Notes:
prefecture : (フランス･日本などの)県，府
embarrassed: 恥ずかしい、きまり悪がる
as a result: 結果的には

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I went to Nagano Prefecture to go skiing repeatedly when I was a child. I couldn’t stand up on the skis at first, but as I practiced many times, I learned how to ski. Now I am good at skiing and am learning how to snowboard. Skiing remains a very pleasant memory for me thanks to beginning at an early age. I have heard that skiing is very difficult for people who begin to ski after they grow up. If we start skiing when we are adults, we can’t ski at first and we feel embarrassed, so we stop practicing. As a result, many adults can’t improve their skills. I was very young when I started skiing, so I didn’t feel embarrassed even when I failed. I would like to say to parents who want to go skiing with their children and to the children who want to start skiing, “It is still not too late if you begin right now!” (written by student Miss A, edited by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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Notes:
Portland: アメリカオレゴン州北西部にある都市;

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This is a true story. It happened in Portland, Oregon, at the beginning of this month. A pizza deliveryman was on his way to a house with a pizza when he had an accident. He couldn’t deliver the pizza, so two policeman delivered it for him. The man who ordered the pizza was very surprised to see the policemen at his door, but he started laughing when they gave him the pizza. He thanked them and asked if he could take their photo. He knew that no one would believe the story unless he had a picture.　(by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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