Notes：
Kindle　キンドル(2007年11月米国アマゾン社が発売した携帯型電子書籍端末);
ubiquitous　至る所[あちこち]にある，おなじみの;
gadget　ガジェット(小型の電子機器);
publishing houses　出版社;
through the back door　こっそりと;
keep one’s eyes peeled.　睨みをきかしておく，用心を怠らないようにしてお;
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I know it’s early, but ask me what I want for Christmas. Okay, it’s a Kindle. I am not sure that you have heard of it as I have not even seen one out in the streets of Japan yet. Instead I see the ubiquitous iPhone – everywhere!
As gadgets go the Kindle is reasonably cheap (25,000JPY; $279;) yet even so it seems not to have caught on. This may be due to the fact that there are as many as 50 publishing houses in Japan as opposed to just 6 in the US. The Kindle however may come in through the back door via the iPhone and iPod Touch as Amazon has also developed applications allowing users of the iPhone to access Kindle books via these tools. Keep your eyes peeled. (by Prof. Simon Smith)
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Notes:
scattered 散らばっている　;
in a row 連続的に;
vowel 母音;
heritage (過去の)文化遺産;
pass up (機会を)逃す;
popping sounds （ポンと）はじけるような音;
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The World Cup started in South Africa. Did you know that nine cities scattered across the country are hosting the games? Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Mangaung/Bloemfontein, Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Rustenburg, and Tshwane/Pretoria. Look at that last name! Tshw in a row with no vowels! You can see the rich linguistic heritage of South Africa, which has 11 recognized official languages. If you have the chance to listen to some of these languages, don’t pass up the chance. Some have popping sounds and other things that make them very unique and interesting. (by Prof. Carmella Lieske)
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