やさしい英語会話 (356) Bugs Everywhere

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これからの季節の悩みの種は「虫」。カブトムシやホタルなど、人間を楽しませてくれる虫もいますが、中には想像するのもおぞましい害虫もいます。好き嫌いは別として、いろいろな虫を英語でどう言うか、おさらいしてみましょう。



「やさしい英語会話」ではこれまでも何度か虫に関する会話を取り上げてきました。以下のエピソードもどうぞあわせてお楽しみください。



やさしい英語会話 (140) Mosquitoes Love My Blood

やさしい英語会話 (168) Cockroaches

やさしい英語会話 (260) Battle of the Insects

やさしい英語会話 (310) Spike the Stag Beetle

　

*** It's a Good Expression ***

（今回の重要表現）



centipede

むかで

※centiは「100」pedeは「足」、すなわち漢字の「百足」と同じ。

例：century=100年（世紀）、pedestrian=歩行者、pedalは足でこぐもの。



once in a while

たまに



cockroach

ゴキブリ



mosquito

蚊



firefly

ホタル



beetle

カブトムシ



cicada

セミ



Got it.

わかった（=I got it）。



you’d better …

…した方がいい

※had betterは「強い警告」（そうしないと悪いことが起こる）を表すので使用には注意。

（例）You’d better keep your mouth shut about that.（そのことについては口に出さない方がいい）



traps and sprays

罠とスプレー



be allergic to…

…にアレルギーがある



mean（形容詞）

意地悪な





*** Script ***



Bugs Everywhere



Situation: Franz, from Germany, and Noriko, from Japan, are outside.



M: Ahhhhhhhh! What’s that ugly thing??? (Peter points to the ground)



W: Oh, that's a cute little centipede! Have you never seen one?



M: Um… I've seen them in picture books, but this is the first one I’ve actually seen.



W: Well, they’re around. We see ‘em once in a while.



M: They’re around here? All the spiders, cockroaches, and mosquitoes were already enough for me!



W: Aren’t there any no bugs in Germany?



M: Of course there are. But not so many, and they’re not THAT big.



W: I see.



M: But I know Japan also has good insects!



W: Um… good insects? What are “good insects”?



M: For instance, the fireflies in Japan are very beautiful! I’ve never seen any of them in Germany.



W: Yeah, I LOVE fireflies.



M: Hey, I also saw a lot of boxes and nets for gathering beetles in the supermarket!



W: Yeah, that's what kids like to do. Especially, they try to get cicadas. And stag beetles. Have you ever seen stag beetles fighting? Ha ha. It’s cool. And a lot of kids have insects as pets. You don’t do that in Germany?



M: Not really. Most people are afraid of insects, and don‘t want to have any of them nearby. When I was little, I collected a few to scare my sister. Ha ha! Probably a few people in Germany collect them as a hobby. But it’s not a big trend.



W: Got it. By the way, you’d better keep your kitchen clean, and make sure the front door isn’t open for a long time. In the supermarket you can also buy different traps and sprays to kill insects. But the insects aren’t dangerous, unless you’re allergic to them.



M: Thanks for the information! I think I'll take some photos of the bugs and send them to my sister! Ha ha!



W: Ah! You’re mean!



M: Yeah, sometimes. (Peter laughs)



(Written by Gabriel Germann)