エッセイ

Notes：
expansion 拡張，拡大;
dominate: ～を支配する;
standard 基準，水準;
utility bill ガス電気水道代;
win over 勝利を得る;

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Four big Japanese convenience store companies are planning expansion into China. Even though China has its own convenience stores, such as Kedi, there is no one real dominating brand name that the Chinese can identify with. This is partly because China has many local and privately run stores already. In China, big convenience stores are seen as fashionable and also linked to better standards of service over the small local shops. Other benefits include the ability to pay utility bills and make payments with electronic cards. All these factors appear to be winning over the market in China. (by Prof.Simon Smith)
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Notes:
take… for granted:（…ということを）もちろんのことと思う;
take away:〈物･人〉を〔…から〕持ち去る，奪う;
so-called: いわゆる，世間でいう;
relief: 救済，救援;
feature:〈記事･人など〉を呼び物にする，特集する;
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Newspapers are something that most people take for granted. These days they are available on-line or if you are lucky, to your door. But In a town called Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture the tsunami and earthquake led to a power shortage that took newspapers away from residents for several days.
Despite this, local reporters used flashlights and marker pens to write their stories on poster-size paper and posted the so-called “newspapers” at the entrances of relief centres around the city. These will be featured in a future exhibit in the Time Warner World News Gallery. (by Prof. Simon Smith)
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