Notes
the Suez Canal 地中海と紅海とを結ぶスエズ運河;
the Mediterranean Sea 地中海
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What happened on this day 160 years ago? Work began on the Suez Canal. This canal goes from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Red Sea in the south. It is 193.3 km long. Ships don’t use locks to go up and down like the Panama Canal because the Suez Canal is at sea level all the way. Actually, the idea of a canal is very old. The first canal that connected the two seas probably goes back 4,000 years. However, the old canals were not kept up. When the Suez Canal opened in 1869, it changed the world. Asia was 7,000 kilometers closer, so trade between Europe and Asia boomed.　(by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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Notes
abdicate 退位する;
crown prince皇太子
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Japan will have a new era soon. When the Emperor of Japan abdicates on April 30, the Heisei era will come to an end. On May 1, his son, the Crown Prince, will become the next Emperor. That will be the beginning of the “Reiwa” era. The government announced the name yesterday morning. It comes from the Manyoshu, the oldest collection of Japanese poems. This is a change from the past. Other era names have come from Chinese. “Reika” means “good fortune” and “peace.” May the new era bring everyone good fortune and peace! (by Douglas Jarrell)
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