Notes：
pleasurable楽しい;
best of all 最も良いことに;
dream paralysis 　金縛り状態;
tranquility 　平穏，穏やかさ;
sour　不快な;
nightmare　悪夢;
evil　不吉な;
for fear of ～ing　～することを恐れて;
scenario （予想される）事態[状況];
spirit 霊;
exhausted とても疲れている;
********************
Sleep is perhaps one of the most pleasurable activities available to mankind. It relaxes us, heals us, and best of all, it is costs absolutely nothing. So imagine my disappointment last month when I experienced what is known in Japan as ‘kanashibari’ – or in the West as ‘dream paralysis’. This is my tale of what happened. There I was enjoying the tranquility of sleep when all of a sudden my dream turned sour, and I found myself in a terrible nightmare. After realizing it was a dream, I opened my eyes to shake myself out of the nightmare. But when I woke up I found that things were no better; in fact I still felt something strange, something evil, in the room. When I tried to look around I discovered that I was paralysed – totally unable to move or talk! I stayed in that state for five minutes until eventually I was able to think pleasant thoughts. But it took me a while to get back to sleep for fear of returning to that state again. Thankfully that scenario has only ever happened a few times in my life, and despite what Japanese people tell me, I don’t think it was a spirit; I think I was just exhausted and that it was just my body saying that it needed more sleep! What do you think? ( by Prof. Simon Smith)
********************

Notes：
bicycle messengers 自転車配達人(自転車で書類や小荷物などを配達する人);
vitally 極めて;
on commission 歩合制で;
incentive やる気, 意欲;
zoom in and out of traffic 猛モースピードで人や車の往来に入ったり，出たりする;
precarious 危なっかしい, 不安定な;
********************
New York City is full of people and traffic. That’s why there is an amazing delivery service — bicycle messengers. The messengers ride their bicycles all across the city, delivering important documents and packages from one place to another. They are faster than cars, and this makes the job vitally important but also dangerous. The messengers get paid on commission, so they have a lot of incentive to go at high speeds. But, because of this, bicycle messengers have 13 times as many serious accidents as other people. The next time you watch a show about New York, see if you can see a messenger zooming in and out of traffic. Then you will really understand how precarious their jobs can be.
(by Prof. Carmella Lieske)
********************