Notes:
consumption tax 消費税;

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The Japanese government has just decided to raise the consumption tax beginning next April. The tax is 5% now, but it will go up to 8%. If you want to buy something expensive (such as a car or a house), you should probably do it now. At the same time, the U.S. government doesn’t have enough money to pay all of its workers. It has to stop some of its services. Politicians cannot agree on how to spend money, so they won’t give any more money to the government. I hope they reach an agreement soon. (by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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Notes:
yearn for: 恋い慕う, 恋しがる
lamb: 子羊の肉，ラム
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When you live in a foreign country, you sometimes miss the food from your own country. If you think about that food a lot and really want it, then you “yearn for” it. Recently, a large American store opened near the airport, and my wife went there yesterday. She found something I was yearning for: mutton. I used to eat lamb and mutton in the U.S., but it’s difficult to find this meat in Japan. She also found blueberry muffins. I love them, too. If you move to a foreign country, what Japanese food will you yearn for? Umeboshi? Natto? (by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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