English Essay by Brian Southwick
36 National Foundation Day ＲＥＡＤＩＮＧ (slow) (fast)

　　Today is Friday, February 9, and I am looking forward to the three-day weekend.  Next Monday is a substitute holiday because Japan celebrates its founding on Sunday.  February 11 is National Foundation Day in Japan, and it was celebrated for the first time in the Meiji Era, in 1873.  On this day, people fly Japanese flags and think about the meaning of being a Japanese citizen.  In the United States, we celebrate the birth of our country on July 4, Independence Day.
    The Fourth of July is an important national holiday in the U.S.  Like the Japanese, some people fly the American flag, the Stars and Stripes, from their home.  Americans think about the meaning of being a U.S. citizen, and they are proud of their country's history.  Unlike Japan, though, there are many public events for people to enjoy.
    Some American cities have a Fourth of July Parade through the city streets.  School marching bands perform famous songs such as "Stars and Stripes Forever" and "America the Beautiful".  Local politicians and celebrities sometimes take part in the parades as well.  Americans enjoy barbecuing hamburgers and hot-dogs with their family and friends, and there are watermelon and hot-dog eating contests, too.  The most famous contest is in NewYork, and the champion last year was a Japanese, Takeru Kobayashi.  His nickname is "Tsunami", and he ate almost 54 hot-dogs in 12 minutes!  In the evening of July 4, there are public fireworks displays, and people enjoy shooting fireworks at home, too.  My mother always got angry because she couldn't go to sleep that night.
    Independence Day is a pleasant holiday during the summer vacation, and I miss the delicious barbecued food. I enjoy Japan's Foundation Day, too, and I hope you have a nice holiday weekend.

<注>　National Foundation Day(建国記念日),look forward to〜(〜を楽しみにして待つ),substitute holiday
(振替休日),celebrate(祝う),founding(設立,創立),fly(「旗を」掲揚する),flag(旗),meaning(意味），
citizen(国民,市民,住民),birth(誕生),Independence Day(独立記念日),the Stars and Stripes（星条旗），
are proud of〜(を誇りに思う,自慢に思う),unlike〜(【前置詞】〜とは違って),though(【接続詞】けれども),
 event（行事），parade（パレード），marching band（楽隊，マーチングバンド），perform（演奏する），
local(地元の,地方の),politician(政治家),celebrity(有名人,著名人,名士),take part in〜（〜に参加する），
as well（その上），barbecue（バーベキューをする），hot-dog（ホットドッグ），watermelon（すいか），
contest（競争，コンテスト），Nathan's（ネイサンズ，店の名前）, champion（優勝者，チャンピオン），
Takeru Kobayashi（小林尊），nickname（あだ名，ニックネーム），fireworks display（花火大会），
shoot（打ち上げる），pleasant（愉快な，楽しい），miss（〜がないのを寂しく思う）


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

Q1. When does Japan celebrate National Foundation Day?

A1.


Q2. What makes Americans proud on Independence Day?

A2.


Q3. Who plays the songs "Stars and Stripes Forever" and "
　　 America the Beautiful"?

A3.


Q4. How many hot-dogs did Takeru Kobayashi eat at last
　　 year's contest?

A4.


Q5. Why did Brian's mother get angry on the night of July 4?

A5.    

 


＜解答例＞

A1. Japan celebrates it on February 11.

A2. Ｔheir country's history does.

A3. School marching bands do.

A4. He ate almost 54 (hot-dogs).

A5. (She got angry,) because she couldn't go to sleep (that night,.)