English Essay by Brian Southwick

39 A Recent Cycling Trip: Part1
ＲＥＡＤＩＮＧ (slow) (fast)　

　Today is March 2, and the school year is almost over.  The graduation ceremony will be held on March 7, and the following day many students will take the entrance exam for public high schools.  I remember standing outside my schools in the freezing cold weather on graduation day, greeting the students and their parents. This year, however, the winter weather has been unusually mild, and we have had many beautiful days of warm sunshine.  So, I have been able to enjoy cycling in winter for the first time.
　　One day earlier this week, I decided to ride my bicycle to Shibata City.  My goal was Uchinokura Lake and Dam, about 20 kilometers from Shibata, near Akatani Village.  I also wanted to see Kuzutsuka Junior High School’s new school building.  It was designed by the famous architect Tadao Andoh and was completed last year.  The school is on the way to Shibata and not far from Fukushima Lagoon, in Toyosaka.
　　I reached Kuzutsuka after cycling for a little over an hour.  The school is located in the countryside, with a fine view of the mountains.  The building, made of concrete and glass, doesn’t look at all like a school.  Instead, it looks like a library, or perhaps a museum, or maybe even an airport building.  The gym is unusual, too: it is a small dome.  I think the two buildings are a good place to make a science fiction movie. 
　　I took a few pictures of the school, and then I got back on my bike and rode towards Shibata.  I cycled along narrow roads through the rice fields, and it was very peaceful. In a typical winter there is much snow on the ground, and the farmers have plenty of water in spring to use for rice planting.  There is no snow on the ground this year, and the fields are dry.  When I reached the cycling path built on the old Akatani Railway, it was lunchtime.

<注>graduation ceremony（卒業式），following（次の），entrance exam（入学試験），public（公立の），
freezing（凍えるような），greet（出迎える），however（けれども），unusually（異常に），mild（温暖な），
sunshine（日光），be able to〜（〜できる），cycling（サイクリング），bicycle（自転車），goal（目的地），
Uchinokura Lake and Dam(内の倉湖とダム),kilometer(キロメートル),design(設計する)，architect（建築家），
complete（完成する），on the way to〜（〜へ行く途中に），Fukushima Lagoon（福島潟），locate（設置する），
countryside（田園地方），fine view（素晴らしい眺め），concrete（コンクリート），glass（ガラス），
instead（それよりむしろ），perhaps（たぶん），museum（美術館），airport（空港），unusual（特異な），
dome（ドーム，丸屋根），towards〜（〜の方へ），cycle（自転車に乗る），narrow（狭い），
rice field（田），peaceful（のどかな），typical（典型的な），farmer（農家の人），plenty of〜（たくさんの〜），
rice planting（田植え），dry（乾いた），cycling path（自転車専用道路），Akatani Railway（赤谷線）


Question and Answers:  Please answer the following questions
in English in a complete sentence, with a subject and　a verb.


Q1. Why has Brian been able to enjoy cycling this year?

A1.


Q2. What was Brian’s goal on a recent cycling trip?

A2.


Q3. Who designed Kuzutsuka Junior High School?

A3.


Q4. Does Brian think the building looks like a school?

A4.


Q5. When did Brian arrive at the old Akatani Railway?

A5.



＜解答例＞

A1. Because the winter weather has been unusually mild, and we have had many beautiful
　　 days of warm sunshine (, he has been able to enjoy cycling in winter).

A2. It was Uchinokura Lake and Dam.

A3. Tadao Andoh did.

A4. No, he doesn’t.

A5. He arrived (there) at lunchtime.