【TOEICで良い点とるまでの道・パート1】我輩の英語の実力

TOEICで良い点を

英語は大好きな学習分野である。

それならば、資格ひとつぐらいあるのでは?


しかしなんがら、じつをいうと、大人が取るであろう英語の資格試験、すなわちTOEICや英検などを一切とつておらぬ。


資格試験を受けていなかつた理由


この資格があれば、これだけ英語ができるという証左、指標になり得るがしかし。

ど真ん中コネコ

英語は楽しく使えてナンボであつて、SNSで同世代の女性とチャットしたり英語で小説書いたり英会話でワクワクしたり、そういう英語の勉強が一番motivationが上がるのであつて、資格試験などくだらないという立場をとつておつて、それ故に、一切そのような苦行は一切しなかつたのであつた。

(なぜこのサイトでは「っ(促音)」を「つ」で表記するのか?それは自分で考えたまえ。)

クズ猫

しかしなんがら、なんがらしかし、我が住まう国家、日本立憲民主共和国に於いては、TOEICの点数を英語ができる指標として崇めたてておるワケであつて。

しかれば、TOEICを持つていないと、

で、どれだけ英語できるの?

と詰問されし時には、「簡単な英会話やチャットなら」「趣味で英語で小説書いたり」「模試で偏差値70以上」なんて言っても説得力に欠ける。

本を読む猫

それ故に、したがつて、いよいよ重い腰をあげて、英語に関する看板を背負うために、苦行をせねばならぬ様子であつた。

そもそも資格を持つていないのに資格など必要ないとどうして言えよう?

そういうわけで、我輩は真面目に点数という無機物なもののために現実と向き合わねばならぬことになるのであつた。

謙虚犬とクズ猫

The Government Promotes Minsyuku Services

大田区の多摩川と東急東横線

The sentences below are my thoughts and a summary of an article from an English newspaper named “The Japan Times.”


Do you know about a type of guest house which is popular nowadays? We call a guest house ‘minsyuku’ in Japan. A minsyuku service is that of home sharing on a short-term basis, and it is loved by short-term travelers around the world.

The national government in Japan hopes that by expanding it, hotel shortages in Tokyo will be alleviated. The minsyuku service is expected to take the role of conventional business hotels for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In 2016, Otaku Ward promoted it based on the Airbnb model. Airbnb is a very popular website or application providing short stays for visitors.

What do you think about the minsyuku service? Have you used it? I have never used it, but I’d like to use it when I go on a trip domestic and international as well. In my opinion, the best thing about it is that its hotel charges are cheap, so it is very convenient for persons who have little money like me. However, if I were in Otaku Ward, I would worry about worsening security resulted from many people from other countries.


Hanako:
Hey, Ken. Did you read this article? The title is “The Government Promotes Minsyuku Services.” Reading it, I felt like going on a trip. I will have been with you for one year in a few days! Let’s travel abroad to celebrate our first anniversary.

Taro:
Well… I don’t have enough money to travel, you know. So please give up on it.

Hanako:
No problem. If we stay at a guest house, we can keep expenses low. And according to the news yesterday, the Japanese yen is stronger compared to U.S. dollars, so we can benefit if we go to America.

Taro:
Let me read that article. Ummm… certainly, the hotel charges of guest houses are very reasonable, but I worry about their security. You know, fatal shootings have happened in America. Also in February of this year, a mass shooting happened at a school, killing four teachers and twenty children before the culprit committed suicide. In this year, no fewer than 18 shooting incidents have happened!

Hanako:
That’s terrible. Well, why don’t we change where we go? I wanna go to Canada. Canada bears a close resemblance to America, and it looks much safer than America. Canada has strict gun control, so it should be safer.

David:
Hi, Taro and Hanako. What are you talking about?

Taro & Hanako:
Hello, David.

David:
I heard you talking about Canada. I’m from Canada, you know. If you wanna know about it, please do not hesitate to ask me.

Hanako:
We wanna go abroad, but we can’t decide where to go. Just now, Canada was suggested.

David:
Great. Canada is a good place, so you should go there at least once.

Taro:
What do you recommend for sightseeing in Canada?

David:
You must go to Banff National Park. It is a very beautiful national park which has great scenery.

Hanako:
That sounds great. Oh, you know what? I saw a tall tower in Canada on the television. What’s the name, again?

David:
Maybe the name is the CN tower.

Taro:
Is it taller than Tokyo Tower? I lived in a place close to Tokyo Tower and a few days ago I went to see Tokyo Skytree. So I’m tired of towers. What is the CN Tower like? Now, I’ll look up pictures of it on the Internet to see how it looks. Oh… I don’t feel like going to see it because it is similar to Tokyo Tower. The only difference between the two is color.

Hanako:
You’re always complaining!

David:
Hahaha. How about Yellowknife? You can see dreamy, beautiful aurora there!

Taro:
What is it like? I don’t wanna use a YELLOW KNIFE because it doesn’t sound cool. That’s lame! Knives should be silver, shouldn’t they?

Hanako:
You’re such a comedian!


このように、教科書に載ってそうなつまらない文章を一から想像して英語にして、添削してもらうことを続けると英語力は結構上がる。記事にするほどでもない大量の英文が我輩のメモ帳アプリにある。

A Different Way

夕方のオレンジと信号

Do you know how to change your boring life? If you want to do so, all you have to do is take a different way home. If you do so, you can enjoy different views than usual. You will find you know next to nothing about the place you live in. The same is true of your life. As the saying goes, a small change makes a big change. There are many paths in life, so if you hope to change your life, you should change the direction in which you are traveling. Change your direction, and you will find you know next to nothing about the world you live in. Moreover, you can change your destiny, for if you walk along a different way, you will encounter some things that help you live the life you want.