☆★大人の英会話★☆　
by ＫＯＳＥEmail from バンクーバー　2008/03/30 01:47:16 CA


毎週、土曜日に英会話サークルを開いています。詳細は↓

【開催場所】アルバーニー通りにあるティムホートン（サーローとビュートの間）

【開催時間】15：00〜17：00（たまに時間変更有り。16:00〜18:00）

皆さんの参加お待ちしてます。


この英会話はメンバー皆で集まって英語でコミュニケーションをとるのが目的です。特に英会話のレベルなどは関係なく、英語を話す機会がもっと欲しいな〜とか、英語を話すのがすきという人はどんどん参加して下さい。

集合場所は基本的にコーヒーショップですので、学校の授業のように硬いものではなく、気軽に何でも話せるような雰囲気ですので、とにかく皆で楽しんでやっていきます。

流れとしては最初の45〜60分でお互い自己紹介をし、残りの60〜75分で用意されたトピックについて話し合う、といった感じです。

もし興味がある人は是非気軽に参加してください。ちなみに参加費などはなしで、コーヒーを飲みたい人は、コーヒーを自分で購入するのにお金がかかる程度です。

英会話の後にも、定期的に食事にいったり、ビリヤードしに行ったりと活動してます。皆で楽しみましょう！！

これは、MIXIのコミュニティで発足した英会話なので、”コミュニティを検索”→バンクーバーギリホリ集合！！
と、入力してもらって検索かければでてきます☆★
興味のある方はコミュニティの参加と毎週土曜日の英会話に参加してください＾＾

【連絡先】

僕にメール返信していただくか、直接電話してください＾＾
７７８−３１８−５３９７（KOSE）

この英会話は毎週定期的に開催してますので、興味のある方は、是非参加して下さいね。

今週は３時から英会話を行います。そして、今週のトピックです。


Students in China often ask, "What is the best way to learn English?" This is an important question, but there is no single answer because "English" is not just one thing - it is a combination of different things.

In part, "English" consists of knowledge. For example, learning English requires knowing vocabulary words and grammar rules. Even more important, "English" also consists of a variety of different skills, such as the ability to speak in English or to understand a book written in English. So, there is no single best way to learn English. Instead, there are different ways to develop each of the English skills students need. While there is no single best way to learn English, there are two basic rules that will help students decide what the best way is to develop each of the English language skills:

Rule #1: Skills are built through practice.
Mastering a skill requires learning to do several different things smoothly and fluently, often within a limited time. For example, in order to read in English, you need to do several different things at once: recognize English vocabulary words; understand English grammar; use background knowledge; for example, things you know about Western culture; understand and remember the ideas of the text.

Learning to read certainly requires knowledge of English grammar, vocabulary, and even knowledge of Western culture. But the skill of reading requires being able to put all of this together at the same time, and this can only be learned through practice.
Rule #2: You learn to do what you do.
In other words, students who spend a lot of time reading newspaper articles will get better at reading newspaper articles. Students who practice speaking English will get better at speaking English. (And students who practice answering multiple choice questions on tests will get better at answering multiple choice test questions.) So the best way to develop a skill is to practice in a way that is as similar as possible to the skill you want to develop.

All students are different, and a study method that works well for one student may not work so well for another one. Think for a minute about what you are good at in language learning, and what is hard for you. Then survey several classmates, asking two questions: 1) What is easiest for you in learning English? 2) What is hardest for you? Write down the answers you hear.

Practice is certainly a very important part of developing any language skill, but other kinds of study are also sometimes necessary. For example, in order to read well it is important to have a large vocabulary, so if you want to build your reading skills you should also study vocabulary regularly.

However, just having a large vocabulary isn’t enough to make you a good reader. You also need to practice reading as much as possible. You will find that if you combine vocabulary study with reading practice, the reading practice helps you review and learn the vocabulary you study. Likewise, knowing more vocabulary will make it easier for you to read. 　

先週のギリホリ英会話はここを見て応募してきてくれたカナディアン２人が参加してくれました！

先週のテーマはずばり！「英語はどうやれば上手くなるか？」というものでした。強力なカナディアンの先生２人も加わり、盛り上がりました＾＾

参加してくれたみんなあろがと〜また来週、いつものとこで☆ 　

今週のトピックです。今週も午後３時からTim Hortonsで英会話します。

　　　Is there really a difference between attractive and unattractive women?

People say attractive women are hard to get along with. Most are stuck up and will not give a guy the time of day. They say unattractive women are more friendly, more approachable, and give chances.

There are lots of differences between attractive and unattractive women (or men). They live in different worlds; the pretty are attended, the ugly are ignored or dismissed. That has to work a number on your head.

It isn’t so neat as pretty/ugly, really. There’s a continuum along that axis, for one thing, and each of us has his (or her) own evaluative slant. Still, if you have two ’subjects’ who are easily sorted as ’prettier/homelier,’ you will see the differences plainly. Some stereotypes are pretty good instrumental theories, and mostly reliable. The pretty/ugly distinction is a useful indicator of approachability; not completely reliable, but generally accurate for younger ’subjects.’

That’s another stereotype. The common theory that I’ve heard out of peoples mouths is that the pretty girl is stuck up, and the "unattractive" girl is more approachable because her standards aren’t as high. But I’ve seen the opposite of that also, where the very pretty girl was a nice person and not stuck up at all. It really does depend on the individual.

It really depends there’s no universal trait for attractive and unattractive women apart from appearance of course. Less attractive women will give you chances if you’re an attractive guy, if you’re not one then don’t bank on it. On the other hand attractive women sometimes treat attractive guys with contempt because they think that good looking guys think they can get any girl and go out to prove them wrong.
They could find unattractive guys less threatening as well. It depends on who are and what kind of personality they have and their experiences with guys

The ones that get every guy they want will be very picky about who they date and hang around with, while the ones who don’t will be more friendly. However, I’ve known many unattractive people (because these rules go for guys as well) think they’re pretty and be picky, while many attractive people who are nice and friendly.

The only real difference between an attractive woman and an unattractive is perception. I expect that if you polled every single person in your town, state, country, world, that you’d find that there’s not one single thing that all people agree on that they call attractive. So there’s no way that you can say all attractive women are stuck up and all unattractive women are friendly because no all people will agree on how attractive they are. To some, the unattractive people are the stuck up ones and the attractive ones are friendly. 　

管理人さんではないですよね？勝手に自分のコミュでもないのに広告出すのは望ましくないと思います。それに、大人の英会話って、意味がわかりません。 　

参加された方ですか？どうもっ＾＾

あ、すみません。確かに、友人が運営していて私が広告宣伝してますが、バンクーバーに住む方に役立つ様にと、善意でしていることですが、管理人の了解はとってありますのでＯＫです＾＾

タイトルに関しましては、怪しいニュアンスもありますが、まぁ、そこはご愛嬌（笑）ギリホリといって３０代前後の方が始められたコミュニティなので、そう付けました＾＾ 　

今週の英会話は、午後３時からおこないます。そして、今週のトピックです↓↓これが読めなくても大丈夫！実は、この後に質問が５問あるんですが、それが簡単な質問でみんなで話し合えるものになっているので、みなさんお気軽に参加してください＾＾僕も、ぶっちゃけ読めませーん＞＜

How to break up with a friend
The phenomenon of gal pals dumping each other - without so much as an explanation - has finally got a name: icing. Why we do it - plus, how to know when it’s time to call it quits

When famous friends Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie publicly parted ways last year, tabloids ate up the story with the same fervor reserved for a TomKat sighting. Sure, any celebrity feud is hot gossip, but this tale of a female friendship gone bad was particularly juicy. Why? Because we’ve all been there.
It’s a fact: virtually every woman has dumped a friend at some point. And even though most of us don’t have the details of our breakups splashed across the cover of a magazine, it’s still an incredibly unpleasant experience - for the dumper and the dumpee. After all, cutting ties with a friend is the ultimate betrayal - it’s mean, selfish and yet in some cases, completely necessary. Like it or not, some friendships aren’t worth saving.
"We have millions of guides telling us how to deal with toxic friends, but none of them tell you that it’s OK to do what’s right for you and simply end the friendship," says Liz Pryor, the author of What Did I Do Wrong? When Women Don’t Tell Each Other the Friendship Is Over (Simon & Schuster), published in April.
"There’s a tremendous sense of shame and failure that comes with a failed friendship, and there really shouldn’t be," she says. In her interviews with dozens of women, Pryor discovered that people have varying reasons for ending a friendship without warning or explanation, a phenomenon she aptly calls "icing." As it turns out, it doesn’t always take a dramatic backstabbing or heinous betrayal for a woman to want to ditch a friend; in fact, the reasons can be as simple as "she’s bugging me" or "I’m bored" - and they’re all valid if they’re making your life miserable.
If you’re hanging on to a fizzling friendship, it may be time to end it. But instead of icing your friend, take the high road and tell her - tactfully - that it’s time to part ways. "Women stay in bad friendships too long all the time because they don’t know the difference between self-care and being self-centered. It’s in our nature to soothe people and avoid hurting them," says Allison Wood, an Ottawa-based psychotherapist. "But sometimes you have to choose to let it go. It’s hard to do, but you’ll feel better in the long run." Here are some warning signs that it’s over. 　

この人、他にも変なトピだしてる人だよね。。。ほんと毎回毎回ウザいんですけど<(｀^´)> 　

Can Women Forgive Cheating Men?

Although every woman I’ve asked made it clear that she could never take a cheater back (they even gave me that whole "once a cheater..." spiel), it seems that actions speak much louder than words. You guys are getting out of jail for free all too often.

More often than not, women tend to forgive cheating boyfriends and husbands. The reasons why tend to vary, and even the degree of "forgiveness" tends to vary. But before we delve into what these reasons are, allow me to provide a loose definition of what cheating is for the sake of clarity.

Although many people would quickly argue that cybersex and close friendships with the opposite sex constitute cheating, what I’m referring to in this article is sexual contact of any kind. From kissing and dry humping to oral sex and actual penetration, all things physically sexual count as acts of betrayal.

The exchange of bodily fluids from saliva to semen means that you’ve been getting down and dirty with another woman and none of this "I was in a different zip code so it doesn’t count" crud is going to fly. Cheating is cheating. There’s an ongoing debate as to which kind of cheating is worse, although I am of the opinion that all cheating is unforgivable. But most women tend to separate cheating into degrees.

For instance, many women would be more willing to forgive a cheater who had a moment of weakness and engaged in a one-night stand than a significant other who had been pursuing another secret relationship on the side. I guess the lack of emotional attachment of the former makes it somewhat easier to deal with than discovering that a man has been feeding us straight-out lies throughout the relationship.

Historically speaking, women used to forgive their husbands’ cheating ways more frequently for reasons other than love -- many would even turn the other cheek. To start, wives were highly respected and thus didn’t normally engage in lustful, raw, animalistic sex, at least that’s the way their husbands saw it -- so that’s what mistresses were for.

Second, because they were basically having sex for procreation (see above), wives weren’t big fans of the act of sex. As well, leaving their husbands "simply" for cheating would leave them disgraced (especially since it was quietly acceptable for men to cheat) and because they were "tainted" and had "baggage," marrying for a second time would be difficult if not impossible.

And because men were usually the sole breadwinners of a household, divorcing their husbands was virtually unheard of. Nowadays things are different... but perhaps not that different in that women still take their men back.

In short, she may say that she forgives you, but in reality you’ve given her ammunition to use against you. And in the end, your relationship will likely self-destruct. But behold, sometimes when women say that they forgive, they do actually mean it. But if she exhibits any of the aforementioned behavior, her forgiveness comes with strings attached.

But it’s all relative. For many women, everything depends on who you’ve cheated with, what she meant to you, how many people know, whether you told her or she found out... there are many things to consider. But ultimately, cheating is not cool, for lack of a better word.

Personally speaking, if my significant other cheated on me, my love would turn to hatred instantly. I just cannot tolerate betrayal of any kind and even if I wanted to forgive him, I couldn’t. That’s just the kind of person I am. But hey, evidently many women don’t feel the way I do. Just ask Hillary and Kathie Lee, not to mention Tammy Wynette.

Although cheating has dropped significantly, it isn’t due to our underlying emphasis on the value of relationships, or the coveted commandment; it’s likely due to the spread of AIDS. Disease has changed the tune that most cheaters were singing, according to Dr. Tom Smith of the National Opinion Research Center.

And besides disease, I can’t tell you how many guys I’ve met that cheated on their women only to be forgiven and in turn, become extremely paranoid that their women would at some point give them the same bitter pill to swallow. Ultimately, they became so engrossed in delusions of their women’s infidelities that the relationship came to a screeching halt.

I tell everyone the same thing when it comes to their relationship: Before you decide to do anything, put yourself in the other person’s shoes and think to yourself, "if she did this to me, would I be okay with it?" And if you’re unable to see the other person’s side, then imagine this: Everything you’ve ever done to your partner (cheat, flirt, deceive), she has probably done to you. Now how you like them apples? 　

↑↑今週のテーマです。明日の英会話も午後３時から５時過ぎまで。アルバーニとビュートの近くにあるTim Hortonsで英会話を行います！

どなたでも参加可能ですので、フラッと寄ってください＾＾ 　

鬱陶しい暇人！　(-_-)/~~~ピシー!ピシー! 　

今週も午後３時から英会話をＡｌｂｅｒｎｉ　ｓｔのＴｉｍ　Ｈｏｒｔｎｓで行います。

今週のテーマはこれっ↓↓

Japanese cuisine

Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of Shogun rule. In the early modern era massive changes took place that introduced non-Japanese cultures, most notably Western culture, to Japan.
The modern term "Japanese cuisine" (nihon ryōri, 日本料理 or washoku, 和食) means traditional-style Japanese food, similar to what already existed before the end of national seclusion in 1868. In a broader sense of the word, it could also include foods whose ingredients or cooking methods were subsequently introduced from abroad, but which have been developed by Japanese who made them their own. Japanese cuisine is known for its emphasis on seasonal of food (旬, shun), quality of ingredients and presentation.
1. Common staple foods found on a national level (Shushoku)
Rice (gohan, 御飯)
The rice most often served in Japan is of the short-grain Japonica variety. In a traditional Japanese setting (e.g. served in a conic bowl) it is known as gohan (御飯) or meshi (飯, generally only males say meshi). In western-influenced dishes, where rice is often served on the plate (such as curries) it is called raisu (ライス, after the English word "rice".) Other rice dishes include Kayu or Okayu, Donburi(どんぶり, big bowl) and Sushi.
Noodles (men-rui, 麺類)
Often takes the place of rice in a meal. However, the Japanese appetite for rice is so strong that many restaurants serve noodles-rice combination sets.
Bread (pan, パン)
Bread (the word "pan" is derived from the Portuguese pão) is not native to Japan and is not considered traditional Japanese food, but since its introduction in the 19th century it has become common.
2. Common foods and dishes found on a national level (Okazu and Oyatsu)
Grilled and pan-fried dishes (yakimono (焼き物)), stewed/simmered dishes (nimono (煮物)), stir-fried dishes (itamemono (炒め物)), steamed dishes (mushimono (蒸し物)), deep-fried dishes (agemono (揚げ物)), sashimi, soups (suimono (吸い物) and shirumono (汁物)), pickled, salted, and dressed foods (tsukemono (漬け物), aemono (和え物), sunomono (酢の物)), chinmi etc.
Japanese-style sweets ( wagashi, 和菓子), old-fashioned Japanese-style sweets (dagashi, 駄菓子), Western-style sweets (yōgashi, 洋菓子), sweets bread (kashi pan, 菓子パン), etc.
3. Imported and adapted foods (Yōshoku)
Japan today abounds with home-grown, loosely western-style food. Many of these were invented in the wake of the 1868 Meiji restoration and the end of national seclusion, when the sudden influx of foreign (in particular, western) culture led to many restaurants serving western food, known as yōshoku (洋食), a shortened form of seiyōshoku (西洋食) lit. Western cuisine, opening up in cities. Restaurants that serve these foods are called yōshokuya (洋食屋), lit. Western cuisine restaurants.
Many yōshoku items from that time have been adapted to a degree that they are now considered Japanese and are an integral part of any Japanese family menu. Many are served alongside rice and miso soup, and eaten with chopsticks. Yet, due to their origins these are still categorized as yōshoku as opposed to the more traditional washoku (和食), lit. Japanese cuisine.

このテーマに沿った簡単な質問を５問用意しています。参加人数は、１５名前後のメンバーで毎週、英会話行っています！ 　

今週も午後３時から英会話行います。今週のトピックです。

Cohabitation is when people live together in an emotionally- and/or physically-intimate relationship. The term is most frequently applied to couples who are not married.

People may live together for any of a number of reasons. These may include wanting to test compatibility or to establish financial security before marrying. It may also be because they are unable to legally marry, because for example same-sex, interracial or interreligious marriages are not legal or permitted. Other reasons include living with someone before marriage as a way to avoid divorce, a way for polygamists or polyamorists to avoid breaking the law, a way to avoid the higher income taxes paid by some two-income married couples (in the United States), negative effects on pension payments (among older people), philosophical opposition to the institution of marriage and seeing little difference between the commitment to live together and the commitment to marriage. Some individuals may also choose cohabitation because they see their relationships as being private and personal matters, and not to be controlled by political, religious or patriarchal institutions.

Some couples prefer cohabitation because it does not legally commit them for an extended period, and because it is easier to establish and dissolve without the legal costs often associated with a divorce. In some jurisdictions cohabitation can be viewed legally as common-law marriages, either after the duration of a specified period, or the birth of the couple’s child, or if the couple consider and behave accordingly as husband and wife. (This helps provide the surviving partner a legal basis for inheriting the deceased’s belongings in the event of the death of their cohabiting partner.)

Today, cohabitation is a common pattern among people in the Western world, especially those who desire marriage but whose financial situation temporarily precludes it, or who wish to prepare for what married life will be like before actually getting married, or because they see no benefit or value offered by marriage. More and more couples choose to have long-term relationships without marriage, and cohabit as a permanent arrangement.

In the Western world, a man and a woman who lived together without being married were once socially shunned and persecuted and potentially prosecuted by law. In some jurisdictions, cohabitation was illegal until relatively recently. Other jurisdictions have created a Common-law marriage status when two people of the opposite sex live together for a prescribed period of time. Most jurisdictions no longer persecute this private choice.

Opposition to cohabitation comes mainly from religious groups. Opponents of cohabitation usually argue that living together in this fashion is less stable and hence harmful. According to one argument, the total and unconditional commitment of marriage strengthens a couple’s bond and makes the partners feel more secure, more relaxed, and happier than those that have chosen to cohabitation.　Opponents of cohabitation commonly cite statistics that indicate that couples who have lived together before marriage are more likely to divorce, and that unhappiness, ill health, poverty, and domestic violence are more common in unmarried couples than in married ones. Cohabitation advocates, in turn, cite limited research that either disproves these claims or indicates that the statistical differences are due to other factors than the fact of cohabitation itself. 　

今週のトピックです。今週も午後３時から英会話行います。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Do You Need A Cell Phone

Many of you whom read the headline are probably saying of course I need a cell phone. For those of us who can remember when cell phones weren’t as popular as they are now, you should know what I’m talking about. Now don’t get me wrong I currently have two cell phones one for business and personal. I just think its getting out of hand with kids getting phones, and when I say kids I mean kids 13 and under.

Also people using cell phones as their life line. It’s almost like an extra organ to their body. Even when I’m driving at least 7 out of 10 people have a cell phone to their ear. Ok so what’s the point? Yes kids are getting phones yes everywhere I look their people on the phones so what!

Well I don’t think of it like that, I think of it as someone has access to me anytime and anywhere. Of course unless I don’t have service, but do your phone is mostly used as safety use or as a tracking device. Safety is one thing such as they have new phones coming out for kids that you can activate live GPS on, and be able to track your kid where ever they are. I’m going to assume this won’t only be for kids but for some other things also. You can log in to your computer and see a live map of the location of the phone you’re tracking. That can be safe for parents wanting to know where their kids are at all times.

Let’s talk about tracking. Well as you know the blackberry is one of the mostly used devices in the business world. They are now coming out with devices that can track your sales reps, deliverers, technicians and etc. They will be able to have their employees input their daily numbers and spreadsheets. This will make business more efficient so no more goofing off on your route.

If you have a message that needs to be delivered immediately, such as a security alert, e-mail isn’t the medium of choice — or at least that’s what cell phone providers will argue. Why? According to this story by CNET Networks’ News.com, "More than 233 million people in the U.S. subscribe to a cell phone service, and many of those people view their cell phones as the one item they do not leave the house without.

University and community leaders are just now starting to see how cell phones, the one item people don’t leave the house without, can be used to keep citizens and students informed and protected, particularly in the case of emergencies.

Experts say text message alerts, for example, may have helped in such tragedies as the Virginia Tech school shooting this week, Hurricane Katrina, and Sept. 11, 2001.

There are other cell phone apps beyond text message alerts that can help people in emergency situations, such as Rave Wireless’ Rave Guardian, which "combines text message alerts and GPS tracking services to help turn students’ cell phones into personal alarm devices that can be used in a crisis."