Notes:
austerity 質素(な生活);
comforts 快適さ;
luxury 贅沢さ;
austere 質素な;
your own packed lunch 自分で詰めた弁当;
barley　(穀物の)オオムギ;
new gadget　新しい製品;
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A word that seems to have been in all the newspapers recently is austerity which means “lacking comforts or luxuries”. Although it sounds pretty severe, being a little austere is not a bad thing. In fact for most students austerity is essential; so here is a list of my favorite ways to save money:
1. Make your own packed lunch.
2. Do your shopping after 8pm and get the reduced priced items.
3. Don’t buy books, borrow them from the library.
4. Make your own barley water instead of buying it.
And with all the money you save you can buy that new gadget that you wanted but thought you could never afford! (by Prof. Simon Smith)
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Notes:
automation: オートメ［自動］化;
automatic transmission: オートマチックトランスミッション,自動変速機;
cruise control: 《自動車》クルーズコントロール, 車速設定装置;
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Have you ever thought about how much cars have changed in the past 50 years? We now have automatic transmission, electric windows, a central locking system, air bags, cruise control, a GPS (global positioning satellite) system, air conditioning, DVD players, and TVs. In 1959, a car that was very advanced for the time had a radio with an electrically powered antenna. Things have really changed! On the other hand, now when something breaks, it is usually not cheap to repair. For example, if, while a window is down, the motor suddenly breaks and then it starts to rain, you have to get it fixed unless you want a small river in your car! In the past, you might have been able to get the window up by yourself, but not anymore. The joys of technology! (by Prof. Carmella Lieske)
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