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英文読解★時事英会話 【中級】 2017年7～9月期 課題Topic2
News Discussion Topic1【Intermediate】July-September, 2017
Mainichi Japan June 27, 2017
Japan's love of shogi reignited thanks to 14-year-old record-breaker
- A schoolboy has set a record / for consecutive victories in professional shogi / – a Japanese version of chess – / winning plaudits from the prime minister / and sparking a surge of interest in the board game.
- Sota Fujii, 14, recorded his 29th straight win late on Monday, / taking more than 11 hours / to beat his opponent / in the first round of the prestigious Ryuo championship in Tokyo.
- The previous record, / 28 consecutive wins, / was set in 1987 by Hiroshi Kayama, 57.
- The unassuming teenager, / dressed in a dark blue suit and tie, / has attracted huge media coverage, / eclipsing reports on the troubled airbag maker Takata. / Up to 7.4 million people watched online / as Fujii edged towards victory on Monday.
- “Winning 29 times in a row was beyond my imagination, / so I feel happy, / but at the same time I’m also very surprised,” / Fujii, Japan’s youngest professional shogi player, / told a crowd of reporters in Tokyo.
- The prime minister, Shinzo Abe, congratulated Fujii, / saying: “A young force made new history today. / I think it was a victory / that gave hope and dreams to the people of Japan.”
- Some newspapers issued free special editions / to mark Fujii’s achievement / at the pinnacle of a game / that last ignited the public’s interest in the mid-1990s, / when Yoshiharu Habu won / all seven professional tournaments in a single year.
- Fujii’s success is a timely boost for the shogi world, / which was rocked late last year / after one of the game’s best players, / Hiroyuki Miura, / was wrongly accused of cheating.
- Shogi, / which is said to have originated / from the ancient Indian game of chaturanga, / is played on a nine-by-nine board, / with each player beginning with 20 pieces. / Its rules allow players / to use captured pieces as their own, / with the game ending / when one player captures their opponent’s king.
- Interest in Fujii’s exploits has increased / since he started his winning streak / after making his professional debut last December.
- His swift rise to the top of the game / has sparked a surge in sales of shogi books / and inspired other children / to take up the board game.
- Fujii, / who will pocket just over ¥43m (£302,000) in prize money / if he goes on to win the championship, / started playing shogi at the age of five / after his grandmother gave him / a children’s version of the game, / according to Kyodo news.
- He started attending shogi classes / after regularly thrashing his grandfather.
- Officials at the Japan Shogi Association have voiced concern / over the media scrum surrounding Fujii, / who must juggle his shogi career with schoolwork.
- The association assigned a chaperone/ and arranged for him / to travel to and from matches by taxi. / “This step has been introduced / until the situation calms down a bit,” / it said, according to the Mainichi Shimbun.
【単語と語句】plaudit（名）称賛 prestigious（形）権威ある unassuming（形）控えめな eclipse（動）しのぐ edge（動）じわじわと近づく at the pinnacle of：～絶頂期に ignite（動）火をつける exploit（名）功績 take up：（趣味を）始める thrash（動）打ち負かす media scrum：過熱取材 juggle（動）両立させる chaperone（名）付き添い人
【参考記事】産経ニュース 2017年7月7日 “藤井聡太ブーム”将棋雑誌にも 公式戦３０勝で予約殺到
将棋の最年少プロ棋士、藤井聡太四段（１４）の活躍を取り上げた雑誌に予約が殺到するなど、人気を呼んでいる。
昭和１２年創刊の月刊誌「将棋世界」（日本将棋連盟発行）は、７月３日発売の８月号から藤井四段に関する新連載を開始。予約が相次いだため、発売前の増刷を決めたという。
田名後健吾編集長は「羽生善治三冠の七冠達成時でも増刷はかからず、おそらく創刊以来初めてのことでは。ファン以外にも将棋人気が高まっている」と語る。
「週刊ダイヤモンド」も３日発売の最新号に、藤井四段と囲碁の井山裕太六冠の対談記事を掲載。発行元のダイヤモンド社によると、発売初日に通常の３５倍の注文が全国の書店から殺到したという。
藤井四段は２日にプロ初黒星を喫したが、６日の順位戦で中田功七段（４９）を破り、公式戦通算３０勝目を挙げている。
–Questions for Discussion –
- Would you give us a brief outline of this article?
- What’s your impression of Sota Fujii? Is he different from other shogi players?
- What do you think of Fujii’s29 consecutive victories in professional shogi?
- Mr. Abe said Fujii’s victory gave hope and dreams to the people of Japan. Do you agree?
- Why was Hiroyuki Miura wrongly accused of cheating last year?
- What do you think of huge media coverageon Fujii?
- How did Fujii miss out on winning 30 games in a row? Who was his opponent?
- Is there anything else you would like to share with us about this topic?
【Review Questions from Topic1】
Sharp increase in people taking out 'false groping accusation' insurance
- Would you give us a brief outline of this article?
- If you were falsely accused of a groper on the train, what would you do?
- Have you heard of any incident where an innocent man was misunderstood as a groper?
- What do you think of the insurance policy to protect against false groping accusations?
- Would you describe the film titled “I Just Didn’t Do It”? What kind of story is it?
- Should railway companies create “men-only train cars” to avoid trouble with women?
- Do you think people in other countries have similar problems on a packed train?
- Is there anything else you would like to share with us about this topic?
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