The Super Heroes Quiz
Here is another quiz that you can take by following the link at the bottom.
My results:

You are Iron Man

Iron Man 70%
The Flash 65%
Green Lantern 65%
Spider-Man 60%
Superman 60%
Robin 55%
Supergirl 50%
Hulk 50%
Catwoman 40%
Wonder Woman 30%
Batman 30%

Inventor. Businessman. Genius.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

I was really happy to get Iron Man since I used to read the comic when I was a child.

American comic books are also a great for learners of English.
Although the language is often very difficult, the illustrations help in understanding the text.

Recently, Marvel Comics have started a website where you can read American comics directly on the Internet: Marvel Digital Comics

英語でのビジネス場面で良い印象を与えることについて - Making a Good First Impression

ビジネス場面で初めて人に会う時、どういうマナーが必要になるのか。
日本人同士、初めて会う時に決っている流れがあるので、それを覚えればスムーズに行く可能性が上がる。英語でビジネスを行う時も決っている流れがある。
例えば、紹介する時や紹介される時に、どういう点に気を付けたほうが良いのか。
英語が母国語の人、特に「北米の人」に初めて会う時は、四つの点に注意が必要だ。

4 Points for Making a Good Impression
良い印象を与えるための四つのポイント

• Smile!
  笑顔
  
• Make Eye Contact
  目を見る
  
• Have Good Posture
  正しい姿勢
  
• Give a firm handshake
  正しい握手
  

When meeting someone for the first time showing a sincere smile and making eye contact shows that you are both friendly and trustworthy. In North American culture, a warm smile can really help to give a good first impression.

It says that you are truly happy to meet them, whereas a serious expression can give an impression of unfriendliness.
People who do not look you in the eye show that they either lack self-confidence or are not trustworthy.
Having good posture is also important.
Standing up straight shows both confidence and respect to the person you are meeting.

ビジネス場面で北米の人と初めて会う時に
米国文化では暖かい微笑みを見せることによって、良い印象を与えることが出来る。
本当に「会えて嬉しい」という気持ちを表情で表し、逆に真剣な顔は冷たい印象を与えてしまう。
目を合わせてくれない人は、自信不足かそれとも信頼できない人に思われる。
正しい姿勢も大切だ。
真っ直ぐな姿勢で立つことは、自信を持っているということと、相手に関心を持っているということを表す。

Your handshake also affects other's impression of you.
For example, if your handshake is weak, they might think that you have a weak character.
If your handshake is strong, they will think you are confident.
If your handshake is too strong, they will think you are overbearing or too aggressive.
Therefore your handshake should be not too weak, not too strong, but firm.

握手の仕方も印象に影響する。
握手が弱かったら、意思が弱い人に思われるかもしれない。
ちょうど良い強さであれば、自信がある人に思われる。
強すぎたら、もしかして強引な人と思われるかもしれない。

The Proper Handshake
正しい握手の仕方

1. Extend your hand so that the "V" or web between the thumb and index fingers meet
   お互いの、親指と人差し指の間の『v字』になっているところをあわせる
   
2. Wrap your fingers around the other person's fingers while keeping your own together
   相手の人差し指から小指までの４本の指を、自分の手で包むように握る
   
3. When you grip, squeeze firmly and hold while...
   握った瞬間に少しだけギュッと力をこめてそのまま．．．
   
4. Shaking up and down two to three times then squeeze a little more to signal the end of the shake
   ２，３回上下に小さく振り、そして最後に小さくギュッと握れば終わりの合図となる
   
   
   Hint: If you have sweaty hands, wipe it before shaking
   ヒント：もしも手のひらが汗でぬれていたらさっと水気を拭いておく

This is also published on the Business English Channel on iKnow!

Introduction to Extensive Reading:
Reading for Pleasure!

Do you enjoy reading in your native language?
日本語の読書は好きですか。

Do you wish you could read more in English?
もっと英語で読めるようになりたい？

Have you ever bought an English book and started reading, but had to give up because it was too difficult?
英語の本を買って読もうとしたら難しくて諦めたことありますか？

If you answered yes to any of these questions then Extensive Reading is for you!
「はい」と答えたら、あなたには「多読」が必要です！

What is Extensive Reading?
多読とは何ですか


Extensive Reading, often called "Graded Reading", is reading for pleasure in a second language.
We have to learn basic vocabulary and grammar before we can understand a written or spoken language.
Once we have learned the basic vocabulary and grammar, we need to read and listen to the language used in different contexts to learn it deeply.

The easiest way to do this is to read and listen to simple stories.
Graded Readers are a great way to do this.
They are called “graded” because they are written for levels or “grades”.
These levels are defined by the number of “headwords” and by the level of the grammar.

Very simply, “headwords” are simply individual vocabulary words.
For example, in the basic level of most graded reader series, there are about 250 headwords.
The books or stories in that level are mostly written using only the vocabulary from that group of words.
The grammar at each level is also limited.

SEG (Scientific Education Group) or SSS英語学習法研究会 in Japanese, publishes a series of books about Extensive Reading.
They call it めざせ100万語! "Toward One Million Words!".
The goal is to read a million words in English in a year.
To do this they have three guidelines or 「多読３原則」:

1. 辞書は引かない => Don't use a dictionary
2. 分からないところは飛ばす =>　Skip over parts you don't understand
3. つまらなくなったら止める　=> If it's boring, stop reading it

You won't need a dictionary if you are reading a book at your level.
If you do come to a part you don't understand, skip over it and keep reading.
Remember, Extensive Reading is reading for pleasure so if it's boring or too difficult, stop reading it!
There are many interesting graded readers for you to choose from!

Question of the Week:
What are your experiences with reading in English?
What kind of books do you like to read?

I'm looking forward to reading your comments!

I recommend the following books and links:

100万語多読入門 by 古川 昭夫 (Akira Furukawa)
This book is a great introduction to Extensive Reading.
It has samples of graded readers from different levels and publishers to help you find your level and get started reading.

めざせ100万語! 読書記録手帳 by SSS英語学習法研究会
I recommend this notebook to all my students and often include it in class materials.
This book helps you to set reading goals, keep track of the books you read, and even includes almost all the data for the graded reader series including "yomiyasui level", headwords, and total words for every individual book.

英語多読完全ブックガイド [改訂第2版] By 古川 昭夫/神田 みなみ (Akira Furukawa & Minami Kanda)
This is a great resource with lists of most graded readers, their levels, total number of words, and ratings.
It also includes a lot of children and teen literature as well as well known books like the Harry Potter Series.

I have created a Graded Reader Store to make it easier for students to find and purchase books through Amazon.co.jp.

However, these books are also available at most Maruzen or Kinokuniya bookstores in Tokyo!

Enjoy reading in English!

Matthew

What Classic Movie Are You?

Here's an interesting quiz site that allows you to take a quiz to see what your "Classic Movie" would be.
My result was an interesting coincidence considering my previous Disney Sea blog post.

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Series: Oxford Dominoes Starters (ODM0) YL 1.0~1.2
Title: Around the World in Eighty Days
Author: Verne, Jules
Genre: AD
YL: 1.0~1.2
Headwords: 250
Total Word Count: 2000
Rating: ****



Summary: 'Today you can go round the world in eighty days,' says Phileas Fogg.
'Do it, and I will pay you 20,000 pounds,' says his friend Stuart.
This is the beginning of one of Jules Verne's most exciting stories. Phileas Fogg must get back to London by December 21st or lose all his money. And with the help of his servant, Passepartout, Fogg travels in many ways - from train to elephant - and has some surprising adventures on the way.

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Hello Everyone,

Last week was my son's first birthday so we took him to visit Disney Sea.
We went on a weekday so it wasn't as crowded as it usually is on the weekend.

I really like Disney Sea because it has a lot for younger children as well as many areas appealing to adults as well.
My favorite areas are Mysterious Island and the Lost River Delta.


It was really interesting to visit the "Mysterious Island" area that in located inside Mount Prometheus.

Two of my favorite rides, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth, are located there.

The name of the area, "Mysterious Island", as well as both rides are based on novels by 19th century French author, Jules Verne.
We took my son on the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride since it was slow and was interesting to look at the underwater scenery. He didn't get scared and seemed to enjoy the ride.

The Journey to the Center of the Earth ride was a different story.
Since it is a roller coaster type of ride, my wife and I decide to leave Noah with his grandmother and aunt while the two of us went on the ride. We waited for about 20 minutes as the line twisted and turned through the tunnels inside the mountain.
We eventually arrived at a very hot elevator that took us down to the train cars.

It wasn't too bad waiting in line and it was interesting to see all the industrial-style equipment.
When the train came and we climbed aboard, it was surprising how comfortable the seats were.
The safety bar came down and seals you into the seat pretty tightly.
We soon found out the reason for it.

Although the ride is pretty short there are a couple times where it is really exciting.
At one point it feels as though you drop out of the sky!
That is definitely my favorite ride in Disney Sea.


The other area that I really enjoyed was the Lost River Delta.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Crystal Skull and Raging Spirits, a roller coaster built inside the ruins of an Aztec Temple.

I have been a big fan of Indiana Jones since I first waited in line to see Raiders of the Lost Ark with my father back in 1981.
Before you get in line there is an interesting place to take a photo right in front of the Aztec temple.
The ride itself takes place inside the Temple as you drive through it in a big four-wheel drive vehicle.
There are plenty of thrills as you try to escape from the evil within the temple.

The specific effects are really well done and many of the scenes remind you of the movies.
In one area there are booby traps that shoot darts out of holes in statues along the wall.
When you get to the end there is another booby trap with the large round boulder that almost smashed Indy as he escaped with the golden idol in "Raiders".

The other ride was Raging Spirits. It's located right next to the Indiana Jones ride. My wife and I also went on this one together since it was similar to the Journey to the Center of the Earth ride.
The authentic look and the feel of the Aztec ruins really made it exciting even when waiting in line.



Question of the Week

Have you ever been to Disney Sea?
If so, what is your favorite area?

I'm looking forward to your comments!

-Matthew


Map of Disney Sea

Good Morning!

Today we are catching up a bit on our achievement tests.
Everyone will take each level of the achievement tests twice; once after finishing the level and one more time to see if we learned from our mistakes and more reading.
I have ordered levels 4-7 of the lesson planners so we will have the upper level tests as well.

Lately, Thomson Learning has sold the ELT arm of their publishing company and have a new name. I was shocked that they would even consider changing their name, but it turns out to have been a condition of the acquisition. The company that purchased their English Language Teaching division isn't allowed to use the name Thomson.
The new company is called Cengage Learning.

Hello Everyone,

It's been a busy couple of weeks, but we are back with another blog for your enjoyment.

On September 5th, 2007, Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs had his latest keynote speech introducing the new line of iPods.

This is a good example of an American style presentation.
His presentations are always entertaining to watch.
He speaks clearly, uses simple English, and simple slides to support what he is saying.
Even people who are not Mac fans could learn from watching his presentations.
How does his presentation style differ from Japanese presentations?

Here's a few of the highlights from the keynote:

* iPod Shuffle - New colors including a product red version (charity for aids research);
* iPod Nano - New design with bigger screen for playing video.
* iPod Classic - Thinner design with more storage (80-160Gb) and longer battery life.
* iPod Touch Based upon the iPhone but thinner (8mm). It has Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), Internet browser (Safari), calendar, etc. New models include 8 and 16Gb versions.
* iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store is a new application that allows the purchase of digital music via Wi-Fi using the new iPod Touch. This feature will be added to iPhone later this month.
* iPhone 8Gb price reduced by $200 to $399. (Apple has since offered $100 credit to people who bought it when it launched)
=> Updated Apple iPod product line

In the second part of the keynote, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz made an appearance to talk about a new partnership between the two firms:

* Starbucks Coffee and Apple Inc. have collaborated to enable customers to view the songs played while sitting in coffee shops in the US and purchase them via Wi-Fi with their iPhones or iPod Touches. This should be completed for all Starbucks Wi-Fi stores in the US by the end of 2009.

How about Japan?
It makes you wonder when the iPhone will be coming to Japan.
According to the Japanese Wikipedia article on the iPhone, it looks as though the provider that is likely to become Apple's partner is au by KDDI.
I would be very happy if that happens since I have been using au for almost eight years.
Since we have a lot of Starbucks outlets here in Tokyo, I wonder if they will decide to install Wi-Fi and offer the same services here in Japan.

Two questions:
Do you have an iPod?
Are you excited about the iPhone coming to Japan?

Let me know what you think!

-Matthew

Good Morning Class,

Today we took the Thomson Foundations Reading Library Achievement Test for Level 1 again for the second time.

By taking the test again after reading more books, we can see if we are making any improvement in our vocabulary and accuracy.

Last week, we took the achievement test for Level 2.
Everyone has made some improvement since the last time we took it.

Today, we also practiced another sample dialog dealing with Small Talk.

"What do you like to do in your free time?"

This is another way of asking about hobbies and interests.
If someone asks you this, try to think of something other than "sleeping" or "watching TV".

A: What do you like to do in your free time?
B: I like to read magazines.

A: What do you like to do in your free time?
B: I like to surf the Internet.

A: What do you like to do in your free time?
B: I like to listen to music.

A: What do you like to do in your free time?
B: I like to run.

A: What do you like to do in your free time?
B: I like to play video games with my kids.

A: What do you like to do in your free time?
B: I like to read books and watch TV.

Title: Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe
Series: 洋販ラダーシリーズLevel 3 YL 3.0-4.5
Author: Poe, Edgar Allan エドガー・アラン・ポー 著
Genre: HR
YL:
Headwords: 1600
Total Word Count: 16,600
Rating:


Summary:

明日絞首刑となる男が自らの犯罪を告白する『黒猫』、同姓同名の男に脅かされ、破滅の道をたどる『ウィリアム・ウィルソン』、そして黄金色の不思議な甲虫を手がかりに伝説の財宝を見つけ出す『黄金虫』。怪奇小説の巨匠ポーの代表作３篇を収録。

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Title: The Call of the Wild
Series: 洋販ラダーシリーズLevel 3 YL 3.0-4.5
Author: London, Jack　ジャック・ロンドン 著
Genre: AD
YL:
Headwords: 1600
Total Word Count: 14,570
Rating:


Summary:

カリフォルニアでの安穏とした暮らしから一変、アラスカで犬ぞりをひくこととなったバックは、厳しい自然のなか、生き抜いていくため、しだいにその野性をとぎすませていく。そして深い森の奥からの呼び声を耳にするのだった……。動物文学の傑作がラダーに登場。

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Title: Roald Dahl's Short Mysteries
Series: 洋販ラダーシリーズ Level 2 YL 2.5-4.0
Author: Dahl, Roald ロアルド・ダール 著
Genre: MY
YL:
Headwords: 1300
Total Word Count: 16,280
Rating:



Summary:

『チョコレート工場の秘密』などの人気作家ダールの作品集。自分の車と若者の指をかけた賭博をもちかける老人を描いた『南から来た男』他4篇。

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Title: Buying Some Gloves
Series: 洋販ラダーシリーズLevel 1 YL 2.0-3.5
Author: Nankichi, Niimi 新美南吉
Genre: CL
YL:
Headwords: 1000
Total Word Count: 1,630
Rating:



Summary: ある朝起きると、外は雪景色。思い切り外で遊ぶと、雪の冷たさで両手が真っ赤に。かわいそうに思った母さん狐は、町に手袋を買いに行くことを思いつきますが、人間のことを思うと足がすくんでしまいます……。立場が異なるもの同士の心の交流を描いた新美南吉の名作童話。

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CULTURAL CORNER
Today I've got a bit of trivia for you.
I found an interesting website that shows what people call "soft drinks" in different parts of the United States.
When students of English in Japan hear the word "soft drink", they often think of the word "juice".
In Japan, ジュース(juice)is used to describe fruit juice as well as carbonated and non-carbonated drinks.
In English, a "soft drink" is a drink that is carbonated and non-alcoholic.
(Although we don't usually say it, by nuance, a "hard drink" would be a drink with alcohol).
Juice, on the other hand, is used mainly to describe fruit juices or fruit-like drinks like Cool Aid.
If you ask a waiter or a waitress what "soft drinks" they have, they will say "We have Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, 7-Up, and Ginger Ale".
They will all be carbonated drinks.

In the United States, "soft drink" is the official word for carbonated drinks, but there are colloquial words for it them as well.
For example, where I come from in Wyoming, it is common to hear people say "pop" for "soft drink". Other parts of the country use the word "Coke" as a general term.
You might hear someone ask, "what kind of coke do you have?" and the waitress might answer "We have Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, 7-Up, and Ginger Ale".
Kind of strange, right?
You might think that it's weird that they don't even have Coca Cola when someone asks about coke.

Take a look at the chart of the United States.
This shows the regions of the country where people use the word "pop", "soda", and "coke" for "soft drink".
You'll notice that most of Wyoming, my home state, uses the word "pop" as I mentioned earlier.

If you aren't sure what people say in the state you are visiting, don't worry, everyone understands soft drink!

Hello Everyone,

As you can see, I've added a lot of new content this week.
We now have many graded readers logged on the website for you to explore.

In particular, I'd like to introduce the Penguin Active Readers Series published by Pearson Longman.
All books in this series come with both the audio book and exercises on a CD-ROM.
I have uploaded the info for all of the books in the series on our blog.

Click here for a list of the readers.

Feel free to buy a few of them through the Amazon.co.jp online store.

Title: Crime Story Collection
Series: Penguin Active Reading Level 4 (PAR4)
Author: Paretsky, Sara & Others
Genre: CS
YL:
Headwords: 1700
Total Word Count: 17,833
Rating:




Summary: Murder of a stranger or a relative, in a quiet English town or a crowded American city. It happens everywhere for all kinds of reasons. Short stories by some of the finest modern crime writers.

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Title: Secret Codes
Series: Penguin Active Reading Level 4 (PAR4)
Author: Beatty, Ken
Genre: NF
YL:
Headwords: 1700
Total Word Count: 18,395
Rating:




Summary: For thousands of years people have used codes and ciphers to keep secrets from people who will do anything to learn them. How did secret messages cause a queen to lose her head? How have lost languages finally been understood? How did one little-known language help a country win a war? Read this book and find out.

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Title: Nicholas Nickleby
Series: Penguin Active Reading Level 4 (PAR4)
Author: Dickens, Charles
Genre: CL
YL:
Headwords: 1700
Total Word Count: 18,766
Rating:




Summary: Nicholas Nickleby is a kind man who works at a cruel school full of poor, hungry children. Can he ever find happiness in a world where stupid, greedy people have all the power and brave, honest people have nothing? Now a major film.

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Title: The Dream and Other Stories
Series: Penguin Active Reading Level 4 (PAR4)
Author: du Maurier, Daphne & Others
Genre: CS
YL:
Headwords: 1700
Total Word Count: 16,504
Rating:




Summary: Life on Mars, a strange dream, and attacks by murderous birds these are just some of the subjects of these enjoyable short stories. They will amuse and shock you.

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Title: The Street Lawyer
Series: Penguin Active Reading Level 4 (PAR4)
Author: Grisham, John
Genre: CS
YL:
Headwords: 1700
Total Word Count: 16,407
Rating:



Summary: Michael is a successful lawyer with Drake and Sweeney. Then a homeless man attacks him. As Michael tries to discover who the man was, he uncovers a dangerous secret about Drake and Sweeney.

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Title: Three Great Plays of Shakespeare
Series: Penguin Active Reading Level 4 (PAR4)
Author: Shakespeare, William
Genre: CL
YL:
Headwords: 1700
Total Word Count: 15,147
Rating:




Summary: Romeo and Juliet are in love, but their families are enemies. In desperation, they marry in secret but tragedy unfolds ... Macbeth is to be King of Scotland but at what cost? King Lear divides his kingdom between his daughters with unexpected consequences.

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Title: Charles Dickens
Series: Penguin Active Reading Level 3 (PAR3)
Author: Shipton, Paul
Genre: NF
YL:
Headwords: 1200
Total Word Count: 13,439
Rating:




Summary: Charles Dickens is one of Britain's greatest writers. His novels have been popular around the world for more than 150 years. Through his writing he fought for better conditions for children and the poor, but most of all he is remembered today for his wonderful stories and his unforgettable characters.

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