or the small boat bobbed about on the choppy water".
Tomoe - 6/7/2018
I read "The Rainbow Fish" at Storyline Online. I have never read this book, but I have seen the cover of this book at a bookstore. I learned some new words. The first word is "scales". It means "one of the flat pieces of hard material that covers the skin of fish and snakes". The second is "dazzling". It means "extremely good and exciting". The third is "glare". It means "angry look". The fourth is "whizz". It means "to move somewhere very quickly".
I'm not good at reading novels and newspapers, but I like to read manga and picture books. Picture books are made for children, so words and grammar were easy. Therefore, when I could read without using a dictionary, I had confidence about my English ability and felt like trying the next level book. I thought that if I read books that have pictures, like a picture book, and I can read them in a short time, I can continue reading.
I read "The Rainbow Fish" at Storyline Online. I have never read this book, but I have seen the cover of this book at a bookstore. I learned some new words. The first word is "scales". It means "one of the flat pieces of hard material that covers the skin of fish and snakes". The second is "dazzling". It means "extremely good and exciting". The third is "glare". It means "angry look". The fourth is "whizz". It means "to move somewhere very quickly".
I'm not good at reading novels and newspapers, but I like to read manga and picture books. Picture books are made for children, so words and grammar were easy. Therefore, when I could read without using a dictionary, I had confidence about my English ability and felt like trying the next level book. I thought that if I read books that have pictures, like a picture book, and I can read them in a short time, I can continue reading.
Yoshikatsu - 6/6/2018
I read some books when I was a freshman. I could borrow various books from the Tsurumi University Library. I often read Disney's books. I think it is important for me to read books, but I couldn’t keep going because I don’t like to read books. So I tried a different way. This time, I liked Storyline Online when I tried it. It’s read by foreigners, so I can learn pronunciation at the same time. Among various stories, “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” is good.
I learned several words from “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” The first word is “sparrow”. It means “雀” in Japanese and “a small brown bird, very common in many parts of the world” in English. The second word is “naughty”. It means “いたずら(好きな)” in Japanese and “a naughty child does not obey adults and behaves badly” in English. The third word is “twitch”. It means “ぴくぴくする“ in Japanese and “if a part of someone’s body twitches, or if they twitch it, it makes a small sudden movement” in English. I think that even people who dislike reading books can enjoy using Storyline Online.
I read some books when I was a freshman. I could borrow various books from the Tsurumi University Library. I often read Disney's books. I think it is important for me to read books, but I couldn’t keep going because I don’t like to read books. So I tried a different way. This time, I liked Storyline Online when I tried it. It’s read by foreigners, so I can learn pronunciation at the same time. Among various stories, “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” is good.
I learned several words from “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” The first word is “sparrow”. It means “雀” in Japanese and “a small brown bird, very common in many parts of the world” in English. The second word is “naughty”. It means “いたずら(好きな)” in Japanese and “a naughty child does not obey adults and behaves badly” in English. The third word is “twitch”. It means “ぴくぴくする“ in Japanese and “if a part of someone’s body twitches, or if they twitch it, it makes a small sudden movement” in English. I think that even people who dislike reading books can enjoy using Storyline Online.
Natsumi - 6/6/2018
I borrowed an English book at the Tsurumi University library several times and read it. At that time I read some low level Disney books, but I couldn't understand it without using a dictionary. This time I tried to challenge a more difficult book and I read “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” I bought it before. This book is a novel like a diary, and there are many colloquial expressions. It was difficult to understand even using a dictionary. This book took too long to read, so I decided to read a lower level book and I read a picture book at Storyline Online.
I read “Carla’s Sandwich” at Storyline Online. This story was for children, so it was easy to understand, but the progress of the video was fast so it was hard to read. However, the pictures are displayed, so they helped me understand the contents. I thought that not only the reading skill but also listening skill will be improved because the pictures and words are displayed in the video while the book is being read aloud. And I thought that my vocabulary was improved by reading the book and examining the meaning of unknown words.
I learned two words from “Carla’s Sandwich”. The first one is “weird”. It means “奇妙な、気味の悪い” in Japanese and “mysterious” in English. The second word is “terrific”. It means “すごくいい” in Japanese and “very great” in English.
I think that reading is very important for studying English. It is very hard to read a difficult book at first, so it is important to read an easy book and gradually raise the level.
I borrowed an English book at the Tsurumi University library several times and read it. At that time I read some low level Disney books, but I couldn't understand it without using a dictionary. This time I tried to challenge a more difficult book and I read “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” I bought it before. This book is a novel like a diary, and there are many colloquial expressions. It was difficult to understand even using a dictionary. This book took too long to read, so I decided to read a lower level book and I read a picture book at Storyline Online.
I read “Carla’s Sandwich” at Storyline Online. This story was for children, so it was easy to understand, but the progress of the video was fast so it was hard to read. However, the pictures are displayed, so they helped me understand the contents. I thought that not only the reading skill but also listening skill will be improved because the pictures and words are displayed in the video while the book is being read aloud. And I thought that my vocabulary was improved by reading the book and examining the meaning of unknown words.
I learned two words from “Carla’s Sandwich”. The first one is “weird”. It means “奇妙な、気味の悪い” in Japanese and “mysterious” in English. The second word is “terrific”. It means “すごくいい” in Japanese and “very great” in English.
I think that reading is very important for studying English. It is very hard to read a difficult book at first, so it is important to read an easy book and gradually raise the level.
Mutsuki - 6/6/2018
I try to read THE BATTLE OF READ CLIFES FROM ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS. because I have read the Japanese manga Sanguo Zhi. I can understand what happens in the story, but I cannot understand the noun [?] at all.
The noun is character's name. For instance, Cao Cao is 曹操, Liu Bei is 劉備, Sun Quan is 孫権, Zhuge Liang is 諸葛亮 in Japanese and so on.
Many Chinese characters appear in this story, so I had difficulty reading the book. However, I think reading books of various themes is good for improving your English skill because we can meet some words that you have never seen before.
I try to read THE BATTLE OF READ CLIFES FROM ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS. because I have read the Japanese manga Sanguo Zhi. I can understand what happens in the story, but I cannot understand the noun [?] at all.
The noun is character's name. For instance, Cao Cao is 曹操, Liu Bei is 劉備, Sun Quan is 孫権, Zhuge Liang is 諸葛亮 in Japanese and so on.
Many Chinese characters appear in this story, so I had difficulty reading the book. However, I think reading books of various themes is good for improving your English skill because we can meet some words that you have never seen before.
Yuta - 6/6/2018
I read the resources I found on the internet on my phone or PC. I found resources on NBA and I read English articles about the NBA for the first time. The resource I read is NBA Draft. This site is very convenient because it contains a lot of information. It also has a function to search within the site and a countdown until the draft of this year. There are accounts on Twitter and Facebook, so we can check frequently. I followed the Twitter account and bookmarked this site.
I can’t understand everything even if I read this site now. Although there are articles which are worrisome, it takes time to read while looking up words. I’d like to read not only internet sources, but also books and learn a lot of words.
I learned three words. The first word is “Mock Draft”. The meaning is “ドラフト予想” in Japanese and “draft forecast” in English. The second word is “rep”. The word “rep” is an abbreviated word for “repetition”. The meaning is “繰り返し” in Japanese and “the act of doing or performing again”. The third word is “intriguing”. The meaning is “興味をそそる” in Japanese and “capable of arousing interest or curiosity” in English.
I read the resources I found on the internet on my phone or PC. I found resources on NBA and I read English articles about the NBA for the first time. The resource I read is NBA Draft. This site is very convenient because it contains a lot of information. It also has a function to search within the site and a countdown until the draft of this year. There are accounts on Twitter and Facebook, so we can check frequently. I followed the Twitter account and bookmarked this site.
I can’t understand everything even if I read this site now. Although there are articles which are worrisome, it takes time to read while looking up words. I’d like to read not only internet sources, but also books and learn a lot of words.
I learned three words. The first word is “Mock Draft”. The meaning is “ドラフト予想” in Japanese and “draft forecast” in English. The second word is “rep”. The word “rep” is an abbreviated word for “repetition”. The meaning is “繰り返し” in Japanese and “the act of doing or performing again”. The third word is “intriguing”. The meaning is “興味をそそる” in Japanese and “capable of arousing interest or curiosity” in English.
Keigo - 6/6/2018
I took the opportunity to buy one volume of the comic of the English edition "Non Non Biyori", and I read it. This is my first time to buy and read a comic in the English edition. The reason why I chose this comic is because I have the Japanese edition, and I have read it many times before. I remember all the lines, so I thought that I could understand the English easier than other English books. When I took this comic to the cash register, I was very surprised, because it was so expensive. I usually don't check the comic price of Japan comics, because they are very cheap. Usually, they are about 400 yen to 800 yen, but the comic in English was 1500 yen! The word "what?!" came out of my mouth before I knew what I was saying. I was really surprised. And when I read the comic, I was surprised again. First, the directions of how to read comic are written. I think it's a very good point. Second, the expression of the lines and jokes have been changed. The jokes are a little difficult, so I can't understand them. Third, all letters are capitalized. so it's a little hard to read. However, reading a comic in English was fresh and fun.
I remembered several words from the English comic. The first word is "boonies". It means "田舎" in Japanese and "an area far away from cities or towns" in English. The second word is "roam". It means "歩き回る、ぶらつく、放浪する" in Japanese and "to walk or travel around an area without any definite aim or direction" in English. The third word is "composure". It means "落ち着き、平静" in Japanese and "the state of being calm and in control of your feelings or behaviour" in English. The next word is "precocious". It means "発達の早い、ませた" in Japanese and "( of a child) having developed particular abilities and ways of behaving at a much younger age than usual" in English. The next word is "squabble". It means "小競り合い、口論" in Japanese and "to argue noisily about something that is not very important" in English. The last word is "adorable". It means "愛おしい、魅力的な" in Japanese and "very attractive and easy to feel love for" in English.
I think reading books of interest in English is a good way to improve vocabulary and reading skills. Actually, when I went to America, it was very useful to hear English and talk English. It is difficult to read books in English and it takes time, but I think that it definitely will be useful for Japanese people. I will continue to read books in English from now on, and I will buy a comic of the English edition if I find it.
I took the opportunity to buy one volume of the comic of the English edition "Non Non Biyori", and I read it. This is my first time to buy and read a comic in the English edition. The reason why I chose this comic is because I have the Japanese edition, and I have read it many times before. I remember all the lines, so I thought that I could understand the English easier than other English books. When I took this comic to the cash register, I was very surprised, because it was so expensive. I usually don't check the comic price of Japan comics, because they are very cheap. Usually, they are about 400 yen to 800 yen, but the comic in English was 1500 yen! The word "what?!" came out of my mouth before I knew what I was saying. I was really surprised. And when I read the comic, I was surprised again. First, the directions of how to read comic are written. I think it's a very good point. Second, the expression of the lines and jokes have been changed. The jokes are a little difficult, so I can't understand them. Third, all letters are capitalized. so it's a little hard to read. However, reading a comic in English was fresh and fun.
I remembered several words from the English comic. The first word is "boonies". It means "田舎" in Japanese and "an area far away from cities or towns" in English. The second word is "roam". It means "歩き回る、ぶらつく、放浪する" in Japanese and "to walk or travel around an area without any definite aim or direction" in English. The third word is "composure". It means "落ち着き、平静" in Japanese and "the state of being calm and in control of your feelings or behaviour" in English. The next word is "precocious". It means "発達の早い、ませた" in Japanese and "( of a child) having developed particular abilities and ways of behaving at a much younger age than usual" in English. The next word is "squabble". It means "小競り合い、口論" in Japanese and "to argue noisily about something that is not very important" in English. The last word is "adorable". It means "愛おしい、魅力的な" in Japanese and "very attractive and easy to feel love for" in English.
I think reading books of interest in English is a good way to improve vocabulary and reading skills. Actually, when I went to America, it was very useful to hear English and talk English. It is difficult to read books in English and it takes time, but I think that it definitely will be useful for Japanese people. I will continue to read books in English from now on, and I will buy a comic of the English edition if I find it.
Ikushi - 6/6/2018
I used Let’s Leaning English [?]. This site is good. For example, there are lesson levels. It is possible to advance over time. So this site is very convenient. I can learn other things too. There are vocabulary and grammar exercises. These are good points. There are no bad points. It is possible to learn much.
I learned some words at this site. I am interested in the army word [?]. This word appeared in an article on K-pop. It is uncommon that a Korean topic was treated in an American article. Army word means 「陸軍」in Japanese. And BTS fans are called an army. So I am interested in the word.
I used Let’s Leaning English [?]. This site is good. For example, there are lesson levels. It is possible to advance over time. So this site is very convenient. I can learn other things too. There are vocabulary and grammar exercises. These are good points. There are no bad points. It is possible to learn much.
I learned some words at this site. I am interested in the army word [?]. This word appeared in an article on K-pop. It is uncommon that a Korean topic was treated in an American article. Army word means 「陸軍」in Japanese. And BTS fans are called an army. So I am interested in the word.
Koji - 6/6/2018
I read a book such as Japanese novels and comics. I like physical books but now there are a lot of electronic books. Electronic books are handy because they can be readily bought anywhere and can be carried around easily, On the other hand, physical books are exciting to the five senses. But in the Lifelong English Seminar I study English by various methods and write about it. In this case, it's easier to study electronic books than physical books.
This time I checked Adult Learning Activities. This site has many stories about working, school, law, health, science, nature and more. We can build reading and life skills. I read "Children From Russia Spend Summer In California." In this story, children who suffered damage from the explosion and meltdown at the Chernobyl power plant are invited to the United States in the summer. I found a word that I wondered about; "lingering (長引く、ためらう)" in "The lingering [?] from the explosion's radioactive cloud continue". We use it like "lingering summer heat" and "felt the music lingering on in my mind". Of course it's study that I read a phycical books as a good but read a electronic book is I can study more. I want to read and check more topics.
I read a book such as Japanese novels and comics. I like physical books but now there are a lot of electronic books. Electronic books are handy because they can be readily bought anywhere and can be carried around easily, On the other hand, physical books are exciting to the five senses. But in the Lifelong English Seminar I study English by various methods and write about it. In this case, it's easier to study electronic books than physical books.
This time I checked Adult Learning Activities. This site has many stories about working, school, law, health, science, nature and more. We can build reading and life skills. I read "Children From Russia Spend Summer In California." In this story, children who suffered damage from the explosion and meltdown at the Chernobyl power plant are invited to the United States in the summer. I found a word that I wondered about; "lingering (長引く、ためらう)" in "The lingering [?] from the explosion's radioactive cloud continue". We use it like "lingering summer heat" and "felt the music lingering on in my mind". Of course it's study that I read a phycical books as a good but read a electronic book is I can study more. I want to read and check more topics.
Yuka - 6/6/2018
I read A Christmas Carol. The reason why I chose it is because this book was used in a class last year. At that time I didn’t read it to the end, so this time I finished reading it for the first time. A Christmas Carol is a famous Christmas story written by Charles Dickens. There are many conversational sentences, and it didn’t have many difficult words, but I needed a lot of time to finish reading. I haven't read a book in English in a long time.
I learned some words from the story.The first word is "workhouse". The meaning is「 救貧院 」in Japanese and a building in Britain in the past where very poor people lived if they had nowhere else to go in English. The second word, "washerwoman," means「洗濯女」in Japanese and "a woman in the past whose job was to wash other people's clothes" in English. And the last word, "night-shirt," means「男性用のシャツ型の寝巻」in Japanese and "a long loose shirt that someone, especially a man, wears in bed" in English.
It is important to read a book without using the dictionary, but it was difficult for me. so after checking some words, I was able to understand by reading again. I think graded readers are better than streaming radio or Reddit for English study, because you can choose the book's level. You can also find lots of vocabulary words, learn to understand good sentences. And you realize growth when the level of the books you read rises, so you will enjoy studying.
I read A Christmas Carol. The reason why I chose it is because this book was used in a class last year. At that time I didn’t read it to the end, so this time I finished reading it for the first time. A Christmas Carol is a famous Christmas story written by Charles Dickens. There are many conversational sentences, and it didn’t have many difficult words, but I needed a lot of time to finish reading. I haven't read a book in English in a long time.
I learned some words from the story.The first word is "workhouse". The meaning is「 救貧院 」in Japanese and a building in Britain in the past where very poor people lived if they had nowhere else to go in English. The second word, "washerwoman," means「洗濯女」in Japanese and "a woman in the past whose job was to wash other people's clothes" in English. And the last word, "night-shirt," means「男性用のシャツ型の寝巻」in Japanese and "a long loose shirt that someone, especially a man, wears in bed" in English.
It is important to read a book without using the dictionary, but it was difficult for me. so after checking some words, I was able to understand by reading again. I think graded readers are better than streaming radio or Reddit for English study, because you can choose the book's level. You can also find lots of vocabulary words, learn to understand good sentences. And you realize growth when the level of the books you read rises, so you will enjoy studying.
Aya - 6/6/2018
I read "If I Stay". The story of this book is a very moving story. The synopsis is a high school third grader, Mia, has a best friend and a boyfriend of [?] her favorite musician for the past year since she started dating. The future dream of Mia is to be a cello player, and now she is intensely training to enter the Juad School of Music. However, a tragedy suddenly hits Mia in the morning of a snow. An oncoming car crashes into the car the family is in, and Mia loses her family in a blink of an eye.
On the bed of the hospital, what was reflected in Mia's eyes in a sleepy state was the appearance of herself lying on the bed, the life that was happy and the appearance of people who call her back from the death of death.
The tears of GrandPa who cried saying "You do not have to work hard if it is difficult." The beloved Adam who gave me a break from stopping by my best friend Kim and a nurse. What did they talk to Mia and what does Mia look there?
[Aya, I don't think we need this. Today's writing should be more like your blog post about reading.]
The book had many difficult words, but as I read it I thought that I still wanted to understand, so I looked up the words. I couldn’t understand the word “preposterous”. It means "unreasonable" and “不名誉な” in Japanese.
I think that books are very convenient because they can be read at home, on the train or at school. Vocabulary skills will rise and English conversation skills will increase, so I thought that I should continue.
I read "If I Stay". The story of this book is a very moving story. The synopsis is a high school third grader, Mia, has a best friend and a boyfriend of [?] her favorite musician for the past year since she started dating. The future dream of Mia is to be a cello player, and now she is intensely training to enter the Juad School of Music. However, a tragedy suddenly hits Mia in the morning of a snow. An oncoming car crashes into the car the family is in, and Mia loses her family in a blink of an eye.
On the bed of the hospital, what was reflected in Mia's eyes in a sleepy state was the appearance of herself lying on the bed, the life that was happy and the appearance of people who call her back from the death of death.
The tears of GrandPa who cried saying "You do not have to work hard if it is difficult." The beloved Adam who gave me a break from stopping by my best friend Kim and a nurse. What did they talk to Mia and what does Mia look there?
[Aya, I don't think we need this. Today's writing should be more like your blog post about reading.]
The book had many difficult words, but as I read it I thought that I still wanted to understand, so I looked up the words. I couldn’t understand the word “preposterous”. It means "unreasonable" and “不名誉な” in Japanese.
I think that books are very convenient because they can be read at home, on the train or at school. Vocabulary skills will rise and English conversation skills will increase, so I thought that I should continue.
Yuki - 6/6/2018
I borrowed a book from the Tsurumi University library called "How I Met Myself". I have read English books before, but they were all short stories, so this time I challenged trying to read a kind of a long story this time. This book is level 6, and it has 12,597 words. Actually, I felt I could read this book easily even though there were some vocabulary words I didn't know. I just enjoyed it while reading.
A word I learned from this book is "fustigate" (こん棒で打つ、酷評する). It means "to beat with, as if with a short heavy club," and "to criticize severely."
Usually, I don't like reading books, so it was hard for me to start this homework. However, I realized that reading English books can be fun and educational, even more than radio or Reddit, because you can learn fundamental things, like grammar and vocabulary. I also think you might be able to make reading experience useful for something good in your future if you keep reading books.
I borrowed a book from the Tsurumi University library called "How I Met Myself". I have read English books before, but they were all short stories, so this time I challenged trying to read a kind of a long story this time. This book is level 6, and it has 12,597 words. Actually, I felt I could read this book easily even though there were some vocabulary words I didn't know. I just enjoyed it while reading.
A word I learned from this book is "fustigate" (こん棒で打つ、酷評する). It means "to beat with, as if with a short heavy club," and "to criticize severely."
Usually, I don't like reading books, so it was hard for me to start this homework. However, I realized that reading English books can be fun and educational, even more than radio or Reddit, because you can learn fundamental things, like grammar and vocabulary. I also think you might be able to make reading experience useful for something good in your future if you keep reading books.
Takeru - 6/5/2018
I read an English book for the first time in a long time. Reading books is easier than watching TV news because I can look at the full of text of the content. The book I read was an online resource called The Detail of McLaren's Formula. This resource featured information about McLaren. McLaren introduced the definitive Formula 1 car at the Spanish Grand Prix. It was a package created from a Mercedes Benz.
I leaned new words from this resource. The first word is “vane”. It means “羽根” in Japanese and “blade” in English. The second word is “turblent”. It means “騒がしい” in Japanese and "noisy” in English [no, it doesn't].
I can learn the meanings of new words by reading a book. I want to get in the habit of reading English books.
I read an English book for the first time in a long time. Reading books is easier than watching TV news because I can look at the full of text of the content. The book I read was an online resource called The Detail of McLaren's Formula. This resource featured information about McLaren. McLaren introduced the definitive Formula 1 car at the Spanish Grand Prix. It was a package created from a Mercedes Benz.
I leaned new words from this resource. The first word is “vane”. It means “羽根” in Japanese and “blade” in English. The second word is “turblent”. It means “騒がしい” in Japanese and "noisy” in English [no, it doesn't].
I can learn the meanings of new words by reading a book. I want to get in the habit of reading English books.
Nana - 6/7/2017
I borrowed a book from the Tsurumi University Library.
I don't usually use libraries, so I hadn't been there in a long time.
I read ”Cars”, which is from a Disney movie.
I haven't seen the movie.
I leaned new vocabulary words from this story.
The first word is ”interstate”.
It means ”各州間の” in Japanese and "between states; from state to state" in English.
The second word is ”tearing” It means ”裂く” in Japanese and "rupture" in English.
I thought this story is easy to read. But I felt difficult.
Your paragraph shape really depresses me. - Kevin
I borrowed a book from the Tsurumi University Library.
I don't usually use libraries, so I hadn't been there in a long time.
I read ”Cars”, which is from a Disney movie.
I haven't seen the movie.
I leaned new vocabulary words from this story.
The first word is ”interstate”.
It means ”各州間の” in Japanese and "between states; from state to state" in English.
The second word is ”tearing” It means ”裂く” in Japanese and "rupture" in English.
I thought this story is easy to read. But I felt difficult.
Your paragraph shape really depresses me. - Kevin
Miyu - 6/6/2017
I read Cinderella. I borrowed it from the Tsurumi University library. This book is a Ladder series book of level 4. The reason why I chose Cinderella is because I knew the story since I was little. English books are difficult, but if you know the story, I think you can understand somewhat. Many words are easy to understand, but there are also many words that I have seen, but didn't know how to use them. For example, I learned the word "stepmother". I understand the meaning of "step" and "mother", but I learned the meaning of "stepmother" for the first time. The meaning is "a mother who is not connected by blood". In Japanese, it's "継母". I learned that there are also the words "stepsister (義理姉妹)" and "stepfamily (義理家族)". The other word I did not understand is "hardships". The meaning is "suffering". In Japanese, it means "苦難".
I think reading books in English is necessary for enhancing vocabulary skills. Even a person who does not have much reading ability can challenge a simple book. Even students in English classes in Japan can do it, I see that children are reading Mickey Mouse books, etc. I think that if you are reading English books from a young age, you become an adult and become your own skills. [... your skills will be sufficient by the time you are an adult. - Kevin]
I read Cinderella. I borrowed it from the Tsurumi University library. This book is a Ladder series book of level 4. The reason why I chose Cinderella is because I knew the story since I was little. English books are difficult, but if you know the story, I think you can understand somewhat. Many words are easy to understand, but there are also many words that I have seen, but didn't know how to use them. For example, I learned the word "stepmother". I understand the meaning of "step" and "mother", but I learned the meaning of "stepmother" for the first time. The meaning is "a mother who is not connected by blood". In Japanese, it's "継母". I learned that there are also the words "stepsister (義理姉妹)" and "stepfamily (義理家族)". The other word I did not understand is "hardships". The meaning is "suffering". In Japanese, it means "苦難".
I think reading books in English is necessary for enhancing vocabulary skills. Even a person who does not have much reading ability can challenge a simple book. Even students in English classes in Japan can do it, I see that children are reading Mickey Mouse books, etc. I think that if you are reading English books from a young age, you become an adult and become your own skills. [... your skills will be sufficient by the time you are an adult. - Kevin]
Kobayashi - 6/1/2017
I borrowed The Catcher in the Rye and Where I’m calling From from the library. My friend told me that The Catcher in the Rye is too difficult to understand even in Japanese, so I quit reading that book this time. Where I’m Calling From has so many words. I thought it would take 2 months to finish reading the book. I decided to borrow Aesop’s Fables after that, and it was better for me than the others.
Aesop’s Fables was published by Ralph F. McCarthy in 1988. It consists of 40 stories. Each story is short (1~3 pages), so it was easier than other books that I chose.
The reason why Aesop’s Fables was good for me is there are many lessons in the book. You definitely can find your favorite stories. There are stories you know and stories you don’t know. I couldn't help laughing while reading some of them.
I found three new words. The first one is “graze”. “Graze” means the cattle eat grass on the field. The second one is “flattery”. “Flattery is similar to "compliment." The third one is “expire”. “Expire” means "come to an end" or "die."
Reading books in English is a good way to learn English, but we have to know our level before choosing a book. The Catcher in the Rye is too difficult for me. Aesop’s Fables is close to my level. I feel bothered to look up the meanings of words that I don’t know. Looking up the meaning of words is very good to memorize, but if we search the meanings of new words too much, we can’t enjoy the story of the book. Stopping to search takes a lot of time and we can’t stay immersed in the book while looking up words. To be honest, I prefer reading books in Japanese. However, if I find books that are close to my level, I can read books in English.
I borrowed The Catcher in the Rye and Where I’m calling From from the library. My friend told me that The Catcher in the Rye is too difficult to understand even in Japanese, so I quit reading that book this time. Where I’m Calling From has so many words. I thought it would take 2 months to finish reading the book. I decided to borrow Aesop’s Fables after that, and it was better for me than the others.
Aesop’s Fables was published by Ralph F. McCarthy in 1988. It consists of 40 stories. Each story is short (1~3 pages), so it was easier than other books that I chose.
The reason why Aesop’s Fables was good for me is there are many lessons in the book. You definitely can find your favorite stories. There are stories you know and stories you don’t know. I couldn't help laughing while reading some of them.
I found three new words. The first one is “graze”. “Graze” means the cattle eat grass on the field. The second one is “flattery”. “Flattery is similar to "compliment." The third one is “expire”. “Expire” means "come to an end" or "die."
Reading books in English is a good way to learn English, but we have to know our level before choosing a book. The Catcher in the Rye is too difficult for me. Aesop’s Fables is close to my level. I feel bothered to look up the meanings of words that I don’t know. Looking up the meaning of words is very good to memorize, but if we search the meanings of new words too much, we can’t enjoy the story of the book. Stopping to search takes a lot of time and we can’t stay immersed in the book while looking up words. To be honest, I prefer reading books in Japanese. However, if I find books that are close to my level, I can read books in English.
Yoichiro - 6/1/2017
I chose the world famous story “Cinderella”. I knew the part about the boy presenting a glass shoe to Cinderella, but I wanted to know more! I learned that Ella was bullied by her relatives. She lived in a small room and worked hard everyday. Her three sisters had an elegant life everyday. But animals helped her and a chance came to change her life. I think sometimes a bad environment is good for a couple. I like overcoming adversity stories. I am interested in Disney love stories and want to read more! [This is enough summary of the story. If you want to add more about English language learning, you can. Please try to remember what the point of your graduation thesis is.]
I chose the world famous story “Cinderella”. I knew the part about the boy presenting a glass shoe to Cinderella, but I wanted to know more! I learned that Ella was bullied by her relatives. She lived in a small room and worked hard everyday. Her three sisters had an elegant life everyday. But animals helped her and a chance came to change her life. I think sometimes a bad environment is good for a couple. I like overcoming adversity stories. I am interested in Disney love stories and want to read more! [This is enough summary of the story. If you want to add more about English language learning, you can. Please try to remember what the point of your graduation thesis is.]
Mina - 5/31/2017
I borrowed some books from the university library. The books were Gon the Fox, Buying Some Gloves, In the Woods and The Nose from the Ladder series. The 4 books were written by Japanese authors and translated into English. Gon, the Fox (『ごんぎつね』) and Buying Some Gloves (『手袋を買いに』) were written by Nankichi Niimi. In the Woods (『藪の中』) and The Nose (『鼻』) were written by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. Actually, I could have chosen English novels, but I chose Japanese novels which were translated into English because I can read the novels in two languages after I finish reading. If the original novel is Japanese, I can understand the novel’s nuance easily. I think the level 1 Ladder series uses simple English. Explaining in simple words might help to build basic vocabulary.
I learned some new words. The first word is ‘bounty hunter’ which means 賞金稼ぎ in Japanese and "a person who catches or kills criminals for money" in English. The second word is ‘snake gourd’ which means カラスウリ in Japanese and "a plant that bears orange fruit" in English. This word is interesting because カラス means crow in English, but the English name uses snake. Different animal names are used. I also learned an idiom, which is ‘bring up’. The idiom means (問題を)持ち出す in Japanese and "to start talking about something" in English.
Reading English books is a good way to train reading skills. If I’m a slow reader I can't keep my motivation for studying English. However, training to read fast might help me prepare for TOEIC.
I borrowed some books from the university library. The books were Gon the Fox, Buying Some Gloves, In the Woods and The Nose from the Ladder series. The 4 books were written by Japanese authors and translated into English. Gon, the Fox (『ごんぎつね』) and Buying Some Gloves (『手袋を買いに』) were written by Nankichi Niimi. In the Woods (『藪の中』) and The Nose (『鼻』) were written by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. Actually, I could have chosen English novels, but I chose Japanese novels which were translated into English because I can read the novels in two languages after I finish reading. If the original novel is Japanese, I can understand the novel’s nuance easily. I think the level 1 Ladder series uses simple English. Explaining in simple words might help to build basic vocabulary.
I learned some new words. The first word is ‘bounty hunter’ which means 賞金稼ぎ in Japanese and "a person who catches or kills criminals for money" in English. The second word is ‘snake gourd’ which means カラスウリ in Japanese and "a plant that bears orange fruit" in English. This word is interesting because カラス means crow in English, but the English name uses snake. Different animal names are used. I also learned an idiom, which is ‘bring up’. The idiom means (問題を)持ち出す in Japanese and "to start talking about something" in English.
Reading English books is a good way to train reading skills. If I’m a slow reader I can't keep my motivation for studying English. However, training to read fast might help me prepare for TOEIC.
Hisato - 5/31/2017
I think it is important for us to read books, because reading is one of the most important skills to have in the world and one of the best ways to study. We can learn many vocabulary words and grammar. But it is hard for me to read a difficult book, so I found a comic series. The name is “Peanuts”, this comics main character is “Snoopy”. Snoopy is one of the most popular comic book characters. Comics are easy for me to read. The serialization is finished and it is Four-Frame comics. It is easy to understand, so I read it and learned some words. First, I learned “Tenderhearted”; it’s mean ”心の優しい”,”情にもろい”. For example, “He is tender-hearted” means ”彼は心の優しい人だ” and ___ in English. Second, I learned “Blockhead”. It’s mean ”石頭”. It has the same meaning as "stubborn" ”頑固者”. I realized that reading is very important. If we want to learn English, reading is a very good way, and I recommend it.
I think it is important for us to read books, because reading is one of the most important skills to have in the world and one of the best ways to study. We can learn many vocabulary words and grammar. But it is hard for me to read a difficult book, so I found a comic series. The name is “Peanuts”, this comics main character is “Snoopy”. Snoopy is one of the most popular comic book characters. Comics are easy for me to read. The serialization is finished and it is Four-Frame comics. It is easy to understand, so I read it and learned some words. First, I learned “Tenderhearted”; it’s mean ”心の優しい”,”情にもろい”. For example, “He is tender-hearted” means ”彼は心の優しい人だ” and ___ in English. Second, I learned “Blockhead”. It’s mean ”石頭”. It has the same meaning as "stubborn" ”頑固者”. I realized that reading is very important. If we want to learn English, reading is a very good way, and I recommend it.
Haruna - 5/31/2017
I read Tales of friendship and Fun. I bought this book at a bookstore in Guam. The chief character of this book is Sofia, a Disney princess. There are five stories. This book has many illustrations, and it's even easy for a child to read.
At first I read a story called the Welcome to Royal prep. Sofia prepared to have a party in the house of the king. James spilled paint on the picture which Amber drew. But Sofia had an idea, and the party succeeded. The second story is The missing necklace. Sofia was pleased to get jewelry from the King. However, the necklace which Sofia got disappeared. A pet of the King lured the bad person who stole the necklace.
I leaned new vocabulary words from this book. The first word is “ruined”. It means “破壊された” in Japanese and “destroyed” in English. The second word I learned is “tickle”. It means “喜ばす・満足する” in Japanese and “be content” in English.
I can know the meanings of new words by reading a book. I want to challenge a more difficult book. I will try to get into the habit of reading books from now on.
I read Tales of friendship and Fun. I bought this book at a bookstore in Guam. The chief character of this book is Sofia, a Disney princess. There are five stories. This book has many illustrations, and it's even easy for a child to read.
At first I read a story called the Welcome to Royal prep. Sofia prepared to have a party in the house of the king. James spilled paint on the picture which Amber drew. But Sofia had an idea, and the party succeeded. The second story is The missing necklace. Sofia was pleased to get jewelry from the King. However, the necklace which Sofia got disappeared. A pet of the King lured the bad person who stole the necklace.
I leaned new vocabulary words from this book. The first word is “ruined”. It means “破壊された” in Japanese and “destroyed” in English. The second word I learned is “tickle”. It means “喜ばす・満足する” in Japanese and “be content” in English.
I can know the meanings of new words by reading a book. I want to challenge a more difficult book. I will try to get into the habit of reading books from now on.
Akari - 5/29/2017
I borrowed a book, Beauty and the Beast, from the Tsurumi University library. The author is Xanthe Smith Serafin. This book is a Ladder series book of level 1. It was easy to read, because there is a vocabulary list and the book has illustrations.
In this book, a man was changed into an ugly beast by a witch. Another character is a woman who was the prettiest of three sisters, They called her Beauty. She didn’t like the Beast, but he said ‘‘Will you marry me, Beauty?’’ again and again. Beast was big and had a horrible bear-like face, so Beauty was repulsed. However, the Beast forced her to stay in the castle. They had meals and danced together. Finally, they were finds true love.
The content of this book is different from the Disney movie. For example, Beauty's name isn't ‘‘Belle’’ and characters like Lumiere, Mrs. Pot, Gaston, Cogsworth and others do not appear in this book.
I learned some new vocabulary. The first word is ‘‘lazy’’. It means ‘‘怠惰な、だるい’’ in Japanese and ‘‘not liking work and physical activity’’ in English. Second, I learned ‘‘strange’’. It means ‘‘奇妙な’’ in Japanese and ‘‘in a way that is unusual or surprising’’ in English.
I think reading English books easily improves my English skill. By reading in English, I can learn new vocabulary and get used to native English sentences. I want to continue reading in English. Also, I would like to watch the live action movie of this story soon.
I borrowed a book, Beauty and the Beast, from the Tsurumi University library. The author is Xanthe Smith Serafin. This book is a Ladder series book of level 1. It was easy to read, because there is a vocabulary list and the book has illustrations.
In this book, a man was changed into an ugly beast by a witch. Another character is a woman who was the prettiest of three sisters, They called her Beauty. She didn’t like the Beast, but he said ‘‘Will you marry me, Beauty?’’ again and again. Beast was big and had a horrible bear-like face, so Beauty was repulsed. However, the Beast forced her to stay in the castle. They had meals and danced together. Finally, they were finds true love.
The content of this book is different from the Disney movie. For example, Beauty's name isn't ‘‘Belle’’ and characters like Lumiere, Mrs. Pot, Gaston, Cogsworth and others do not appear in this book.
I learned some new vocabulary. The first word is ‘‘lazy’’. It means ‘‘怠惰な、だるい’’ in Japanese and ‘‘not liking work and physical activity’’ in English. Second, I learned ‘‘strange’’. It means ‘‘奇妙な’’ in Japanese and ‘‘in a way that is unusual or surprising’’ in English.
I think reading English books easily improves my English skill. By reading in English, I can learn new vocabulary and get used to native English sentences. I want to continue reading in English. Also, I would like to watch the live action movie of this story soon.
Hikaru - 5/25/2017
In May, I found a series of books in the library called "The English of Disney." There are 16 titles, and Moana is the newest one. I chose The Little Mermaid from these 16 books. I knew the character, Ariel, but I didn't know the story.
It was the one which I read about a one-third of the book, but it began have no time too much to read it because there was a lot of doing for me at that time. In addition, I did not read it for a while because I have forgotten the existence of the book whenever I pursue a day. However, when a homework of Reading was given by this seminar, I remembered the existence of the book and was able to begin to read a this book again. [Hikaru, I think we don't need this paragraph. - Kevin]
I think that this book is easy to read for people without much time. This book saves time because we don't have to check the meaning of words and phrases, as they are written on every page. In addition, we can confirm our understanding because English expression exercises appear in every chapter, and there is a Japanese translation on the last page as well. This is how you can check your understanding of the contents.
My favorite character is Flounder in The Little Mermaid. Not only is he pretty, but the colors of Flounder are nice, too. I like yellow, and I have been attracted to yellow characters like Pooh and Tweety since long ago. [How about Homer Simpson?]
I learned some words related to anger in this book. "Furious" (激怒した) means " lose one's reason with anger." And "roar" (どなる) means yell loudly with anger. "Rage" (怒り) has the same meaning as "furious." And "frustrate" (いらいらさせる ) means "to make you feel angry because you are unable to do what you want."
In May, I found a series of books in the library called "The English of Disney." There are 16 titles, and Moana is the newest one. I chose The Little Mermaid from these 16 books. I knew the character, Ariel, but I didn't know the story.
It was the one which I read about a one-third of the book, but it began have no time too much to read it because there was a lot of doing for me at that time. In addition, I did not read it for a while because I have forgotten the existence of the book whenever I pursue a day. However, when a homework of Reading was given by this seminar, I remembered the existence of the book and was able to begin to read a this book again. [Hikaru, I think we don't need this paragraph. - Kevin]
I think that this book is easy to read for people without much time. This book saves time because we don't have to check the meaning of words and phrases, as they are written on every page. In addition, we can confirm our understanding because English expression exercises appear in every chapter, and there is a Japanese translation on the last page as well. This is how you can check your understanding of the contents.
My favorite character is Flounder in The Little Mermaid. Not only is he pretty, but the colors of Flounder are nice, too. I like yellow, and I have been attracted to yellow characters like Pooh and Tweety since long ago. [How about Homer Simpson?]
I learned some words related to anger in this book. "Furious" (激怒した) means " lose one's reason with anger." And "roar" (どなる) means yell loudly with anger. "Rage" (怒り) has the same meaning as "furious." And "frustrate" (いらいらさせる ) means "to make you feel angry because you are unable to do what you want."
Hayate - 6/2/2016
I read the book titled Daniel Radcliffe. This book is short, but it includes a lot of information about Daniel Radcliffe, the actor famous for Harry Potter. I learned the English word “teenager.” This word means boys and girls from 13 to 19 years old. I recommend this book because the English content is easy and it's short. People who like reading books should read not only short stories but also long books. We can learn English vocabulary by reading books. If you can understand easy English books, I think that it is good to challenge books of slightly higher English difficulty as well.
I read the book titled Daniel Radcliffe. This book is short, but it includes a lot of information about Daniel Radcliffe, the actor famous for Harry Potter. I learned the English word “teenager.” This word means boys and girls from 13 to 19 years old. I recommend this book because the English content is easy and it's short. People who like reading books should read not only short stories but also long books. We can learn English vocabulary by reading books. If you can understand easy English books, I think that it is good to challenge books of slightly higher English difficulty as well.
Emily - 6/2/2016
I read “Titanic” by Oxford Bookworms Library. It was written about the Titanic and told about how famous it was and why it sunk to the bottom of the sea. I learned a new vocabulary expression,”distress signal”. That means 遭難信号in Japanese. I still could not get the meaning even though I checked it in a Japanese dictionary. It is not a familiar expression to me, but I guess it is a sign of S.O.S. I did not prefer reading books to watching movies until I read this great book. After reading this book, I realized that reading is actually good for studying English because it made me focus on grammar and the vocabulary words which are unfamiliar to me. As soon as I found those things, I could check the grammar and vocabulary. I want to read more books which are written in English.
I read “Titanic” by Oxford Bookworms Library. It was written about the Titanic and told about how famous it was and why it sunk to the bottom of the sea. I learned a new vocabulary expression,”distress signal”. That means 遭難信号in Japanese. I still could not get the meaning even though I checked it in a Japanese dictionary. It is not a familiar expression to me, but I guess it is a sign of S.O.S. I did not prefer reading books to watching movies until I read this great book. After reading this book, I realized that reading is actually good for studying English because it made me focus on grammar and the vocabulary words which are unfamiliar to me. As soon as I found those things, I could check the grammar and vocabulary. I want to read more books which are written in English.
Koji - 6/2/2016
I think reading English books is important because we can learn grammar, new vocabulary words and get knowledge about English. Books are convenient for raising our English skills. If you want to read English books, I recommend graded readers at Tsurumi University, because there are levels from 1 to 9. You can borrow the English books anytime. The levels from 1 to 4 are comparatively easy and thin. The levels from 5 to 9 are comparatively difficult and thick. So you can choose the books that suit your level.
This time, I read “Dracula”. This book is level 5. This story is fantasy and horror. In 1875, Jonathan Harker comes from England to do business, but he doesn’t feel good at Castle Dracula. At night, strange things happen. I leaned new vocabulary words from this book. Firstly, I learned “stupidly”, it means “foolishly”. In Japanese, it means (愚かな orokana). Secondly, I learned “immediately”. It means “right now”, In Japanese, it means (直ぐにsugu ni). If we read English books, we can learn English happily. So if you want to learn English, I recommend reading English books.
I think reading English books is important because we can learn grammar, new vocabulary words and get knowledge about English. Books are convenient for raising our English skills. If you want to read English books, I recommend graded readers at Tsurumi University, because there are levels from 1 to 9. You can borrow the English books anytime. The levels from 1 to 4 are comparatively easy and thin. The levels from 5 to 9 are comparatively difficult and thick. So you can choose the books that suit your level.
This time, I read “Dracula”. This book is level 5. This story is fantasy and horror. In 1875, Jonathan Harker comes from England to do business, but he doesn’t feel good at Castle Dracula. At night, strange things happen. I leaned new vocabulary words from this book. Firstly, I learned “stupidly”, it means “foolishly”. In Japanese, it means (愚かな orokana). Secondly, I learned “immediately”. It means “right now”, In Japanese, it means (直ぐにsugu ni). If we read English books, we can learn English happily. So if you want to learn English, I recommend reading English books.
Kaho - 6/2/2016
I read Peter Pan. To summarize the contents of this story, Peter Pan went to the home of three children and he made them fly in the sky by sprinkling magic powder on them. Then they went to Neverland and had a variety of experiences there. Peter Pan was made into an animated movie by Walt Disney. I found three new vocabulary from this story. The first word is ”nursery”. "Nursery" is a place to leave your children (保育園). The second word is ”mysterious”. ”Mysterious” is beyond the usual recognition and theories as to the strange feeling (神秘的な). The last word is ”cupboard”. "Cupboard" is a shelf for storing dishes (食器棚). The book I read was not too difficult, but there were vocabulary words that did not know. I thought that it was fun to learn English like this.
I read Peter Pan. To summarize the contents of this story, Peter Pan went to the home of three children and he made them fly in the sky by sprinkling magic powder on them. Then they went to Neverland and had a variety of experiences there. Peter Pan was made into an animated movie by Walt Disney. I found three new vocabulary from this story. The first word is ”nursery”. "Nursery" is a place to leave your children (保育園). The second word is ”mysterious”. ”Mysterious” is beyond the usual recognition and theories as to the strange feeling (神秘的な). The last word is ”cupboard”. "Cupboard" is a shelf for storing dishes (食器棚). The book I read was not too difficult, but there were vocabulary words that did not know. I thought that it was fun to learn English like this.
Natsumi - 6/2/2016
I sometimes use the library to borrow English books. This time I chose the English graded reader, The Aristocats. The reason is that I like Disney animation and I know the Disney character, Mary, I didn't know the story well, so I thought I should read it. The contents of The Aristocats is that a rich lady dotes on her cats. She tries to create a will to leave her inheritance to her cats. However, the butler was angry when he heard this. He thought he was betrayed by the owner who he had served for many years. And the butler tried to get the inheritance. He gave the cats milk with sleeping pills and he abandoned the cats in the Paris suburbs while they were sleeping. The story is whether the cats can get home safely or not. In this book, the world kitten appears a lot. I checked kitten. It means 'baby cat' or “子ネコ” in Japanese. And Roquefort is French blue cheese. It means “フランス産ブルーチーズ”. And frou frou is a sound. It means “サラサラ” in Japanese. When expressed in words, it is the sound of the rustling of clothes. It means “衣擦れの音”. I think that English reading skills improve by reading English books. I recommend reading to those who want to raise their reading skills.
I sometimes use the library to borrow English books. This time I chose the English graded reader, The Aristocats. The reason is that I like Disney animation and I know the Disney character, Mary, I didn't know the story well, so I thought I should read it. The contents of The Aristocats is that a rich lady dotes on her cats. She tries to create a will to leave her inheritance to her cats. However, the butler was angry when he heard this. He thought he was betrayed by the owner who he had served for many years. And the butler tried to get the inheritance. He gave the cats milk with sleeping pills and he abandoned the cats in the Paris suburbs while they were sleeping. The story is whether the cats can get home safely or not. In this book, the world kitten appears a lot. I checked kitten. It means 'baby cat' or “子ネコ” in Japanese. And Roquefort is French blue cheese. It means “フランス産ブルーチーズ”. And frou frou is a sound. It means “サラサラ” in Japanese. When expressed in words, it is the sound of the rustling of clothes. It means “衣擦れの音”. I think that English reading skills improve by reading English books. I recommend reading to those who want to raise their reading skills.
Aya - 6/1/2016
I think that it is important to read books to be able to speak English. Reading in English will help improve my English skills. I read a graded reader. I read Toy Story 3. I have seen the movie "Toy Story 3.". I didn't understand the meaning of "attic." It means garret (屋根裏部屋). The second was "trash bag." It means garbage bag (ゴミ袋). Graded readers have levels so you can understand the book that is at your own level. Disney stories and other various stories are easy to read. If I read books in English, my vocabulary will increase. I think that it's a good way to study. I want to continue reading graded readers from now on.
I think that it is important to read books to be able to speak English. Reading in English will help improve my English skills. I read a graded reader. I read Toy Story 3. I have seen the movie "Toy Story 3.". I didn't understand the meaning of "attic." It means garret (屋根裏部屋). The second was "trash bag." It means garbage bag (ゴミ袋). Graded readers have levels so you can understand the book that is at your own level. Disney stories and other various stories are easy to read. If I read books in English, my vocabulary will increase. I think that it's a good way to study. I want to continue reading graded readers from now on.
Hideka - 6/1/2016
[I am challenging the English Reader Marathon at Tsurumi University.] - Really? - Kevin. I went to the university Library and I read some graded readers. These books have levels, so we can choose the level that's good for us. There are a lot of graded readers. I read level 1 to level 3 because they suit my reading skill. Easy graded readers have few pages and they are very easy. I enjoyed these books. I could learn some English expressions. Some words I can use in everyday life. I want to try to read more difficult English books. If you read a lot of graded readers, you can learn words, grammar and English expressions. Graded readers are recommended.
I read three books: Get the Ball!, Singer Wanted and Quiz Night. I want to introduce Singer Wanted. [Hero think bat singer. Hero name is Dniela. It is mistake imagination. She is good singer. I learned new vocabulary. I researched 3 word. “referee” “Rodling” “capital of Thailand”. referee was write “Get the Ball!” The referee sees Alex. (審判員) Rodling and capital of Thailand were write ” Quiz Night”. Is it Anita Roding ? I didn’t understand this Japanese. What’s the capital of Thailand? (タイの資源]- These sentences don't make much sense to me. - Kevin
[I am challenging the English Reader Marathon at Tsurumi University.] - Really? - Kevin. I went to the university Library and I read some graded readers. These books have levels, so we can choose the level that's good for us. There are a lot of graded readers. I read level 1 to level 3 because they suit my reading skill. Easy graded readers have few pages and they are very easy. I enjoyed these books. I could learn some English expressions. Some words I can use in everyday life. I want to try to read more difficult English books. If you read a lot of graded readers, you can learn words, grammar and English expressions. Graded readers are recommended.
I read three books: Get the Ball!, Singer Wanted and Quiz Night. I want to introduce Singer Wanted. [Hero think bat singer. Hero name is Dniela. It is mistake imagination. She is good singer. I learned new vocabulary. I researched 3 word. “referee” “Rodling” “capital of Thailand”. referee was write “Get the Ball!” The referee sees Alex. (審判員) Rodling and capital of Thailand were write ” Quiz Night”. Is it Anita Roding ? I didn’t understand this Japanese. What’s the capital of Thailand? (タイの資源]- These sentences don't make much sense to me. - Kevin
Natsuko - 5/31/2016
I started extensive reading in English when I was a high school student. I was told that I would get a high score on TOEIC and Eiken if I read a lot of books written in English. At first I read books which were easy to understand. I have a dog so I read a lot of books about dogs. Then I moved to a little more difficult level. At first I couldn't understand what was written so I used a dictionary. But my teacher told me, "Don't use a dictionary or translate English to Japanese. You can guess what is meant according to the sentences before and after. Just feel it." Since then I have never used a dictionary or translated. I just felt what happened in the books and I could enjoy reading smoothly without any problems.
When I was a third year student of this university I participated in the English Reader Marathon. This event was a good opportunity to restart reading English books. I started reading low level books, such as Penguin Readers, Building Blocks Library and so on. I especially liked the Page Turners series because their stories were based on the lives of college students like me, so I could put myself into the stories. My favorite book was "You Just Don't Know Her" because this story could happen to me and it was easy to read. In this book I found a new expression, "broken heart" which means very sad, This expression is used if you have a love affair that has ended unhappily (Japanese:失恋). I also found a texting message,"U R A NICE GUY." It means "You are a nice guy." I could know how to text to a friend in a short way. I think I will use these phrases in my daily life.
Reading books is the most important thing for learning English. We can learn so many things, such as vocabulary, idioms, how to spell and pronounce words, and multi-word expressions. And we can read books quickly by reading a lot. This gives a feeling of achievement. Reading books is not only good for studying English, but also for our TOEIC and Eiken scores. Happy reading.
I started extensive reading in English when I was a high school student. I was told that I would get a high score on TOEIC and Eiken if I read a lot of books written in English. At first I read books which were easy to understand. I have a dog so I read a lot of books about dogs. Then I moved to a little more difficult level. At first I couldn't understand what was written so I used a dictionary. But my teacher told me, "Don't use a dictionary or translate English to Japanese. You can guess what is meant according to the sentences before and after. Just feel it." Since then I have never used a dictionary or translated. I just felt what happened in the books and I could enjoy reading smoothly without any problems.
When I was a third year student of this university I participated in the English Reader Marathon. This event was a good opportunity to restart reading English books. I started reading low level books, such as Penguin Readers, Building Blocks Library and so on. I especially liked the Page Turners series because their stories were based on the lives of college students like me, so I could put myself into the stories. My favorite book was "You Just Don't Know Her" because this story could happen to me and it was easy to read. In this book I found a new expression, "broken heart" which means very sad, This expression is used if you have a love affair that has ended unhappily (Japanese:失恋). I also found a texting message,"U R A NICE GUY." It means "You are a nice guy." I could know how to text to a friend in a short way. I think I will use these phrases in my daily life.
Reading books is the most important thing for learning English. We can learn so many things, such as vocabulary, idioms, how to spell and pronounce words, and multi-word expressions. And we can read books quickly by reading a lot. This gives a feeling of achievement. Reading books is not only good for studying English, but also for our TOEIC and Eiken scores. Happy reading.
Shiori - 5/31/2016
I read The Incredibles. This book is based on a movie by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The story is about an incredible family that had been active as super heroes, but they were forced to go out of business. The bonds of family were about to break apart, but they were again inspired to become super heroes and restore family ties.
I didn’t understand the meaning of two words, so I searched their meanings. The first word was “hide”. Hide means “to deliberately put or keep something or someone in a place where they cannot easily be seen or found (隠す). The second word is “volcano”. Volcano means “a mountain with a large hole at the top, through which lava is sometimes forced out (火山).
This book was basically easy to read, but I didn't know the meanings of some words due to my lack of study. There were many big pictures, so I was able to understand the story immediately. This is a merit to reading a book with pictures.You can build reading skills while increasing your vocabulary.I think trying to read a variety of English books is important, because I want to improve my reading skills and increase my vocabulary. I will increase the number of times I go to the library.
I read The Incredibles. This book is based on a movie by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The story is about an incredible family that had been active as super heroes, but they were forced to go out of business. The bonds of family were about to break apart, but they were again inspired to become super heroes and restore family ties.
I didn’t understand the meaning of two words, so I searched their meanings. The first word was “hide”. Hide means “to deliberately put or keep something or someone in a place where they cannot easily be seen or found (隠す). The second word is “volcano”. Volcano means “a mountain with a large hole at the top, through which lava is sometimes forced out (火山).
This book was basically easy to read, but I didn't know the meanings of some words due to my lack of study. There were many big pictures, so I was able to understand the story immediately. This is a merit to reading a book with pictures.You can build reading skills while increasing your vocabulary.I think trying to read a variety of English books is important, because I want to improve my reading skills and increase my vocabulary. I will increase the number of times I go to the library.
Shotaro - 5/31/2016
I read The Star Zoo. This story is a about a 16-year-old girl named Hummingbird who lives in the Galaxy. And, in this story animals are fictional and only appear in a book called "The Book of Remembering". [It is absolute in this story. One day, she jumps out to the universe with a cause. ?]
I learned many words from The Star Zoo. First, “council” means “a group of people chosen to work together and make rules or laws.” In Japanese, it's “評議会、協議会”. Second, “pollute” means “to make a place (air, water, or land) very dirty and dangerous to live in,” or in Japanese “汚染する”. Third, “ultrasonic” means “a very high sound which humans cannot hear”. In Japanese, this is “超音波の”.
I like to read books, and I think it's a good way to study English. And, I think it is fun to read English books. It is a great way to learn and be entertained at the same time. If you read many English books, you can improve your English skill.s You can remember a lot of words naturally. I’m going to read many books from now on.
I read The Star Zoo. This story is a about a 16-year-old girl named Hummingbird who lives in the Galaxy. And, in this story animals are fictional and only appear in a book called "The Book of Remembering". [It is absolute in this story. One day, she jumps out to the universe with a cause. ?]
I learned many words from The Star Zoo. First, “council” means “a group of people chosen to work together and make rules or laws.” In Japanese, it's “評議会、協議会”. Second, “pollute” means “to make a place (air, water, or land) very dirty and dangerous to live in,” or in Japanese “汚染する”. Third, “ultrasonic” means “a very high sound which humans cannot hear”. In Japanese, this is “超音波の”.
I like to read books, and I think it's a good way to study English. And, I think it is fun to read English books. It is a great way to learn and be entertained at the same time. If you read many English books, you can improve your English skill.s You can remember a lot of words naturally. I’m going to read many books from now on.
Shougo - 5/30/2016
I think reading books is very good because reading books is useful as a topic for communication with someone. And people can learn English words and some kind of knowledge by reading books. I read Knights" It is written in short simple English, so it's easy to read. This book is in the Tsurumi University library. This book's story is about knights and children who want to become a knight. And the story is set during the Hundred Years' War. I learned new vocabulary words. The first vocabulary word is "lord" which means a nobleman (a baron; baronage, a duke's son). In Japanese, it means "貴族 (kizoku; 候[伯,子,男]爵,公爵の子息》”. The second word is "mace" which means a club of the Middle Ages. In Japanese, it means "鎚鉾"(tsuchihoko). Even if I only read a picture book, I can learn a lot of English vocabulary words, and I can improve my TOEIC score.
I think reading books is very good because reading books is useful as a topic for communication with someone. And people can learn English words and some kind of knowledge by reading books. I read Knights" It is written in short simple English, so it's easy to read. This book is in the Tsurumi University library. This book's story is about knights and children who want to become a knight. And the story is set during the Hundred Years' War. I learned new vocabulary words. The first vocabulary word is "lord" which means a nobleman (a baron; baronage, a duke's son). In Japanese, it means "貴族 (kizoku; 候[伯,子,男]爵,公爵の子息》”. The second word is "mace" which means a club of the Middle Ages. In Japanese, it means "鎚鉾"(tsuchihoko). Even if I only read a picture book, I can learn a lot of English vocabulary words, and I can improve my TOEIC score.
Erika - 5/29/2016
It is important to read books in English. People can learn many vocabulary words and grammar. I think reading is better for people who are not good at talking with foreigners. Now I'm trying the English Reader Marathon at Tsurumi University. It is very good for us because we can learn English and we might get a book gift card if we read a lot of books. At first, we should read simple English books and then we should read more difficult English books. In this way, our English reading skills and speed will become better. The most important thing is to continue.
Most recently I read the National Geographic Ladders book, Lend Me a Paw. This book is in the Tsurumi University library. This book is about animals. There are many animals which are working all over the world. For example, there are therapy animals, search and rescue dogs, guide dogs and animals that carry loads. I learned 3 vocabulary words: "command," "deaf" and "groom". Command means give an order. (命令する) Deaf means people who can not hear sound or voices. (耳が聞こえない) Groom means brush and clean the coat of dog. I'd like to raise my English reading skill, so I'm going to try reading more books in my life. I enjoy reading.
It is important to read books in English. People can learn many vocabulary words and grammar. I think reading is better for people who are not good at talking with foreigners. Now I'm trying the English Reader Marathon at Tsurumi University. It is very good for us because we can learn English and we might get a book gift card if we read a lot of books. At first, we should read simple English books and then we should read more difficult English books. In this way, our English reading skills and speed will become better. The most important thing is to continue.
Most recently I read the National Geographic Ladders book, Lend Me a Paw. This book is in the Tsurumi University library. This book is about animals. There are many animals which are working all over the world. For example, there are therapy animals, search and rescue dogs, guide dogs and animals that carry loads. I learned 3 vocabulary words: "command," "deaf" and "groom". Command means give an order. (命令する) Deaf means people who can not hear sound or voices. (耳が聞こえない) Groom means brush and clean the coat of dog. I'd like to raise my English reading skill, so I'm going to try reading more books in my life. I enjoy reading.
Asuna - 5/29/2016
When I was a young, my mother bought a book for me, “The Christmas Cub”. “Cub” means "baby bear" or “クマの子” in Japanese. That book was an illustrated book for children. In the old days, I thought that reading was difficult, but now I think that book was so easy to read. Now I study English and I have learned many vocabulary words in school and at Tsurumi University. However, I there are still many vocabulary words I don't know in the books at Tsurumi University library. Some words I found are “rug”, “van”, “bridesmaid”, “material”, “sigh”, “puddle” and “cuddly”. “Rug” means “敷物” in Japanese. And “Van” means “トラック”, “Bridesmaid” means “花嫁の付き添い”. People, who become a “Bridesmaid” is a girl. And “Material” means “生地” in Japanese. “Sigh” means “ため息をつく”, people feel sad when they sigh. “Puddle” means “水たまり” and “Cuddly” means “動物のぬいぐるみの”. [Asuna, please write the English meanings too. - Kevin] This vocabulary word is an adjective, so it is used with a noun. For example, “Mother gives her son a cuddly toy”. [Please provide the source information of the books where these vocabulary words came from.]
I think that reading books is one of the best ways to study, because, when I don't know a vocabulary word, I use an electronic dictionary. In this way, I could learn meanings and spelling. When we read English books, we should not only read silently, but sometimes we should read aloud. By doing so, we can learn correct pronunciation and we can practice talking. To date, I have read only easy books, so I think that I should try to read higher level books next.
When I was a young, my mother bought a book for me, “The Christmas Cub”. “Cub” means "baby bear" or “クマの子” in Japanese. That book was an illustrated book for children. In the old days, I thought that reading was difficult, but now I think that book was so easy to read. Now I study English and I have learned many vocabulary words in school and at Tsurumi University. However, I there are still many vocabulary words I don't know in the books at Tsurumi University library. Some words I found are “rug”, “van”, “bridesmaid”, “material”, “sigh”, “puddle” and “cuddly”. “Rug” means “敷物” in Japanese. And “Van” means “トラック”, “Bridesmaid” means “花嫁の付き添い”. People, who become a “Bridesmaid” is a girl. And “Material” means “生地” in Japanese. “Sigh” means “ため息をつく”, people feel sad when they sigh. “Puddle” means “水たまり” and “Cuddly” means “動物のぬいぐるみの”. [Asuna, please write the English meanings too. - Kevin] This vocabulary word is an adjective, so it is used with a noun. For example, “Mother gives her son a cuddly toy”. [Please provide the source information of the books where these vocabulary words came from.]
I think that reading books is one of the best ways to study, because, when I don't know a vocabulary word, I use an electronic dictionary. In this way, I could learn meanings and spelling. When we read English books, we should not only read silently, but sometimes we should read aloud. By doing so, we can learn correct pronunciation and we can practice talking. To date, I have read only easy books, so I think that I should try to read higher level books next.
Aoi - 5/28/2016
I read Wall-E, which is a book from a movie by Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures. This story is about the last robot on Earth which continues working by disposing garbage 700 years after the earth is abandoned.. He has a system error which causes him to have feelings. I chose this book because I have an interest in the feelings of robots. And I thought that I do not know a lot of vocabulary words. I finished reading it immediately because this book is easy to read. I found two reasons why it's easy to read. First, this book has a lot of big illustrations. Second, there are not many sentences on each page. I think anyone can read this book quickly. And I thought that my reading skills effectively improved.
I learned new vocabulary words, such as “trash”, “squash”, “landed”, “dirty” and ”terrible”. First, “trash ( ごみ )” means scrap. Second, “squash ( 押しつぶす )” means to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition. Third “landed ( 土地を所有する )” means owning or consisting of land or real estate. [Please check your dictionary again. There are several meanings for the word 'landed', but you chose the wrong one.. - Kevin] Fourth, “dirty ( 汚れた )” means soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime. Finally, ”terrible ( 恐ろしい )” means causing fear or dread or terror. I recommend that you read this book to learn English.
I read Wall-E, which is a book from a movie by Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures. This story is about the last robot on Earth which continues working by disposing garbage 700 years after the earth is abandoned.. He has a system error which causes him to have feelings. I chose this book because I have an interest in the feelings of robots. And I thought that I do not know a lot of vocabulary words. I finished reading it immediately because this book is easy to read. I found two reasons why it's easy to read. First, this book has a lot of big illustrations. Second, there are not many sentences on each page. I think anyone can read this book quickly. And I thought that my reading skills effectively improved.
I learned new vocabulary words, such as “trash”, “squash”, “landed”, “dirty” and ”terrible”. First, “trash ( ごみ )” means scrap. Second, “squash ( 押しつぶす )” means to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition. Third “landed ( 土地を所有する )” means owning or consisting of land or real estate. [Please check your dictionary again. There are several meanings for the word 'landed', but you chose the wrong one.. - Kevin] Fourth, “dirty ( 汚れた )” means soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime. Finally, ”terrible ( 恐ろしい )” means causing fear or dread or terror. I recommend that you read this book to learn English.
Shunya - 5/24/2016
I’ve read various books since I was a freshman. For example, I read famous literature and stories (including Japanese books) and also books related to education (biographies, history books, books about environment, geography, psychology) and so forth. Furthermore, I’ve read magazine and newspaper articles online or on real paper. I don’t like stories (including comics), because I want to read something instructive to get knowledge, but if you are a beginning reader, I recommend that you choose easy story books because you can imagine the situation easily and there are illustrations on every page of the books. If you become habituated to them, change the book level to more difficult books and read various things (magazines or newspapers). [Difficult story books and also education books such as (historical, geography) are resources in the books, however they are absolutely as resources. ? - Kevin] The key is ‘don’t translate into Japanese and try to achieve 'automatization’. These are important because we can learn to understand English sentences unconsciously.
I learned various vocabulary words from reading. For instance, “predict”, “suck up” and “flower”. “Predict” is kind of “to expect” which means “予測する”(yosoku suru). “Suck up” is “to lift something up into the air”. It means “吸い上げる、吸収する”(suiageru, kyuushuu suru) in Japanese. “Flower” is “to develop and become successful” which means “開花する”(kaika suru) in Japanese. [Source?]
I think reading has some advantages for English learners. If you read a lot, you can read English books faster, learn more English vocabulary, remember English spelling, understand English sentences easily, make English sentences easily, and improve your TOEIC score, Finally, you can learn and study English sentences accurately. But you must do it continuously as much as possible.
I’ve read various books since I was a freshman. For example, I read famous literature and stories (including Japanese books) and also books related to education (biographies, history books, books about environment, geography, psychology) and so forth. Furthermore, I’ve read magazine and newspaper articles online or on real paper. I don’t like stories (including comics), because I want to read something instructive to get knowledge, but if you are a beginning reader, I recommend that you choose easy story books because you can imagine the situation easily and there are illustrations on every page of the books. If you become habituated to them, change the book level to more difficult books and read various things (magazines or newspapers). [Difficult story books and also education books such as (historical, geography) are resources in the books, however they are absolutely as resources. ? - Kevin] The key is ‘don’t translate into Japanese and try to achieve 'automatization’. These are important because we can learn to understand English sentences unconsciously.
I learned various vocabulary words from reading. For instance, “predict”, “suck up” and “flower”. “Predict” is kind of “to expect” which means “予測する”(yosoku suru). “Suck up” is “to lift something up into the air”. It means “吸い上げる、吸収する”(suiageru, kyuushuu suru) in Japanese. “Flower” is “to develop and become successful” which means “開花する”(kaika suru) in Japanese. [Source?]
I think reading has some advantages for English learners. If you read a lot, you can read English books faster, learn more English vocabulary, remember English spelling, understand English sentences easily, make English sentences easily, and improve your TOEIC score, Finally, you can learn and study English sentences accurately. But you must do it continuously as much as possible.
Ayako - 5/22/2016
I think reading is very important for learning English. There are three benefits to reading. First of all, from reading, we can learn new vocabulary and grammar. Even if we read easy books, we review our understanding of grammar. Secondly, reading English books is a convenient way to learn English because we can read books from the library, the internet and shops. For example, there are a lot of English books in the Tsurumi University’s library. The library is free for students, so we don’t need to pay money. Finally, we can improve our English skill when we are keep reading for a lifetime.
When I was a freshman, I started reading Graded Readers because Tsurumi University has the English Reader Marathon, which is an annual reading contest. I couldn’t read high level books in the beginning, but I read books almost every day. At the end of the English Reader Marathon, I had read over 300,000 words and 144 books. My reading speed improved. Besides reading every day, my TOEIC score went up. From this experience, I think that it’s important to read books every day and to continue reading.
I read a Graded Reader, “White Water”, by Glenn McDougall. This book was published by Building Blocks Library. It's an exciting adventure about a rafting trip. This book is level 4, so it’s not too long and it's a little easy for me to read. These are words that I learned from this book. “Cliff” mean a large area of rock or mountain with a very steep side, often at the edge of the sea or a river (崖、岩壁). “Starving” mean to suffer or die because you do not have enough to eat (空腹な). I’m also doing the English Reader Marathon this year because I want to keep my English skill and improve my reading speed even more.
I think reading is very important for learning English. There are three benefits to reading. First of all, from reading, we can learn new vocabulary and grammar. Even if we read easy books, we review our understanding of grammar. Secondly, reading English books is a convenient way to learn English because we can read books from the library, the internet and shops. For example, there are a lot of English books in the Tsurumi University’s library. The library is free for students, so we don’t need to pay money. Finally, we can improve our English skill when we are keep reading for a lifetime.
When I was a freshman, I started reading Graded Readers because Tsurumi University has the English Reader Marathon, which is an annual reading contest. I couldn’t read high level books in the beginning, but I read books almost every day. At the end of the English Reader Marathon, I had read over 300,000 words and 144 books. My reading speed improved. Besides reading every day, my TOEIC score went up. From this experience, I think that it’s important to read books every day and to continue reading.
I read a Graded Reader, “White Water”, by Glenn McDougall. This book was published by Building Blocks Library. It's an exciting adventure about a rafting trip. This book is level 4, so it’s not too long and it's a little easy for me to read. These are words that I learned from this book. “Cliff” mean a large area of rock or mountain with a very steep side, often at the edge of the sea or a river (崖、岩壁). “Starving” mean to suffer or die because you do not have enough to eat (空腹な). I’m also doing the English Reader Marathon this year because I want to keep my English skill and improve my reading speed even more.
Mei - June 23, 2015
Today's topic is Reading. I read a graded reader titled Princess Diana. It's published by Macmillan. The writer is Anne Collins. Princess Diana is a very popular British woman. This book's contents is about her life. I don't usually read books written in English, so I took time to finish reading it. I think this book's good point is I am able to learn both English and history. And I found some new vocabulary words; Mediterranean and relationship. The Mediterranean is a noun that refers to the Mediterranean Sea. It means 地中海 in Japanese. Relationship means kankei 関係.
I also read another English graded reader. The title is Knights. The writer is Catherine Daly-Weir, and it was published by Penguin Young Readers. This book's main character is a boy named William. His father is a knight, and William someday hopes to be knight. It is William's story. This book's English level is not difficult, and the story contents are interesting. I found a new vocabulary word. It is fort. Fort means "toride" 砦 in Japanese.
Today's topic is Reading. I read a graded reader titled Princess Diana. It's published by Macmillan. The writer is Anne Collins. Princess Diana is a very popular British woman. This book's contents is about her life. I don't usually read books written in English, so I took time to finish reading it. I think this book's good point is I am able to learn both English and history. And I found some new vocabulary words; Mediterranean and relationship. The Mediterranean is a noun that refers to the Mediterranean Sea. It means 地中海 in Japanese. Relationship means kankei 関係.
I also read another English graded reader. The title is Knights. The writer is Catherine Daly-Weir, and it was published by Penguin Young Readers. This book's main character is a boy named William. His father is a knight, and William someday hopes to be knight. It is William's story. This book's English level is not difficult, and the story contents are interesting. I found a new vocabulary word. It is fort. Fort means "toride" 砦 in Japanese.
Yuki Ka. - June 22, 2015
I read Gulliver's Travels. While the main character is traveling, a big storm attacked his ship. Then he arrived in a country where people are about 15 cm tall. In the country, the little people welcomed him, and called him "human hill". However, he got involved in a war between the country and a neighboring country because of a factional dispute. He found an overturned boat at the beach, and went back to his home country. This is the rough content of the story.
I hadn't ever read Gulliver's Travels before, so I did not know the story. A country where little people live and a country where giant people live were something that I have imagined and wondered if these truly exist. What if a country where little people live has just not been found yet? Maybe it exists in space?
The most deeply impressed part of the story was where the main character tried to extinguish a fire, which is an accident that happened in the palace in the country, using his urine. I was surprised that you are able to extinguish a fire in a palace with your urine in that country. If I were on little people's side, I am glad with the fire is extinguished, but I wish he chose any other solution.
As I searched about Gulliver's Travels, there were not only the country where little people live, but also the country where giant people live, a flying island and the story about a race of people that looks like a horse. Next time, I would like to read the story of Lilliput.
I read Gulliver's Travels. While the main character is traveling, a big storm attacked his ship. Then he arrived in a country where people are about 15 cm tall. In the country, the little people welcomed him, and called him "human hill". However, he got involved in a war between the country and a neighboring country because of a factional dispute. He found an overturned boat at the beach, and went back to his home country. This is the rough content of the story.
I hadn't ever read Gulliver's Travels before, so I did not know the story. A country where little people live and a country where giant people live were something that I have imagined and wondered if these truly exist. What if a country where little people live has just not been found yet? Maybe it exists in space?
The most deeply impressed part of the story was where the main character tried to extinguish a fire, which is an accident that happened in the palace in the country, using his urine. I was surprised that you are able to extinguish a fire in a palace with your urine in that country. If I were on little people's side, I am glad with the fire is extinguished, but I wish he chose any other solution.
As I searched about Gulliver's Travels, there were not only the country where little people live, but also the country where giant people live, a flying island and the story about a race of people that looks like a horse. Next time, I would like to read the story of Lilliput.
Keita - June 22, 2015
I will talk about the Reading topic today. I’m continuing to try the iBook app. In addition I tried doing what a presenter taught me, which is Polyglots. I’ve already installed it on my phone. Learning English on a smartphone is something very familiar to us. The smartphone market is blooming recently and everyone has a smartphone, so it's a good way to learn English.
I read the article about “How many steps a day should you really walk?”. The conclusion is 10,000 steps a day. But 10.000 steps is too low for children. This amount of steps is not so much. Most people do that when they walk to their job or school and come home. That’s enough. This article has some curious things for our life. In this article, I couldn’t understand the word “distill”. It means “蒸留する、引き出す” in Japanese. Probably, I don't have many chances to use this word in conversation, but this article and vocabulary are good for me.
I will talk about the Reading topic today. I’m continuing to try the iBook app. In addition I tried doing what a presenter taught me, which is Polyglots. I’ve already installed it on my phone. Learning English on a smartphone is something very familiar to us. The smartphone market is blooming recently and everyone has a smartphone, so it's a good way to learn English.
I read the article about “How many steps a day should you really walk?”. The conclusion is 10,000 steps a day. But 10.000 steps is too low for children. This amount of steps is not so much. Most people do that when they walk to their job or school and come home. That’s enough. This article has some curious things for our life. In this article, I couldn’t understand the word “distill”. It means “蒸留する、引き出す” in Japanese. Probably, I don't have many chances to use this word in conversation, but this article and vocabulary are good for me.
Mai - May 27, 2015
I read a web site article on the site, The Hollywood Gossip. This site is about the latest news of international celebrities. The top article was about Justin Bieber. I like him. When he attended Jazz Night at the hotel, he sang a BoyzⅡMen ballad ”I'll Make Love To You.” It was very sexy.
The next article was written about Kylie Jenner. To celebrate the start of summer, she got fake breasts. She has had breast implants. She is beautiful and I think she would be good with or without a fake chest :).
The third article was about Taylor Swift. In her new music video, she wears clothes worth $13,000. She showed a stunt in it in front of a red, white, and black background.
My favorite word is "costume." When we hear this word is because someone asks ”What color was the costume?” or ”What is the form of the costume?” We can imagine what it looked like.
I read a web site article on the site, The Hollywood Gossip. This site is about the latest news of international celebrities. The top article was about Justin Bieber. I like him. When he attended Jazz Night at the hotel, he sang a BoyzⅡMen ballad ”I'll Make Love To You.” It was very sexy.
The next article was written about Kylie Jenner. To celebrate the start of summer, she got fake breasts. She has had breast implants. She is beautiful and I think she would be good with or without a fake chest :).
The third article was about Taylor Swift. In her new music video, she wears clothes worth $13,000. She showed a stunt in it in front of a red, white, and black background.
My favorite word is "costume." When we hear this word is because someone asks ”What color was the costume?” or ”What is the form of the costume?” We can imagine what it looked like.
Kouhei - May 20, 2015
I read the book called Superman in iBooks. With this app, there are many books, such as comics, novels and magazines. I don’t read books often, but if I read a book in iBooks or a real book that I buy, my English skill will grow up maybe. Novels are so difficult for me because there are so many difficult words.. Comics sometimes use difficult words too, but the feature of comics is drawings. Sometimes I could understand difficult words from the pictures. So I learned a word 「Collapse」. I didn’t know that before I read Superman and I couldn’t understand it at first, but by looking at the drawing of destroyed buildings, I realized what this word meant. I want to learn English like this. |
Haruna - May 19, 2015
I like reading Japanese novels, but I don't read English novels. I don't have any English novels in my house, so I bought a book at the book store. The book's title is ”Mulan.” It is a famous Disney movie. I think that everybody knows it. I know this movie too, but I have never watched it. Recently, I haven't been reading any English sentences, so it was hard for me to read this book. In this book, I found some difficult new words. For example, the first word is ”army.” It means ”軍”. The second word is ”honor.” It means ”名誉”, ”名声”. I think I have forgotten many English words that I learned so far. I want to read more English novels and watch English movies frequently from now on. |
Daiki - May 19, 2015
I chose the book Glee: the Beginning from the library. Glee is a famous TV drama series in the U.S. I watched it when I was in high school, so it was little bit easy for me to understand the story. In this book, the words are not difficult, but there sometimes appeared words that I didn't know. And the words that are written with British spelling, such as "centre"and "colour" are not familiar to me. This time, I learned "stammer," "sophomore" and "Got 2 c u". "Stammer" means speaking haltingly like "H- h-hello". "Sophomore" means second grade student in high school or university. "Got 2 c u" is short for "I've got to see you." I couldn't understand it when I read it. This book's level is 4 and it was not difficult, so I'll try to read a more difficult book next time. |
Akiko - May 19, 2015
I read the book called The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The stage is Paris in the 15th century. The protagonist is Quasimodo. He looks ugly. However, he is a pure and gentle person. He is shut in Notre Dame sanctuary by Frollo. Frollo is a judge. One day Quasimodo breaks a promise and leaves the sanctuary. The story begins there. The new vocabulary I found is ”hunchback”. This word means ”猫背の人” in Japanese. I am a little stooped, so I am glad to know this word. |
Yuka - May 19, 2015
I read ABC News on the Internet. I learned about ABC News last year, so I tried it. I chose one topic that I became interested in. The topic was ”Nissan.” Nissan is a famous car company and my family's car is a Nissan. The news article was entitled ”Nissan Will Be Ready With Autonomous Driving by 2020.” This was said by Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn. He succeeded in the production of the car which does not emit carbon dioxide exhaust. It is an electric car. I think he will succeed again.
I read ABC News on the Internet. I learned about ABC News last year, so I tried it. I chose one topic that I became interested in. The topic was ”Nissan.” Nissan is a famous car company and my family's car is a Nissan. The news article was entitled ”Nissan Will Be Ready With Autonomous Driving by 2020.” This was said by Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn. He succeeded in the production of the car which does not emit carbon dioxide exhaust. It is an electric car. I think he will succeed again.
Yuki Ka. - May 19, 2015
I read “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.” This story is about Alice, who runs into a mysterious rabbit, and they unfortunately go to Wonderland. In this mysterious world, flowers, cats and even caterpillars can speak. Alice commits some offensive behaviors against the Queen, so the Queen tries to catch her. At the time when the Queen almost catches her, she wakes up, and notices that everything that happened was just a dream.
In the story, “Alice in Wonderland,” you see many unrealistic parts. For example, the flowers speak. Yet, those are able to happen because it is in her dream. I like the story ending by noticing it was a dream because the story becomes more realistic. This story is for children, but I think adults can also enjoy it, so please try. It was easy for me to read because a word list was in the book I borrowed.
I read “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.” This story is about Alice, who runs into a mysterious rabbit, and they unfortunately go to Wonderland. In this mysterious world, flowers, cats and even caterpillars can speak. Alice commits some offensive behaviors against the Queen, so the Queen tries to catch her. At the time when the Queen almost catches her, she wakes up, and notices that everything that happened was just a dream.
In the story, “Alice in Wonderland,” you see many unrealistic parts. For example, the flowers speak. Yet, those are able to happen because it is in her dream. I like the story ending by noticing it was a dream because the story becomes more realistic. This story is for children, but I think adults can also enjoy it, so please try. It was easy for me to read because a word list was in the book I borrowed.
Masanori - May 19, 2015
I read a graded reader version of "Hamlet" written by William Shakespeare, which I borrowed from the Tsurumi University library. You know, "Hamlet" is a famous play in the world, and Shakespeare is famous too. As a literature student, I thought that I should read the book in English. The book was easy to read for me because there were only 40 pages and the font was not so small, and much of the story was omitted. My new vocabulary word is "lord" which was often written in the play. That means 君主 (kunnshu), which is used to address Claudius in the story. On the other hand, "servant" means しもべ (shimobe) in Japanese. The leading character is Hamlet, and the sub characters are Polonius and Laertes, who are servants of the lord, Claudius. And last I have to introduce the English phrase in "Hamlet." that is "To be, or not to be," which is such a famous phrase in Shakespeare's plays. This phrase is translated variously in Japanese because it was difficult for the many Japanese translators to do it, but in a recent Japanese translation, it means 生きるべきか死ぬべか (ikurubekika-shinubekika) but I thought "live or die" is easier to understand the meanings of that, and all readers of "Hamlet" can enjoy the play a little! |
Keita - May 18, 2015
I want to talk about my experience with extensive reading. Recently I've read many English novels on my iPhone, using an iOS app called iBooks. With this app, free books in English are available. In my case, I've already read “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll. Of course, you can buy books that you want to read too. One of the good points of reading books with this app is you can search words that you can't understand. In addition, you can bookmark where you stop reading so you can continue again later, and also you can read anywhere that you want. I’ve already found some words that I couldn't understand the meaning of. For example, “timid”. This word means "臆病な”,”びくびくしている” in Japanese. I have never used this word in my life. And also “vulgar” is another word I learned. The meaning is “下品な” in Japanese. I couldn’t understand this word when I found it, but I looked it up and learned it. I think in this way I will learn English from now on. I think this way is good for me. |
Tomohiro - May 18, 2015
I checked MY ENGLISH PAGES. In this site, there are many study pages, such as reading, writing and so on, so you might improve your English skills. I read an article entitled "The Difference between African and Asian Elephants." There were some interesting differences between them. For example, African elephants have larger ears than Asian elephants. The new vocabulary word that I found was descendants. This means someone who is related to a person who lived a long time ago. In this article, this word was used like this: "Both African Asian elephants are descendants of the same family." This was my first time to use this site, I could understand some differences between African and Asian elephants, and learned new vocabulary and grammar. I want to check other articles next time too. |
Sho - May 18, 2015
This time, my task is to read some sentences in English for English learning and to write about my experience. I found a very useful app for that. I downloaded it to my iPhone. It's called Polyglots. If you download this app, you can study English words, read some articles in English and measure your speed of reading the article. If you are interested in Polyglots, you should download it right now. The URL below is a video that explains this app. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=75&v=-SBk0wvnf5A I read the article entitled "Apple Explores How Touch ID Input Could Be Used For UI Navigation." The contents of the article is that Apple has more extensive plans for using the fingerprint sensor behind Touch ID on the iPhone and iPad, and Apple has applied for a patent. The Touch ID sensor is already used on iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but this patent describes even more advanced UI manipulation. Here are some new vocabulary words. The first word is "obscure" (はっきりしない). It's meaning is "not clear." The next word is "describe" (言葉で述べる、説明する). it's meaning is to explain something. |
Yuki Ku. - May 17, 2015
I read a graded reader, Tom Cruise, and it told me about his success in movies and his gorgeous life. In his work, he has acted different types of roles, and sometimes he produced movies, such as Mission Impossible. I didn't know that before I read this book. As regards his love life, he repeatedly married and divorced again and again. While married to Nicole Kidman, they had two adopted children. The book is level 1, so it was easy for me, yet I found new vocabulary in it, such as Scientology which is a kind of religion and tries to answer some people's questions about life. Even though it was not a difficult book, I could review grammar, and I guess I should continue to read books, I could learn new vocabulary and grammar.
I read a graded reader, Tom Cruise, and it told me about his success in movies and his gorgeous life. In his work, he has acted different types of roles, and sometimes he produced movies, such as Mission Impossible. I didn't know that before I read this book. As regards his love life, he repeatedly married and divorced again and again. While married to Nicole Kidman, they had two adopted children. The book is level 1, so it was easy for me, yet I found new vocabulary in it, such as Scientology which is a kind of religion and tries to answer some people's questions about life. Even though it was not a difficult book, I could review grammar, and I guess I should continue to read books, I could learn new vocabulary and grammar.
Kanami - May 16, 2015
I rarely read a book except for Japanese comics for girls, but on this occasion, I tried to read a book. I looked for an English book in my house, and I found this. The book’s title is “DIARY of a Wimpy Kid DOG DAYS." There are pictures with the story. I got this when I was a child from my aunt who lives in Seattle. I couldn’t read it because it was written in English. But now, I’ve studied English and I can read it! The main character is a boy who doesn’t like to play outside. In this book, the boy writes a letter to someone named Jonathan about his summer vacation. I will start reading it.
I rarely read a book except for Japanese comics for girls, but on this occasion, I tried to read a book. I looked for an English book in my house, and I found this. The book’s title is “DIARY of a Wimpy Kid DOG DAYS." There are pictures with the story. I got this when I was a child from my aunt who lives in Seattle. I couldn’t read it because it was written in English. But now, I’ve studied English and I can read it! The main character is a boy who doesn’t like to play outside. In this book, the boy writes a letter to someone named Jonathan about his summer vacation. I will start reading it.
Kevin - May 16, 2015
In addition to listening to streaming radio, I sometimes read Japanese articles to improve my Japanese. I often use the app, Flipboard, and it has access to some Japanese magazines. One of magazines is called Web R25. It's put out by Yahoo! Japan, and it seems to be mainly for young working people, especially women. The article I read was entitled 独身女性6割「平日も週末もヒマ」. This means "Single women: 60% have nothing to do, weekdays or weekends." One of the interesting vocabulary words I found in this article was リア充, which is pronounced ria juu. This is a new Japanese slang expression. It's an adjective that refers to people who live their lives actively in the real world, not in the virtual world. Ria is short for real (an English word!) and juu is short for 充実した (juujitsu shita), which means fulfilling. People who have active lives and do things with friends, such as play sports or go out to movies and restaurants, are considered ria juu. I don't know if I can use this word often, but it seems like a good word to know! |