ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/6/19-23

ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/6/19 (月) 藤井六冠名人戦制し史上最年少で七冠
SHOGI STAR FUJII SETS YET ANOTHER RECORD
Sgogi star Fujii sets yet another record
2023年6月2日のニュース

A Japanese man is rewriting the record books of a game that’s been likened to chess. Fujii Sota is just 20 and now the youngest player ever to win one of the most prestigious titles in shogi.
Fujii defeated defending champion Watanabe Akira in the fifth match of a best-of-seven series on Thursday. The victory made him the youngest holder of the Meijin title by about four months.
Fujii is now just the second player ever to hold seven of the eight major titles and is about four and a half years younger than the legendary Habu Yoshiharu was when he achieved the feat.

(Fujii Sota / Professional shogi player)
“I have to keep working hard so I can play shogi that lives up to the Meijin name.”

Fujii’s next challenge is to defend his title in the Kisei championship. The best-of-five title series starts on June 5 in Vietnam.

ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/6/20 (火) 米国債の債務不履行を回避
U.S. AVOIDS DEFAULT AFTER SENATE PASSES DEBT CEILING BILL
U.S. avoids default after senate passes debt ceiling bill
2023年6月2日のニュース

In Washington, the U.S. Senate passed a bill suspending the government’s debt ceiling. It brings the world’s largest economy back from the brink of a default, which officials warned was just days away.

(Chuck Schumer / U.S. Senate Majority Leader)
“Default was the giant sword hanging over America’s head. But because of the good work of President Biden, as well as Democrats in the House and Democrats in the Senate, we are not defaulting.”

The bill follows a deal reached between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and U.S. President Joe Biden, who is now expected to sign it into law. It caps all non-defense spending for fiscal 2024 and suspends the U.S. federal government’s borrowing limit through January 1, 2025.
Without the legislation, the U.S. risked being unable to pay its bills as soon as next week, which could have led to a global financial crisis.

ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/6/21 (水) 学校の授業にＡＩ技術を
JAPANESE FIRMS DEVELOP AI SYSTEMS FOR EDUCATION
Japanese firms develop AI systems for education
2023年6月5日のニュース

Artificial intelligence is making inroads into many aspects of our daily lives. Now Japanese firms are introducing it to the classroom to make learning more engaging for students.
An AI-assisted system launched by Konica Minolta last month analyzes the responses of students using images taken during lessons. It compiles data on the concentration levels of students based on the direction of their gaze and the way they raise their hands.
Meanwhile, IT company Techno Horizon has developed AI-powered technology that analyzes the emotional state of students. It’s connected to the built-in camera on the tablets students use. It can tell whether they’re excited, bored, or under stress from pulse waves on their foreheads and head movements.
Both technologies would only be used with the consent of both students and their parents.

ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/6/22(木) トヨタ米でＥＶ向け電池工場に追加投資
TOYOTA BOOSTS INVESTMENT IN N. CAROLINA BATTERY PLANT
Toyota boosts investment in N.Carolina battery plant
2023年6月1日のニュース

Toyota Motor says it will invest an additional 2.1 billion dollars in a battery factory for electric vehicles in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is currently under construction and will begin operation in 2025.
Toyota plans to use the batteries for what it calls its first “U.S.-assembled three-row SUV.”
Toyota’s rivals are also stepping up EV manufacturing at U.S. factories. Nissan Motor’s plant is in the state of Tennessee. Honda Motor will start selling EVs jointly developed with General Motors in the U.S. next year.
The Japanese carmakers hope their expanded U.S. production will make them qualify for tax credits from the U.S. government. A program introduced in April gives buyers up to 7,500 dollars per EV purchase.
To be eligible, the vehicles must undergo final assembly in North America and run on batteries made with key minerals from certain locations.

ニュースで学ぶ現代英語 23/6/23 (金) 政府の花粉症対策まとまる
JAPAN TO TACKLE HAY FEVER BY CUTTING DOWN MORE CEDAR
Japan to tackle hay fever by cutting down more cedar
2023年5月30日のニュース

The Japanese government is planning to accelerate a push to cut down and replace cedar trees. Cedar pollen triggers hay fever, causing suffering for millions of people in Japan.
Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, Forestry Minister Nomura Tetsuro, and other officials approved the strategy on Tuesday.

(Kishida Fumio / Japanese Prime Minister)
“Hay fever is a cause of suffering for many citizens and a social problem that has not been addressed effectively.”

The goal is to cut the pollen count in half over 30 years. The strategy calls for a roughly 20-percent reduction in artificially planted cedar forests over a decade. That translates to 70,000 hectares a year, 40 percent higher than the current number.
The cleared forests are to be planted with other species or a strain of cedar that produces less pollen. The government wants more than 90 percent of cedar saplings to be low-pollen types in 10 years.