超濃縮！やさしい英語会話 (26) Despite Corona, We Can Travel Using Podcasts

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８月の４週間は、恒例の「超濃縮！やさしい英語会話」です。この12年間に配信した359本の「やさしい英語会話」よりエピソードを厳選し、毎回４本分を濃縮してお届けします。ナチュラルスピードの会話をスクリプトとともにお楽しみください。今回は"Despite Corona, We Can Travel Using Podcasts"というテーマで、家に居ながらにして世界旅行を楽しめる、そんな世界各地の都市や文化にまつわるエピソードを集めました。

　

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やさしい英語会話 (334) Korean Mythology: The Bear Woman



M: Hey Eunmi, I believe there’s mythology in Korea, right? I’m interested in it, but I couldn't find any reference materials, since it's not so famous.



W: Yeah, Sam, we DO have mythology! I’m so glad that you’re interested in Korean mythology and culture.



M: Hey, could you tell me about Korean mythology? Maybe just briefly?



W: OK. Here’s a famous story. A long time ago there was the Supreme Sky God and he sent his son, named Hwan-Woong, to earth to rule the humans.



M: So there's the image of the Son of God descending to earth? That sounds pretty similar to Jesus, in a way.



W: Ha ha. I guess, until this point it’s the same. But next, a bear and a tiger came to Hwan-Woong and pleaded to make them into humans.



M: A bear and a tiger? The Son of God must have freaked out if he wasn’t an excellent hunter. That’s interesting! Keep going!



W: Ha ha. Then Hwang-Woong told them that they should lock themselves in a cave for 100 days, only eating garlic and mugwort! If they passed his test, he would make them humans. Well, who do you think passed the test: the bear or the tiger?



M: Eating only garlic and mugwort sounds horrible! If I were one of them, I’d have never made it till the end.



W: Ha ha! Well, the tiger couldn’t endure eating them till the end, so the tiger gave up. Because of the tiger’s failure; the bear could automatically become a human! The bear became a beautiful woman, called Bear Woman.



M: Congratulations, bear! I always wanted the bear to win.



W: In the end, she got married to Hwan-Woong and their child, Dan-Goon, was the first king of the first dynasty of Korea. This is our mythology!



M: Hey wait! So you’re the descendant of the Bear Woman? That means you have bear’s blood flowing inside your body? Wait, you might have a bear’s claw? Please don’t eat me! I’m not delicious! Ah!



(Written by Kyoung Jo)



やさしい英語会話 (325) St. Petersburg



M: Hey Nana! It must have been a long flight! Welcome to St. Petersburg!



W: Hey Dima! Thank you for inviting me! I’m so glad I could come to Russia. I really wanna see some Russian history and culture!



M: Well, you’ve come to the heart of Russia’s history and art, Nana. You’ll definitely love this city!



W: So, what are some famous tourist spots in St. Petersburg? The Tsars?



M: Ha ha! We don’t have Tsars anymore. But there are innumerable places you should definitely visit. For example, I recommend going to the Hermitage Museum first. It’s the second largest museum in the world. It used to be the Winter Palace of the Romanov Empire!



W: So the palace is now a museum? And Romanov! That’s the dynasty starting from Peter the Great, and lasting till Nicholas the Second, right? Then it all ended in the Bolshevik Revolution?



M: Yes, yes, exactly! The Winter Palace was the place where the October Revolution of 1917 occurred. Therefore, I can state that this place has a lot of significant symbols pertaining to the history and culture of Russia.



W: Woo, I LOVE revolutions too. Shall I start a new revolution?



M: No, no! Keep your ambitions in your heart. We don’t want any chaos.



W: Ha ha. Just joking! Well, I can’t WAIT to see the city, to witness some historical incidents that were only written about in my textbook! I feel like Lenin’s going to take over my soul!!



M: Oh, my goodness… You’re really “hyper” right now, Nana. Just calm down. Anyway, the Hermitage Museum is only a 40-minute walk from my house. After that we’ll go to the main street, called Nevsky Prospect.



W: Oh, I’ve heard of Nevsky Prospect! Dostoevsky’s novels were sometimes set on Nevsky Prospect. Like Crime and Punishment! Can I say hello to Dostoevksky if I meet him? I really like a couple of his books!



M: (to self) Aww, gosh… It’s gonna be a LONG trip.



(Written by Kyoung Jo)



やさしい英語会話 (324) Traveling to Seoul: Gangnam Style



M: Jessica! Long time no see! How ya doin’? Welcome to Seoul!



W: Hey Jo! I’ve been doing well! Thank you for inviting me to this wonderful place. I can’t wait to have fun here.



M: Seoul IS one of the best places in the world to have fun, if you love to do some shopping, or have parties all night! We’re the people of alcohol and hedonism. Ha ha!



W: Sounds great! Well, one thing I know about Seoul is… Gangnam Style? I wanna go there! Can you take me there?



M: Of course! I was expecting you’d say Gangnam Style. Ironically, the music video wasn’t made at Gangnam. But I’d call Gangnam the center and soul of Seoul. I should definitely take you there! Let’s go!



W: And… Also, will there be a lot of people dancing the horse dance? You know the horse dance from the song?



M: Again, this is the preconception of Gangnam… I believe no one dances on the street, but if you’d like to, I wouldn’t mind. Anyway, off to Gangnam!



(Arrives in Gangnam)



W: Wow… I’ve never seen people this crowded in one spot. And everyone’s really fashionable, and catchy. Although no one dances the horse dance, still Gangnam is awesome! This is indeed a legit city!



M: Yea, Gangnam is the most crowded place in Seoul. It’s often compared to Shinjuku in Tokyo. Welcome to Gangnam. This is the authentic Gangnam style. Want to go for some shopping or grab some food?



W: Before that, I think the most important thing is missing! Where is PSY? Can I meet him? I’m his super big fan…



M: O.M.G… He’s not ALWAYS here… Stop talking gibberish, and let’s go grab some food. I’m starving!



(Written by Kyoung Jo)



やさしい英語会話 (298) Australian Words Can Sound Crazy

Situation: An Australian man and a Japanese woman talk.



M: Oh, what an awesome weekend!



W: Hi, John. You're awfully LOUD this morning.



M: Yeah, there was a shini yesterday. It was crazy! You should have been there!



W: "Shi-ni (死に)"？



M: Yeah, there was me and about four buddies,



W: "Ba-ri (罵詈)"?



M: Yeah, so anyway, we headed over to the beach, and the guys had bought some goon earlier that day. It was a bit early for a drink though.



W: "Gun (軍)"? I'm so confused by this story. It sounds so dangerous! Why are you so happy?



M: Well, I'll admit that drinking at the beach IS a bit dangerous, but there were lifeguards. So, it's not like we would have drowned or anything.



W: I don't understand: then, what was the shini?



M: The party at the beach!



W: So, what happened? How did the party turn out so bad?



M: It didn't turn bad... we use the word 'shini' in Australia to mean a party.



W: Oh, so no one died?



M: Of course not!



W: Then what about the "Ba-ri"? And "Gun"?



M: I said buddies, not "Ba-ri", as in mates, friends. And goon is a type of cask wine—disgusting, but cheap!



W: Well, I'm glad you had a good party, but I don't think I'll be joining you in the future! Ha ha.



(Written by Stella-Maree Trounson)