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The Wonderful World of Japanese Writers of English |
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| Here's an essay, story, and poem written originally in English. |
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Vocabulary Build-Up |
| The underlined words in the
following sentences are from the story "The Paper Plane".
Try to understand what these words mean without consulting a
dictionary. Click  to find if you are right or wrong.まず難しい単語をチェックしておきましょう。辞書は使わずに、下線を付けた単語の意味を文脈からつかみましょう。 をクリックすると正しいかどうかわかります。 |
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1. What a magnificent view I have from my hotel! 2. Napoleon would walk back and forth with his hands
behind his back whenever he talked to someone ... 3. Castles often had moats so it would not be easy
to attack the people inside. 4. I was impressed with his paintings. 5. My home town has a barracks. |
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6. He did not spend any of the money that his parents gave
him: it was left intact. 7. The quarters are very clean. 8. The policeman saw the thief as he emerged from the
corner. 9. I spotted his car in the parking lot, so I thought
he might be at home. 10. I told the child not to walk along the edge of
the road because it is dangerous. |
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11. Let's take a small recess and then start studying
again. 12. He stood completely still for an hour. 13. She stared intently into his eyes. 14. The hikers paused for a few minutes before taking
photographs. 15. He borrows money from everyone unashamedly. |
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16. He said that he did not have any problems in particular. 17. My brother tries to mimic Eddie Murphy. 18. He only glanced at her so I thought they didn't
know each other. 19. Can you read this music score? 20. Although he does not attend class, he gets top
grades. |
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by Ose Katsushi |
| In a small but very beautiful town, a young
man had lived for two years; and in the corner of the park in
the center of the town, there was a magnificent Japanese-style
castle built in the Edo Period. At one time it had been possible to see samurai going back and forth from the fortress to the outside; and as they passed the wooded hills and small moats, it was quite an impressive sight. After World War 11, the castle was used as a barracks. Later, of course, the soldiers were to leave. But, their quarters were left intact and as time went by, the park became a place where young people would stroll about, read, or simply lie on the grass. The quarters became a university center, and the young men and women became students of art, music, and calligraphy. |
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That winter they had no snow, and on that afternoon the wind
wasn't very cold under the clear sky as the two girls emerged
from the main entrance of the college. As the two girls passed the moat, Miyuki spotted a young man standing by its edge. She thought that she might perhaps have seen him during the lunch recess. He was standing alone and very still, staring intently into the pond. He had the look of a philosopher and was carrying a sketchbook under his arm. Miyuki paused when she got to where he was standing and said as she stood behind him, "How do you do?" The young man turned around. "Hi! Good afternoon," he said politely. "Can I ask what you are doing here?" she said while staring unashamedly at his young face. "Nothing in particular." "Well, you are an art course student, aren't you?" "You are a music course student, aren't you?" the young man mimicked her as he glanced at the music score in her arms. "I remember you now; we were in the same classes sometimes.... Mr. Takahashi's English class or something." "I think so, too. I've seen you a few times before, but lately you haven't been attending classes, have you?" "I quit the university." "Did you?" Miyuki said, with a note of surprise in her voice as she went to sit down on a nearby bench. |
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The young man approached her. "Do you mind if I sit down?"
he said to her as he bowed. "Ravel ... he is French, isn't he?" "Yes, that's right. Do you like his music?" "Yes, I do. I've got a record of one of his works." "Which one?" "I forget the name of it now," the young man said, "but on the cover of the jacket ... it has a nice picture of a pond painted by a French artist." |
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He turned to Miyuki and said, "Do you like the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters?" "I don't know much about them," Miyuki said, tapping her woolen-gloved fingers on the music score as if she was playing the piano. There was a momentary silence. "I don't know about your own past, but I was born and
grew up here. It's a town that I love. Last year when I passed
the entrance examination for this college, I was really pleased
because it's been my dream to study in this college and in this
park." "Why? Where are you going?" In the still silence the two of them stared at the pond where
a solitary swan silently swam. "Unfortunately, I lost my pencil in the park." "I've got one," said Miyuki, as she took a short pencil from the pocket of her winter coat. "Here you are," she said, and handed the pencil to the young man. "Well, O.K. I'll try." |
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Miyuki sat by his side and watched as he drew. "Could you give me a sheet of paper?" Miyuki asked. "You mean you'll draw something, too?" "No, no! I can't draw at all," she said and gave a quick laugh. "All right." The young man took a sheet from the sketchbook and gave it to her without further question. "Thank you," Miyuki replied. She began to fold the
paper on the music score which she had on her lap. She threw the paper plane into the air. The plane circled round and round over the pond and finally fell and landed in the water. Standing together they gazed at the reflection of the sky on the surface of the water. |
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次の質問に答えましょう。 1. Why is the story called "The Paper Plane"?
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| After you have noted carefully
the differences in the model exercise, change the direct speech
in the four passages below to indirect speech. モデルを読んで、上と下で書き方が違うのがわかりますか？上は直接話法、下は間接話法ですね。モデルにならって、４つの直接話法の文章を間接話法に直しましょう。 |
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The young man approached her. "Do you mind if I sit down?" he said to her as he bowed. "No, please do," said Miyuki, giggling slightly. The young man seated himself next to Miyuki on the bench and said, "You play the piano?" "Yes," said Miyuki. "Do you like music?" "Music? Yes, I like music very much. Who doesn't?" "Well, there's a concert in that hall next Saturday, and I'll be playing." -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The young man approached her. He bowed and asked her if
he could sit down. The young man seated himself next to Miyuki on the bench.
He then asked her if she could play the piano. Miyuki replied
that she could and asked him if he liked music. He told her that
he liked music a lot, and asked her if there was anyone who didn't. -Matsumoto Eri |
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1 "Oh, really?" said the young man. "And you'll be playing the piano?" "Yes, I'm going to play Ravel's 'Sonatine.'" "Ravel ... he is French, isn't he?" "Yes, that's right. Do you like his music?" "Yes, I do. I've got a record of one of his works." "Which one?" "I forget the name of it now," the young man said,
"but on the cover of the jacket ... it has a nice picture
of a pond painted by a French artist." |
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2 In the still silence the two of them stared at the pond where a solitary swan silently swam. After a while Miyuki said, "Please let me see your sketches ... if you don't mind." "Oh, I'm sorry but I haven't drawn anything in this sketchbook." "Then why don't you draw something for me now?" "Unfortunately, I lost my pencil in the park." "I've got one," said Miyuki, as she took a short pencil from the pocket of her winter coat. Here you are," she said, and handed the pencil to the young man. "Well, O.K. I'll try." |
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3 Miyuki sat by his side and watched as he drew. "It's lovely!" Miyuki said as she looked at his
drawing of the swan. "Could you give me a sheet of paper?" Miyuki asked. "You mean you'll draw something, too?" "No, no! I can't draw at all," she said and gave a quick laugh. |
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4 The young man took a sheet from the sketchbook and gave it to her without further question. "Thank you," Miyuki replied. She began to fold the paper on the music score which she had on her lap. "What is that? A paper plane or something?" the young man asked. "Yes, it's a paper plane," Miyuki said as she stood up. "Will you come to the concert?" "Yes, I'd like to very much." |
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