Japanese garbage island moves towards US --- News English 03

Japanese garbage island moves towards US

--- BBC Learning English

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2011/04/110411_witn_floating_debris_page.shtml)

Entire houses, bodies, car parts, tractors and many upturned boats have amassed off the east coast of Japan on an epic scale.

The floating objects have been declared a maritime hazard by the American Navy, which warned they could pierce the body of a boat, or destroy engines in the Pacific's shipping lanes.

The island of debris of most concern, 110 kilometers long, is being closely monitored by the US Navy's seventh fleet, as experts predict it could hit Hawaii's shores in two years and the American west coast a year later.

Hawaiian scientists put it bluntly. They warned that a vast mess that originated in a few moments of destruction in Japan, could eventually foul beaches and reefs off the Eastern North Pacific and kill marine life.

The American Navy's working with civilian construction companies from the earthquake-hit country, as huge cranes and boats are deployed to clear the seas of this vast bobbing mass of wreckage of household furniture, wood, tyres, fishing equipment and other garbage, sweeping eastwards.

[Vocabulary]

(1) tractors <n>

     a powerful vehicle with two large and two smaller wheels, used especially for pulling farm machinery

(2) upturned <adj>

     turned upside down

(3) amass <v>

     to collect something, especially in large quantities

(4) epic <adj>

     taking place over a long period of time and involving a lot of difficulties

(5) maritime <adj>

     connected with the sea or ships

(6) debris <n>

     pieces of wood, metal, brick, etc. that are left after something has been destroyed

(7) fleet <n>

     a group of military ships commanded by the same person

(8) bluntly <adv>

     in a very direct way, without trying to be polite or kind

(9) foul <adv>

     dirty and smelling bad

(10) bob <v>

       to move or make something move quickly up and down, especially in water

(11) tyre <n> (BrE) (AmE tire)

    a thick rubber ring that fits around the edge of a wheel of a car, bicycle, etc

The Key to Success: Positive Thinking --- News English 02

The Key to Success: Positive Thinking

---Simple English News

(http://www.simpleenglishnews.com/archives/stories/the-key-to-success-positive-thinking-5314004)

What separate those whom we view as successful from the rest of us?

After all, people who have made lots of money or achieved great results in various fields face challenges every day --- just like every one else dose.

Often the secret to their success lies on their approach to problems. If you confront difficulties with a positive attitude and don’t let them to defeat you, then you are more likely to move further ahead in what you want to do in life.

[Comment]
　　Once have positive emotion, everything will be brought to the bright side. The angle of corner of the mouth will change when we smile. Sometimes laughter can smooth our anxiety; a hug can ease our worry. It dosen't tell us to escape from difficulties, but to change our way to face them. A stumbling stone can be stepping-stone one day. I do believe.

Shanghai Starts One-Dog Policy --- News English 01

Shanghai Starts One-Dog Policy (15th May, 2011)
---News English Lessons
(http://www.newsenglishlessons.com/1105/110515-dog_control.html)

Dog lovers in Shanghai face strict new rules. China’s largest city has set a limit of one dog per family to try and keep down the pet population. City officials also say they want to stop rabies from increasing. About 2,500 people die of the disease every year in China. The new pet ownership rules are not all bad news for pet owners. The high fee for dog registration has come down, in the hope that more owners will register their animals. There are many unregistered dogs in the city.

The dog population in China has risen greatly as more people become richer. The problem is that not all pets are wanted. There are hundreds of thousands of abandoned dogs in China. People decide they no longer want their pet and throw it into the street. Local governments frequently kill tens of thousands of dogs to stop rabies spreading. Packs of stray dogs are a frequent sight in city suburbs. Dog owner Chu Lin said: “I agree this is a problem but I love my dogs. Why do I have to give one away?”

[Vocabulary]

(1) keep down <v.phr>

 to make something stay at a low level; to avoid increasing something

(2) rabies <n>

     a disease of dogs and other animals that causes madness and death. Infected

     animals can pass the disease to humans by biting them.

(3) come down <v.phr>

      to fall; to get lower

(4) packs <n>

     a group of animals

[Comment]
　　Stray dogs is a big problem in Taiwan. Recently in our campus, dogs became the hot topics. It is about "to keep them" or "to drive them out." Two different parts had their own opinions. How to treat the animals like stray dogs? At least Shanghai started a new policy that can prevent the happening of stray dogs. It is our mandatory to take care of the animals that we want to keep. Or we have no right to detest the complicated policy, not to mention stray dogs.