Notes:
memorial 記念行事;
fierce 激しい:
deprive 奪う;
dignity 尊厳;
retrieve 〈…を〉取り戻す;
contemplate 〉じっくり考える;
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In June, a memorial service for the war dead was held in Okinawa. It has been 70 years since the end of the battle on Okinawa. This was the last fierce battle of the war, and over 200,000 people died . I think war gives nothing but deprives us of everything: human dignity, future, hope, freedom, and life. Although we can’t retrieve the lost lives, we can try not to make the same mistake over again. For the peace and the stability of the world, we must not forget the past grief, and we should pass the memories on to the next generations. Also we must contemplate what we can do for world peace. Above all, we should work for a peaceful, stable world. (written by student Mr. I, edited by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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Notes:
platypus 【動】 カモノハシ;
chilly 冷たい;
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When I was 12 years old, I went to Australia for a school trip. I want to tell you about some of the interesting experiences I had on this one-week trip. One day, a man came to the hotel where my classmates and I were staying. He carried a big basket. He said, “There are some animals in this basket. Does anyone want to touch them?” Many of my classmates and I love cute animals, so we volunteered because we expected that there would be something cute in this basket, for example, a platypus or a baby koala. However, contrary to our expectations, there was a snake, a red frog and a baby crocodile. The man began to talk about them cheerfully. “This is a python. She loves to swallow big rats. That is a frog. He only lives in Australia, and he has deadly poison. And this is a crocodile. He is still a baby, so he is not dangerous.” And he said, “You are very lucky because I can wrap this python around your neck!” For the first time in my life, I wrapped a python around my neck. The snake was chilly, and I was very scared．I touched the stomach of the crocodile. It was soft, and it made me think of wallets. There were times when I was very scared, but I had a lot of good times in Australia. I want to visit the country again someday! (written by student Mr. I, edited by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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