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원문출처 : BBC


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Japanese garbage island moves towards US


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 kilometres 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.


Listen to the words

amassed 
gathered or collected a large amount

an epic scale
a big or impressive size

a maritime hazard
a danger, encountered while at sea

pierce
puncture or damage the outer layer of

shipping lanes
routes travelled by ships and boats at sea

island of debris
here, large mound of wreckage or garbage

bluntly
honestly or directly

foul
here, make a dirty mess on

deployed
sent or assigned

bobbing
moving up and down with the currents of the sea

AP News(4월 14일)

Rosy Earns Show That Corporate America is Back

In case you hadn't noticed, corporate America is back. Drastic cost-cutting helped companies to dress up their bottom lines in recent quarters. Now, it appears the gains are being driven by stronger sales, a direct result of pent-up demand.

Sam Stovall/Standard & Poor's: I think what we're finding is that a lot of consumers are just getting very tired of this recession. They're getting very tired of denying themselves the ability to go out and buy new outfits, new consumer goods.

The dramatic turnaround is evident in several companies that were operating at a loss during the same period a year ago.

Sam Stovall:
We're seeing an increase in both foreign and domestic markets. The other day Caterpillar reported an improvement in their full year earnings estimates, indicating that they're seeing most of the growth coming from overseas.

Caterpillar isn't alone in delivering positive outlooks. Ford also did an about-face in reporting more than $2 billion profit, announcing plans to boost production. The growth in consumer spending and the stock market may not continue at their current pace. But the fact that corporations are raising their earnings and sales outlooks clearly show the first quarter was no mirage.

                                                                                                         출처 : ybmsisa
rosy : 낙관적인

cost-cutting : 경비삭감

bottom line : 재무제표

pent-up : 억압된

recession : 불경기

turnaround : 방향전환

about-face : 180도 전환

speaking part 3(How can you learn a foreign language well ?)

How can you learn a foreign language well ?


-> It's always good to be exposed to the language as much as possible, try to listen to radio programs on the internet and always watch films in English with or without the subtitles on. You will benefit a lot from that. It really helped me improve my skills!

speaking part 3(Is it necessary or important to learn a foreign language ?)

Is it necessary or important to learn a foreign language ?


-> Yes, to remain monolingual is to stunt your educational development, to restrict your communication and thinking abilities, and to deny yourself the ability to fully appreciate and understand the world in which you live. Learning another language opens up new opportunities and gives you perspectives that you might never have encountered otherwise. Personal, professional, social, and economic considerations all point to the advantages of learning foreign languages.