TOEIC(R) Test 満点続出の謎を解く！:オリジナル英文

No.317 オリジナル英文

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Temperatures Rise at Flu-Shot Clinics
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The title of this essay, Flu Shot Etiquette, is a poor one.

There hasn't been much etiquette displayed in health clinics and doctors' offices where H1N1, or swine flu, vaccinations are usually offered.

Patients are frustrated by delays in delivery of the vaccine.

Some are angry that they're not among the two groups – children and pregnant women – given priority because they seem most susceptible to swine flu.

Some women who are not the least bit pregnant are lying and saying they are, just so they can get in line.

So desperate is the search for the vaccine among men and women, both, that some are yelling and cursing – even threatening – health workers.

Medical offices report employees – who themselves are highly susceptible to catching this dangerous strain of flu from patients – have been breaking into tears, even walking off the job.

They say they can't take the abuse any more.

The H1N1 vaccine has been slow to arrive due to testing and manufacturing delays.

That has led to cancellations of flu-shot clinics, raising anxieties as the winter flu season nears.

Worried parents, especially, are clogging clinic telephone lines, preventing sick patients seeking appointments from getting through.

Vaccine shipments that do arrive go quickly, increasing the frustration among those turned away.

And frustration can turn to anger when the staff tells them they have no idea when the next shipment will arrive.

Add long lines to the aggravation at places where the shots are available, and temperatures are up across the land, not from the flu, from behavior that some are calling flu rage.

Oh, there is one sort of behavior that might fall under the heading of flu etiquette.

People aren't shaking hands as much these days.

For instance, hockey coach Bruce Boudreau, whose Washington Capitals team had already lost a flu-ridden player for several games, was heading off to sign copies of his new autobiography.

"Everybody you meet is nice and wants to shake your hand," Boudreau said.

"You don't want to be rude and say no, but…"

I’m Ted Landphair.

No.316 オリジナル英文

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New York Yankees Win Major League Baseball's Coveted Championship Title
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New York's Japanese-born designated hitter, Hideki Matsui, was the catalyst in the Yankees' dominating victory.

Matsui drove in six of the team's seven runs in the pivotal sixth game of the Series, including a massive home run off Phillies pitcher Pedro Martinez in the second inning that gave the Yankees their first two scores of the game.

Matsui also drove in two runs during his at-bats in the third and fifth innings.

His exploits earned him the Most Valuable Player award for the 2009 Series, becoming the first Asian-born player, and first full-time designated hitter, to win the award.

Matsui said he was happy to take one for the team.

"I was happy to be able to hit and contribute to the team's win but more than that, just, us as a team, winning the championship - by far - that is such a great feeling.

I guess you can say that this is the best moment of my life right now.

If I were to look back, yes, this would be the best.''

The Yankees have won 27 World Series titles over their storied history, dating back to the 1920's, making them one of the most successful sports franchises in North America.

New York won this year's prize in the first year of their new $1.3-billion stadium.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi says the team was honored to win another World Series title for the franchise's 79-year-old owner, George Steinbrenner.

"This is what the Steinbrenner family has strived for year after year after year and has tried to deliver to this city of New York.

And George Steinbrenner and his family are champions.

Um, and to be able to deliver this to the Boss, the stadium that he created and the atmosphere that he has created around here, um, is…, is very gratifying for all of us."

The Philadelphia Phillies were seeking to become the first National League team to win consecutive World Series since the Cincinnati Reds did it in 1975 and 1976.

New York City's mayor has scheduled a parade through Manhattan Friday, to honor the Yankees.

Richard Green, VOA News, Washington

No.315 オリジナル英文

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'Big-Box' Stores' Prices, Convenience Thrill Shoppers
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The American landscape is full of gigantic stores as large as 30,000 square meters, or 323,000 square feet, in size.

Many are discount operations like Wal-Mart, Target, and Price Club, which offer consumers convenient one-stop shopping.

Customers love their low prices and vast selection, especially during the current recession.

So shopping-center developers keep building them.

But not everyone adores megastores.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation calls them big boxes and has published guidebooks on how to keep them out of town.

And cities like Fort Collins, Colorado, and Charlottesville, Virginia, have banned big-box stores.

Other places have called a temporary halt to megastores while they decide how to deal with them.

As Rockville, Maryland's, former mayor, Rose Krasnik, once put it, "They are not aesthetically pleasing.

When you walk in, you're looking at a windowless, cinder block warehouse."

And outside at peak shopping times, you can also be looking at a traffic quagmire, especially when two or three megastores locate in the same shopping complex.

Shoppers converging from throughout a metropolitan area are, of course, exactly why smaller retailers want to cluster around these big-box stores.

The cities that have banned giant discount stores are not impressed by their low prices.

They call it predatory pricing because so-called mom-and-pop shops and downtown department stores cannot hope to offer the same vast selection and cheap prices.

When smaller stores are driven out of business, the life is sucked out of downtown and neighborhood shopping centers.

And what happens when a big-box store goes out of business?

It leaves behind an ugly, empty hulk that can be hard to fill, and a sea of empty asphalt around it.

This abandoned eyesore, in turn, drives people away from the same shopping malls that the big-box store once made so popular.

I’m Ted Landphair.

No.313 オリジナル英文

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Do You Have Some James Bond in You?
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A few years ago, David Borgenicht of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a book producer.

He found people who had book ideas that he liked and helped them find publishers.

Then one day, he read an article that gave him an idea for his own book.

From it, he and Philadelphia magazine writer Joshua Piven produced an instant best-seller that developed almost a cult following.

It's about life-and-death situations and how to survive them.

The article that David Borgenicht was reading told people how they might safely land a small plane if the pilot passes out.

It got Borgenicht thinking about other hair-raising situations in movies and TV shows.

Of course it's one thing for an action hero to break down a door, leap from a moving motorcycle into a car, or fend off a killer shark.

But how would the ordinary, out-of-shape reader do it?

How would he or she wrestle free from an alligator, survive if his parachute does not open, or escape from a mountain lion?

David Borgenicht and Joshua Piven got together to produce a pocket-sized book called The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook.

In its first eight months, it sold more than 1 million copies and was reprinted 11 times.

Killer bees chasing you?

Not a problem.

Lost in the desert?

Turn to Page 129.

Need to build a fire but don't have any matches?

No sweat, wrote Borgenicht and Piven, who are just ordinary physical specimens.

We should note that, despite its helpful tips, the book is sold in the HUMOR section in bookstores.

For instance, if you find yourself on top of a moving train, here's how to survive: Don't stand up!

Common sense, perhaps, but it could come in handy.

The authors have since produced a whole series of guides, including how to survive while traveling and how to survive in college.

I’m Ted Landphair.

No.313 オリジナル英文

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Obama Peace Prize Award Elicits Praise, Criticism
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White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he was called to wake President Obama early Thursday with the unexpected news.

"I think it’s safe to say he was very surprised."

Less than a year after taking office, Mr. Obama is joining an elite group of recognized peacemakers that includes Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Speaking at the White House, Mr. Obama's tone was one of humility.

"To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who’ve been honored by this prize -- men and women who’ve inspired me, and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace."

Global reaction was swift and varied.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described the peace prize as "great news".

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter described the Obama selection as "a bold statement of international support for his vision and commitment to peace and harmony in international relations."

At American University in Cairo, political scientist Saiid Sadek found Mr. Obama's selection odd and undeserved.

President Obama's domestic political rivals echoed the criticism.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said, in his words, "It is unfortunate that the president's star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights."

For his part, the president attempted to share the honor with the nation as a whole.

"Let me be clear.

I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations."

The chairman of the Nobel committee denied the honor is premature, saying the committee has on many occasions tried to enhance what many personalities are trying to do.

If the peace prize was awarded to cheer ongoing efforts, some are suggesting it will increase pressure on President Obama to deliver concrete results on the world stage.

Two other sitting U.S. presidents have become Nobel laureates: Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt.

Michael Bowman, VOA News, Washington

No.312 オリジナル英文

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When Jury Service Looms, Many Plead Hardship
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One of the duties or privileges of civic life in the American democracy, depending on one's viewpoint, is jury duty.

Only one in ten U.S. criminal cases ever proceeds to a trial where the verdict is decided by what we call 'a jury of our peers.'

Charges are dismissed in the other cases.

Or the defendant pleads guilty.

Or he or she opts to have a judge hear the case.

But thousands of civil lawsuits do reach a jury, and a pool of qualified adult citizens must be assembled to hear them.

So every day, people get notices ordering them to report for jury duty.

Some will be quizzed by attorneys on both sides and chosen as jurors, others rejected and sent home.

Still others in the jury pool never reach the interview stage.

They spend the day in a waiting room, reading the paper and drinking coffee until they're excused.

In other words, the odds are slim that anyone will be sitting in a jury box for long, say on a complex or high-profile case.

But civic duty or not, that doesn't keep many Americans from striving mightily to avoid jury service.

'I have a medical condition,' they say.

'I bought plane tickets for a trip that week.'

'I have to care for an elderly and infirm parent.'

And more and more frequently in the current economic recession, courts are hearing this: 'I'm hanging on the edge financially.'

'My husband lost his job.'

Or, 'My employer won't pay for days I'm not at work.'

Or, 'I'm behind on the mortgage.'

As one Florida judge told the New York Times, a pervasive cloud of financial insecurity hangs over the process, and he's inclined to believe people's stories and let them skip jury service.

The result is that judges must cast their nets ever wider in order to find 12 jurors and a couple of alternates able and willing to serve.

I’m Ted Landphair.

No.311 オリジナル英文

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Obama Announces $5 Billion in Medical Research Grants
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President Obama visited the sprawling National Institutes of Health, near Washington, and said the expenditure is vital to improving public health.

"To unlock treatments to diseases that have long plagued humanity, to save and enrich the lives of people all over the world.

This represents the single largest boost to biomedical research in history."

The grants include $175 million for the Cancer Genome Atlas, to map the way genetic changes affect cancer.

The White House says the cancer study involves more than 150 scientists at dozens of institutions around the country.

And this has extraordinary potential to help us better understand and treat this disease."

Mr. Obama says much of the research being conducted at the National Institutes of Health would not have taken place in the corporate world.

"Some research does not lend itself to quick profit.

That’s why places like the NIH were founded.

And that’s why my administration is making a historic commitment to research and the pursuit of discovery."

The president also promoted the grants as a way to stimulate the economy by putting researchers, educators and medical equipment makers to work.

"They’ll create new jobs, tens of thousands of jobs; conducting research and manufacturing, and supplying medical equipment, and building and modernizing laboratories and research facilities all across America."

Before he spoke about the grants, Mr. Obama and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius toured a cancer-research laboratory.

The president looked through a microscope at brain cells as researchers explained the difference between healthy and cancerous cells.

Kent Klein, VOA News, the White House

No.310 オリジナル英文

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Obama Chairs UN Security Council Disarmament Summit
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Mr. Obama's presence in the Security Council underscored his administration's renewed commitment to the U.N. system, and support for international nuclear treaties that the previous Bush administration had been skeptical about.

The first-ever council meeting chaired by a U.S. president began with unanimous approval of a resolution renewing the U.N. commitment to a world without nuclear weapons, and urging nations that have not already done so to embrace the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Obama warned that the detonation of a single nuclear weapon in a major world city would cause global economic damage and insecurity, in addition to killing hundreds of thousands of people.

He said the next 12 months will be critical in determining if global efforts enshrined in the new resolution will succeed, and he said the world community must not succumb to cynicism about disarmament efforts.

"Now, we harbor no illusions about the difficulty of bringing about a world without nuclear weapons.

We know there are plenty of cynics and that there will be setbacks to prove their point.

But there will also be days like today that push us forward, days that tell a different story.

It is the story of a world that understands that no difference or division is worth destroying all that we have built, and all that we love."

Mr. Obama said the global effort would seek to "lock down" all vulnerable nuclear materials within four years.

Neither Mr. Obama, nor the resolution, specifically mentioned individual countries believed to be seeking nuclear weapons.

But in their council statements, both French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown criticized Iran and North Korea for defying international efforts to curb their nuclear ambitions.

Momentum for tougher international sanctions against Iran, if it refuses to resolve concerns about its nuclear intentions, appears to be growing in advance of a critical meeting between Iran's nuclear negotiator and big power diplomats October 1st in Geneva.

David Gollust, VOA News, United Nations

No.309 オリジナル英文

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Australia Leads World in New Greenhouse Gas Pollution Index
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The global pollution report has been compiled by a British company, Maplecroft.

Using U.S. Energy Department data, it calculated that Australia's per capita output of carbon dioxide at 18.66 metric tons a year, four percent higher than the United States.

In a list of 185 countries, Canada, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia rounded out the top five.

China remains the world's biggest overall greenhouse gas polluter, followed by the United States.

Australia's position as the worst per capita emitter of carbon dioxide, which many scientists blame for global warming, is a result of its heavy reliance on cheap supplies of coal.

About 80 percent of the country's electricity is generated by coal-fired power stations.

Canberra has committed to cutting its greenhouse gas pollution by up to 25 percent by 2020 compared to 2000 levels.

Professor Barry Brook from Adelaide University says a global plan of action to cut emissions is more important than the performance of individual countries.

The British pollution report has been released ahead of a major United Nations summit in Copenhagen in December aiming to agree to a new climate change treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol.

The Australian government hopes to have a sweeping carbon emissions trading system in place before the summit in Denmark.

Its plans, however, suffered a parliamentary defeat last month, leaving the program in doubt.

Scientists have warned that Australia - a vast, dry island that’s home to 21 million people - is particularly susceptible to the effects of global warming and could suffer more severe bushfires, droughts and storms, if temperatures continue to rise.

Parts of Australia have experienced their warmest winters on record, which climatologists have blamed on both the effects of climate change and natural variability.

Phil Mercer for VOA News, Sydney, Australia

No.308 オリジナル英文

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Lawmakers Give Mixed Reaction on Obama Health Care Speech
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President Obama said the current system has led the country to a breaking point, imposing hardships on middle-class Americans who struggle to pay for health care, or who are unable to obtain it.

Saying the United States is the only advanced democracy and only wealthy nation that allows such hardships for millions of its people, the president said the time has come to put politics aside and solve the problem.

The president said reform proposals which he estimates would cost $900 billion over 10 years, would provide security and stability to the insured, and make it possible for tens of millions of Americans who are not to get affordable insurance through a proposed exchange system in which private companies would compete.

Democrats trying to steer reform through Congress against a nearly solid wall of Republican opposition said the president delivered a clear vision and specifics, and a strong message of leadership.

While praising the president's eloquence, Republicans asserted that he failed to deliver specifics, and they re-stated criticisms that Democratic proposals would impose new tax burdens on Americans and small businesses and add to deficit spending.

Republican Charles Boustany, who is also a physician, delivered the formal Republican response.

"It’s clear the American people want health care reform, but they want their elected leaders to get it right.

Most Americans wanted to hear the president tell Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid, and the rest of the Congress that it’s time to start over on a common sense, bipartisan plan focused on lowering the cost of health care while improving quality."

President said he will continue to seek common ground and listen to serious proposals, but made clear he will have little patience for continuing distortions.

"Know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than to approve it.

I won't stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. "

At the same time, the president said that rather than a radical shift that would disrupt health care Americans now have, he favors building on what works and fixing what does not.

Dan Robinson, VOA News, Capitol Hill

No.307 オリジナル英文

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Firefighters Report Progress on Massive LA Fire
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Firefighters using bulldozers have been extending a firebreak around the blaze in the mountainous national forest north of Los Angeles.

They have built a fire line around about a quarter of the massive blaze.

Although the fire is spreading, firefighters say they are making progress.

The blaze began one week ago above the hillside suburbs north of the city.

Investigators have ruled out lightning as the cause, which, they say, means that the fire was sparked by humans, either accidentally or through arson.

Officials say the cause is still under investigation.

Scores of homes have been lost, mostly in wilderness canyons.

But Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says the damage could have been worse, had the fire struck a month or two later, when strong, gusting winds called Santa Anas blow in from the desert.

"We’re very, very fortunate.

Had this been the fall with the Santa Ana winds, this fire could have been much larger and much more serious in terms of loss of life and property.

So first and foremost, we have to thank God and nature, but also our firefighters."

Two firefighters lost their lives near Los Angeles on Sunday as their vehicle plunged off a treacherous mountain road.

On Wednesday, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger thanked firefighters at a Los Angeles base camp for their efforts.

Schwarzenegger says three of the eight fires that are burning in the state have been contained.

Five still pose a danger.

Officials warn that the L.A. fire is still largely out of control and that a drop in humidity could further dry the parched mountain brush and hinder their efforts.

They also caution that winds could pick up at any time to fan the flames.

Several communities remain threatened, but Carlton Joseph of the U.S. Forest Service says firefighters are making progress on the southwest leg of the blaze, as well as other places.

"We don't want to see this fire spread further and take out more forest watershed and impact communities."

Local officials say the loss of underbrush might cause problems later, creating mudslides when winter rains set in.

Mike O'Sullivan, VOA News, Los Angeles

No.306 オリジナル英文

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Japan's Opposition Wins Election in Landslide
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Cheers of delight went up at the headquarters of candidates for the Democratic Party of Japan, as broadcasters predicted a landslide victory over the Liberal Democratic Party.

The DPJ appeared to set to gain more than 300 out of 480 lower house seats in play.

That result is consistent with months of expectations that LDP Prime Minister Taro Aso and his party would be defeated by the DPJ and its leader - Japan's presumed next prime minister - Yukio Hatoyama.

Hatoyama expresses his gratitude, saying it was the people's strong desire for change that brought about this result.

He says the vote clearly reflects the deep public desire to shift the country's balance of power.

The LDP has controlled Japan's legislature almost without interruption for the past 55 years.

But many voters blame the party for Japan's worst period of recession since World War II.

The DPJ has campaigned almost exclusively on bread-and-butter economic issues, appealing to voters who feel the LDP has lost touch with average families.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso struck a note of deep humility in accepting his party's defeat.

He says the election result is regrettable, but that he will take the people's voice seriously.

In a signal that he will likely resign soon, he says he blames the defeat on his own failure, and will accept personal responsibility.

Hatoyama now inherits the conundrum of Japan's struggling economy - ballooning debt, sputtering growth, and a rapidly aging population.

On foreign policy, the DPJ has signaled closer regional integration with East Asian nations, particularly neighboring China.

Hatoyama has vowed to "re-examine" Tokyo's relationship with the United States, but says the U.S.-Japan alliance will still be a cornerstone of the country's security.

Kurt Achin, VOA News, Tokyo

No.305 オリジナル英文

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Swiss Bank to Turn Over Account Data to US Authorities
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From Nazis to modern-day criminals, Switzerland's legendary bank secrecy has long been exploited by those with assets to hide.

For decades, Swiss banks have had a no-questions-asked policy when it comes to deposits, and a no-questions-answered policy when it comes to investigations of their customers.

Those policies are changing.

The latest evidence: Swiss banking giant UBS has agreed to hand over details on more than 4,000 accounts to the U.S. government.

America's top tax official, Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Doug Shulman hailed the accord on Bloomberg television.

"It’s a huge victory for the U.S. government.

This is an unprecedented agreement."

The accounts are believed to hold as much as $18 billion in undeclared assets that until now were hidden from U.S. taxes.

Shulman praised reforms in Swiss banking.

"Until this year, we had no access into any country that had banking secrecy laws.

We’re very pleased, and it’s part of our ongoing effort to crack down on off-shore tax evasion.

You can expect to see a lot more from us in terms of investigations of individuals and institutions over the next several years."

Switzerland's bankers association issued a statement in support of UBS' agreement with the United States.

The accord effectively suspends a federal court case against UBS that could have dealt a severe blow to the bank's international operations and the Swiss economy, which relies heavily on the country's robust banking sector.

Under the agreement, targeted UBS bank customers will be notified before information on their accounts is released.

Michael Bowman, VOA News, Washington

No.304 オリジナル英文

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Obama Hails New Education Benefits for US Veterans
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President Obama says those who have fought for the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan deserve opportunities to continue to contribute to the nation as productive, educated civilians, just as past generations of American warriors have done.

"The freedom and prosperity that we enjoy would not exist without the service of generations of Americans who were willing to bear the heaviest and most dangerous burden.

We also know this: the contributions that our servicemen and women can make to this nation do not end when they take off their uniform.

We owe a debt to all who serve, and when we repay that debt to those bravest Americans among us, then we are investing in our future."

The new GI bill went into effect at the start of the month.

It pays tuition, living expenses and other costs at U.S. public universities and colleges for those with a minimum of 90 days of active duty service.

The percentage of costs paid depends on the length of active duty.

Funds can also be applied to tuition at private universities, which typically charge more than state-run institutions.

Benefits can be accessed for 15 years, and may be transferred to veterans' family members.

Total cost of the bill has been estimated at $75 billion.

Noting that former presidents, Supreme Court justices, and Nobel Prize winners made use of previous GI benefits, President Obama says the new funds will be well-spent.

"The veterans who are here today, like the young post-9/11 veterans around the country, can lead the way to a lasting economic recovery and become the glue that holds our communities together.

They, too, can become the backbone of a growing American middle class."

The post-9/11 GI Bill passed Congress last year despite opposition from the former Bush administration.

Those opposed to the measure argued it would make going to college more attractive, and would adversely affect retention rates for U.S. service members in a time of war.

Michael Bowman, VOA News, the White House

No.303 オリジナル英文

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Japanese Politicians Cut Off From Internet During Campaign
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When Japanese lawmaker Kan Suzuki was elected to the Upper House eight years ago, he knew he wanted to take his political discussion to the Web.

The member of the Democratic Party of Japan started writing a personal blog and began broadcasting a weekly Webcast called "Suzukan-TV."

Suzuki says his goal was to connect politicians with average voters.

This allowed for direct interaction.

The Webcast quickly became a forum where thousands tuned in to discuss policies and exchange ideas.

But when Suzuki ran for re-election two years ago, he ran into a problem - a complicated election law that bans Internet use during the campaign season.

He was forced to halt his blog and Webcast at the most critical time.

Suzuki says when voters are doing their own research, when the need for information is the greatest, the law asks politicians to take a break from this kind of communication.

Politicians such as Suzuki who maintain Web sites during the legislative session must freeze content during the campaign period.

So they pin up posters on election commission-sponsored bulletin boards and spread their message by megaphones.

One of the most digitally connected countries in the world remains locked in the 20th century at a time when global leaders are using 21st century tools like Twitter and Facebook to win votes.

This voter says Japan has all the technological tools in the world, but the laws have not kept up with the times.

There is something wrong with that picture.

At least one party agrees.

Suzuki says his Democratic Party has proposed four different bills to change the law and allow Internet campaigning.

None of the bills have come up for discussion in the parliament.

He says that if the law is preserved, people will continue to show apathy toward politics.

That works to the benefit of the ruling party.

But recent polls show that ruling party is in trouble.

The Liberal Democratic Party suffered an embarrassing defeat in the Tokyo Metropolitan Election a few weeks ago, and it is expected to lose its half-century hold on Japanese politics in the August 30th general election.


For VOA News, Akiko Fujita in Tokyo