English Essay by Sunil Kapoor, Niigata City ALT
64 My Hometown, Houston READING (slow)(fast)

My Hometown, Houston

Do you remember my first essay?  In it, I introduced myself.  I also wrote a little about my hometown, Houston, Texas, in the U. S. A.  I wrote that Houston is the home for NASA’s Johnson Space Center, a great place to visit.  I also wrote that Houston is very big (America’s 4th largest city).  Today I’ll tell you a little more about Houston.

Houston is very different from Niigata City.  It’s a very hot city.  From April to October, the high temperature is usually above 30 degrees Celsius.  Snow usually does not fall in Houston, only once in about 5 years.  And when it  falls, it’s only a few centimeters and quickly melts away.  There are no mountains near Houston.  It is very flat, like a table.

Houston is an international port city, like Niigata.  It is near the sea, too.  The sea is called the Gulf of Mexico.  It keeps Houston warm most of the year.  Houston is often very humidbecause of the Gulf of Mexico.  But in winter, Houston is often cool and dry. 

Sometimes the Gulf of Mexico brings powerful hurricanes to Houston.  They can be quite dangerous, and I have experienced a few of them.  You may know of Hurricane Katrina, a hurricane that devastated Louisiana and Mississippi in 2005.  Hurricane Katrina also came from the Gulf of Mexico.  Houston sometimes has tornadoes, too.

Houston is also famous as a home for American energy, especially oil and gas.  There are many energy companies in Houston.  This is because there is a lot of oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico.  These companies work hard to find the energy and take it out of the sea floor.  It can be a dangerous job.  But the money from energy has brought a lot of wealth and jobs to Houston and to the state of Texas.  In fact, my family and I lived there because my father works as a scientist in Houston to search for energy.

Well, that’s all for now, but there will be more to come later about my hometown Houston.  

<注>

introduced myself(私の自己紹介をした)

Houston, Texas, in the U. S. A.(アメリカ合衆国テキサス州ヒューストン)

NASA’s Johnson Space Center(ナサのジョンソン宇宙センター)

is very different from(〜と大変違っている)the high temperature(最高気温)
above 30 degrees Celsius(摂氏30℃を超える)

only a few centimeters(わずか数センチメートル)

melts away(溶けて無くなる),flat(平らな)

an international port city(国際港湾都市),the Gulf of Mexico(メキシコ湾流)
keeps Houston warm(ヒューストンを温かくする)

humid(蒸し暑い),brings powerful hurricanes(強力なハリケーンをもたらす),
because of(〜という理由で)have experienced(〜という経験をしたことがある)

a hurricane that devastated Louisiana(ルイジアナを荒らしたハリケーン)

tornadoes(竜巻),especially(特に)

many energy companies(多くのエネルギー会社)

take it out of the sea floor(海底から引き出す)

has brought a lot of wealth(多くの富をもたらした)

the state of Texas(テキサス州),In fact(実際)

to search for energy(エネルギー調査のために)

there will be more(もっとあるだろう)

 

Question and Answers:

Please answer the questions in a complete sentence in English.

 

Q1.Which city is hotter, Houston or Niigata City?

A1.

Q2.Like Niigata, what kind of city is Houston?

A2.

Q3.What is the sea near Houston called?

A3.

Q4.Why is Houston often very humid?

A4.

Q5.What is the name of the hurricane that devastated Loisiana and Mississippi in 2005?

A5.

<解答例>

A1. Houston is.

A2.  It is an international port city.

A3.  It is called the Gulf of Mexico.

A4.  Because of the Gulf of Mexico.

A5.  It is Hurricane Katrina.