英語學習筆記

Refiners' Boom Time May Be Near End
                                                                          by Ana Campoy
    One of the most profitable periods ever for the refining industry may be coming to an end.
    An increasing number of troubled refineries are coming back to full capacity at a time when greater supplies of gasoline and other fuels are coming from overseas. As a result, U.S. consumers have seen fuel prices ease.

    The name Sebastian originates from Greek and means "revered." Sebastian is especially popular in France. In Shakespear's play "Twelth Night," Sebastian is the name of Viola's twin brother. Variants of the name include Bastian, Seb and Sebastian. Famous people who have the name include track star Sebastian Coe and composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

1. I will visit UK next week.
    There are two problems with this sentence. Firstly, we do not say 'UK', we say 'The UK' as it is a group of islands (like 'The Philippines' and 'The Canaries'). Remember that we also use 'the' for 'The USA' as it is a collection of States.
    The second problem is that for 'arrangements' -- i.e. future events you have planned and bought tickets for, invited people etc. we use the present continuous. Because this person is visiting the UK next week, he has probably already arranged everything. The correct sentences, then should be:
I'm visiting the UK next week.
    When writing in English using Microsoft Word on a computer, remember to watch out for green or red lines under your work. Green lines mean the grammar is probably wrong, red lines mean something more serious - perhaps a spelling mistake, a word that does not exist or a sentence that just doesn't make sense in English.

Seb: The test is way to hard. How could the professor treat us like this?
Miah: Don't find excuses for your laziness!
Seb: I can't

Bastian: Look out for that car!
Maiya: Phew! How could he run the red light like that?
Bastian: Maybe he's driving under the

How Japan Job Growth Could Lift Yen
                                                             by Yuka Hayashi
    Even as the Japanese economy is growing stronger, the yen has weakened against major currencies. The nation's ever-tighter job market may be what it takes to drive the yen higher.
    Down about 3% against the dollar and 6% against the euro this year, the weak Japanese currency has aided the country's auto makers and other exporters by making their products more competitive overseas. The weak yen also has been a boon to investors who partake in the so-called carry trade, which, in this use, involves borrowing yen at Japan's low interest rates and selling them to acquire investments denominated in higher yielding currencies.
    As exports of Japan's core manufacturing products boom, big corporations are taking on more workers. Japan's unemployment rate fell to 3.8% in May, falling below 4% for the first time in nine years, and stayed at that level in June.

Microsoft's Videogame Efforts Take a Costly Hit
                                                                                                by Nick Wingfield
    Microsoft Corp.'s announcement of a more than $1 billion pretax charge to cover defects in its Xbox 360 games console represents an embarrassing misstep for a company still struggling to profit from the games business.
    The company said it will take a $1.05 billion to $1.15 billion pretax charge and extend the Xbox 360 warranty for consumers after experiencing an "unacceptable" number of repairs to Xbox 360s already sold. Microsoft executives declined to discuss the technical problems in detail, but said that there are a number of factors that can cause malfunctions leading to a failure of the Xbox 360 systems. The problems are indicated by three flashing red lights on the front of the console.
    The problems represent a costly setback for the Redmond, Wash., software company's efforts to profit from the videogame business, which it entered in later 2001 with the original Xbox as part of an effort to capitalize on the fast-growing convergence of technology and entertainment. Microsoft introduced the successor to its original product, the Xbox 360, in November 2005 and says it has shipped 11.6 million of the consoles to retailers around the world.

Sebastian: Do you know what? Last night I ran into a police check at a pub. The police yelled at some customers and made me feel so scared.
Maya: Hmm. The situation would be much better if you were in Thailand.
Sebastian: Why?
Maya: Thai police recently recruited

    The name Isaac originates from Hebrew and means "laughter." In the Bible, Isaac is the only son of Abraham. Variants of the name Isaac include Issac, Isa and Zak. Famous people who share the name include Sir Isaac Newton and shorthand developer Isaac Pitman.
    The name Natalie is of Latin origin, and its meaning is "birthday," usually referring to the birthday of Christ. Names similar to Natalie include Natalia, Talia and Tasha. Examples of celebrities who have the name are singer Natalie Imbruglia and actress Natalie Wood.
shorthand n. 速記

Tasha: What happened to your arms?
Zak: I must have played too much Wii. I bet my friend that I would be able to beat this new game before the end of the week. I've palyed for 12 straight hours. Now I'm so tired that I can't lift my arms! I want to take a break, but I can't because I have to beat the clock.