今日の英語ニュース☆2023.09.30☆時事英語・ニュース英語を極める
このnoteの目的は、アメリカのニュース番組が理解出来るようになる方法を伝えることです。その方法とは、英語字幕を読みながら英語ニュースを毎日見続けること。 こんな感じです（サンプルのスクリーンショット）。
使う教材は、上のリンクの動画です。
アメリカの公共放送PBSのニュース番組で、質の高い報道に定評がありますが、残念なことに、字幕に誤りがかなり含まれていることがあります。番組がアメリカで放送されてから約２時間で最終版の字幕がアップロードされますので、時間的制約を考えれば誤りは仕方がないことかもしれません。
しかし、英語学習者の場合、字幕に誤りがあると、変だと思っても、それが本当に間違いなのか分からないことがあると思います。あるいは、間違いに気付かないこともあるかもしれません。ですから、正確な字幕が必要です。
そこで、約１時間の番組ですが、英語音声をすべて聞いて、字幕の明らかな誤りを訂正したものをダウンロードできるようにしています（少し下にあります）。この字幕ファイルと動画をダウンロードして再生ソフトで使ってください（上のスクリーンショット動画のように再生できます。英語が速すぎる場合は、あまりおすすめしませんが、再生速度の調節もできます）。
また、このnoteや字幕ファイルでは、辞書を調べても分からないような英語表現を説明しています（辞書を引けば分かる言葉は、自分で調べてください）。辞書に載ってないような表現、辞書にあっても意味がたくさんありすぎてどれなのか分からない言葉、文脈の中で特殊な使われ方をしている言葉、背景の知識がないと分からない部分、ニュース英語や時事英語の独特な表現、知っていると訳に立ちそうな表現などを説明しています（書き加えた説明は[* ……] ）。
それでは、今日も一緒に英語のニュースを見ていきましょう！
■ 英語字幕ファイルのダウンロード
[PBS NewsHour Sept. 29, 2023] の字幕ファイルのダウンロード
（この字幕ファイルはテキストエディタ（windowsの「メモ帳」など）で開くことも出来ますが、下の「字幕ファイルの使い方」のように再生ソフト（無料）で使うことをおすすめします。こんな感じに表示されます。）ブラウザーによってダウンロードがブロックされる場合ば、下のテキストファイルをダウンロードして拡張子.txtを .lrcに変更して使ってください(例えば、Chromeは、.lrcのようなあまり使われない拡張子のファイルを危険と判断することがあるようです)。
■ 動画サイトへのリンク
・直接動画サイトを見る場合のリンクです(リンク先字幕の誤りは元のまま)
・分からない言葉はこの２つの辞書でたいてい見つかると思います
・上の字幕ファイルには、約１時間の番組の全字幕と語句説明があります
・以下はサンプル程度です
[00:00] Introduction
[02:42]★今日のおすすめ★ How the looming shutdown will impact government agencies and programs
The highly-partisan government funding plan from House Republicans imploded on the chamber floor Friday, leaving the country on the cusp of shutdown without a clear path out. Congressional Correspondent Lisa Desjardins reports on every twist and turn in this political drama and the real-world consequences.
《連邦政府閉鎖迫る、その影響は; government shutdown; 》
[06:15] AMNA NAWAZ: Lisa, you have been looking into potential specific impact on some really big programs that millions of people rely on, among them, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC. What would a shutdown mean for that?
[** WICについて取り上げた先日の番組 ]
[07:04] I know you have also been looking into another program people know about called Meals on Wheels. How would that be affected in a shutdown?
[** = a service that delivers food to those unable to cook for themselves, such as the elderly and people with disabilities (wiktionary) 高齢者や障がい者のための食事宅配サービス ]
[07:18] JESSICA JOHNSON, WIC Recipient: Easily, we go through like four or five gallons a month, cereal, oatmeal, coffee, all that stuff. So, losing that and the fresh food benefits means we get about $20 in -- $20 a month for fresh food and vegetables or frozen vegetables. And we use that for everything. If we lose WIC benefits, we will definitely eat less fresh foods, because they're so expensive.
[** to go through = to use up ]
[09:18] At this moment, like I say, the winds are blowing in cross directions here in Congress at a moment where you really think the country needs to move forward. Instead, there really seems to be a lot of confusion.
[** cross = contrary; opposite ]
[09:58]★今日のおすすめ★ Remembering Sen. Dianne Feinstein and her trailblazing career
Trail-blazing Sen. Dianne Feinstein died at her home in Washington Thursday night. Hours before, she cast what would be her final vote on the Senate floor, raising her hand in favor of a short-term spending bill aimed at preventing a government shutdown. For reflections on Feinstein's life and career, Geoff Bennett spoke with former California Congresswoman Jane Harman.
《ダイアン・ファインスタイン上院議員死去(カリフォルニア州選出、民主党、９０歳); Senator Dianne Feinstein died at 90; In 1978, Feinstein became San Francisco's first female mayor after a double assassination at city hall; Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, the city's first openly gay elected official; In 1992, Feinstein won her seat in the U.S. Senate, along with Barbara Boxer; Jane Harman, former California Congresswoman; 》
[15:31] What people may not understand is that Dianne was still in the arena, and she knew how much she could still do for California, especially appropriations for California.
[** arena = a sphere or scene of intense activity ]
[19:22] It really is sad, and this has been pointed out by Nancy Pelosi, the speaker emerita of the House, that these things were said about a woman. They were never said about the men in the Senate who were much more frail than Dianne in their last days.
[** = The term “Speaker Emerita” is a title bestowed on a former Speaker of the House of Representatives in the United States who has left the position but continues to serve in the House as a backbencher... “Speaker Emerita” combines the title of “Speaker” with the Latin term “Emerita,” which is the feminine form of “Emeritus.”
https://politicaldictionary.com/words/speaker-emerita/
(女性の)名誉議長 ]
[20:54] SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-ME): She was a pioneer and a strong and dignified leader.
FMR. REP. JANE HARMAN: Lisa Murkowski was another. Patty Murray, a Democrat, was saying beautiful things about Dianne on the Senate floor.
SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D-WA): That was Dianne. She did her job every day. She cared about her country.
FMR. REP. JANE HARMAN: And, of course, her dear friend Nancy Pelosi has been all over this.
[** all over (something) = Actively doing or working on something ]
[22:10] News Wrap
The United Auto Workers strike expanded to two more Ford and GM plants in the Midwest, suicide bombings in Pakistan killed at least 57 people, the World Court called for Azerbaijan to withdraw troops from sites in Nagorno-Karabakh and the U.S. military's top officer, Army General Mark Milley, formally ended a four-year tenure with a strongly worded defense of democracy.
《UAW strike expanded; suicide bombings in Pakistan killed at least 57; World Court called for Azerbaijan to withdraw troops from sites in Nagorno-Karabakh; Darien Gap linking Colombia and Panama; more than 400,000 made the trek through the jungle as of the end of September; Today marked six months that American journalist Evan Gershkovich has been jailed in Russia; Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, formally ended a four-year; Air Force General Charles Brown was sworn in to succeed Milley as chair of Joint Chiefs; drive-by killing of rapper Tupac Shakur back in 1996; a local man named Duane Davis was arrested; Le Roy Torres wins civil case; he was forced to resign as a State Trooper in 2012; lung damage caused by exposure to burn pits in Iraq; Torres co-founded the group Burn Pits 360 to help other veterans exposed to toxic chemicals; The U.S. Supreme Court announced today it will consider whether state laws regulating social media platforms violate the Constitution. 》
[23:20] The World Court called today for Azerbaijan to withdraw troops from sites in Nagorno-Karabakh. But there was no sign that Azerbaijan will comply after recapturing the region last week.
[** = International Court of Justice ]
[27:24] As retailers close stores due to shoplifting, are the concerns real or overblown?
Target announced this week that it is planning to close several stores, citing retail theft and organized retail crime as major problems. It’s raising concerns and questions about whether retail theft is worsening and what can be done about it. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Gabrielle Fonrouge of CNBC.
《retailers close stores due to retail theft and organized retail crime; Gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC; INFORM Consumers Act; Combating Organized Retail Crime Act; in Florida, their felony theft threshold is $700. And they're changing it to be on an aggregate basis; 》
[27:23] Target announced this week that it's planning to close several stores, citing retail theft and organized retail crime as major problems.
[** retail theft = shoplifting ]
[** organized retail crime = Organized retail crime (ORC) refers to professional shoplifting, cargo theft, retail crime rings and other organized crime occurring in retail environments. One person acting alone is not considered an example of organized retail crime. Working in teams, some create distractions while others steal items judiciously or indiscriminately...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organized_retail_crime ]
[28:37] Last winter, a former Walgreens executive acknowledged during an earnings call that "Maybe we cried too much last year" when it came to characterizing theft at its stores.
[** earnings call = An earnings call is a conference call (typically held in the form of a teleconference or a webcast) during which the management of a public company announces and discusses the financial results of a company for a quarter or a year ]
[29:55] And the National Retail Federation, it's one of the largest trade associations in the world. It's the trade association for the retail industry. They conduct an annual survey on shrink, which is lost inventory, which includes things like retail crime. They just came out with their survey. And it's once again not really conclusive. What you will see is that retail crime increased or shrink overall increased to $112 billion in 2022. That's up from $93.9 billion in the prior year.
[** shrinkとは何かの説明が続くが、wiktionaryでは次のように説明している。shrink = (uncountable, business) Loss of inventory, for example due to shoplifting or not selling items before their expiration date (wiktionary)]
[33:25] Last year, Congress passed the INFORM Act, which requires digital marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, but even smaller places, to disclose the identity of high-volume sellers, so to make it easier for law enforcement to track down those people who are stealing large amounts of goods and then reselling them online.
[** INFORM Consumers Act =
see: https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/statutes/inform-consumers-act ]
[34:55]★今日のおすすめ★ Brooks and Capehart on why a government shutdown could last a long time
New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, including the country barreling toward a government shutdown and the first hearings in House Republicans' impeachment inquiry of President Biden.
《金曜恒例：２人の政治アナリストと今週を振り返る; David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart; 》
[46:41] Actor Cheech Marin helps open permanent showcase of Chicano art and culture
For many, Cheech Marin is a household name. The comedian and actor is best known as part of the countercultural duo Cheech and Chong, but he’s also an avid collector of Chicano art and opened the first major museum entirely devoted to that. Jeffrey Brown visited "The Cheech” for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.
《Cheech Marin; countercultural duo Cheech and Chong; Cheech has been an avid collector of Chicano art; Cheech Art Museum; The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture; The Cheech; 》
■ おすすめの辞書（時事英語やニュース英語に強い辞書）
■ 英語のラジオを聞く（BGM代わりにCNNやBBC）
■ 英語のテレビを見る（NBC News ・ ABC News）
■ セサミストリートで英語を楽しむ
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