2023年12月8日「モバイル英語学習」第809号 (英語エッセイ): Richest Countries/Regions in the World 2023

Notes
Luxembourg ルクセンブルク;
the United Arab Emirates アラブ首長国連邦;
forefront 最前部、真っ先;
San Marino サンマリノ 《イタリア東部の世界最小の共和国;
Macao マカオ(葡: Macau)あるいは澳門、中華人民共和国の特別行政区の一つ;
gauge 測定する;

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According to Global Finance, the top five richest countries are Ireland, Luxembourg, Singapore, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, with Ireland at the forefront. In contrast, Japan ranks 38th, the United States 9th, and China 77th. Notably, the world’s wealthiest nations are often among the smallest. Despite facing economic challenges such as the pandemic, they have managed to maintain their wealth. This group includes countries like San Marino, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Singapore, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, deriving their wealth from finance, taxation, and natural resources. Macao, for instance, owes its riches to its thriving casino industry. Wealth in these countries/rigions is more accurately gauged by purchasing power parity, which takes into account the cost of living locally. Consequently, the richest countries boast significantly higher purchasing power than the poorest. Nevertheless, this wealth is not evenly distributed within these nations. It’s important to note that some of these countries are known as tax havens, which may distort the true picture of their economic status.
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2023年12月1日「モバイル英語学習」第808号 (英語ストーリー): The Bamboo Cutter and the Moon Princess

Notes
gaze  (熱心にじっと)見つめる、熟視する;
robe  ローブ、長いワンピースの婦人服;

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Long ago in Japan, a bamboo cutter found a tiny, glowing princess inside a bamboo stalk. He and his wife raised her as their own. Named Kaguya, she grew into a beautiful woman. Many princes came to marry her, but she set impossible tasks for them. Kaguya was sad often, gazing at the moon. One night, she told her parents she was from the Moon and must return. When moon messengers came, Kaguya sadly left her parents, giving them a robe to remember her. As she left, she looked back at Earth, her heart full of love and sadness. Her parents missed her greatly, remembering the joy she brought them. (An English version of “竹取物語”)
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