2020年3月16日「モバイル英語学習」第650 号 (英語のエッセイ): Spring is Here

Notes
eaves [名]〔複数扱い〕(家の)軒;
reproduce 繁殖;

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I saw my first swallow of the year last Friday. These birds spend the winter in warm southern countries and come to Japan in the spring to build nests and reproduce . You can see their nests on walls under the eaves of houses. They are small birds with blueish-black backs, reddish-brown throats , and white breasts. They are about 17 cm long, and they have rather long tails. They fly around most of the day catching and eating insects in the air. When they aren’t flying, you can see them resting on power lines along the streets. (by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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2020年2月26日「モバイル英語学習」第648(英語のエッセイ): Wood Gas Cars

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Have you ever heard of a car that burns wood? I was talking to a man in his 80s who remembers riding in wood gas cars. When he was a child, gasoline was very expensive. It was easier and cheaper to get wood, so they built cars with engines on the back that burned wood instead of gasoline. There were many of these cars in Europe, too. The engine looked like a big water heater. When the car stopped, the driver or the passengers would get out and put more wood into the engine. Some people have started driving this kind of car again, especially in countries with a lot of trees like Finland. (by Prof. Douglas Jarrell. You can read more such short stories at http://catchawave.jp/m/jm/)
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(Image from https://www.musclecarszone.com)