Age-related Forgetfulness May be Reversible

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. distinct [dih-STINGKT] (adj.) – noticeably different or separate from another kind

Example: The doctor assures the patient that his condition is distinct from the dreaded disease.

           

2. trigger [TRIG-er] (v.) – to initiate or make something happen

Example: Drug use may trigger memory loss.

3. suspect [suh-SPEKT] (v.) – to believe that one thing caused something undesirable

Example: The doctors suspected the rotten egg to be the cause of his stomach ailments.

4. maze [meyz] (n.) – a confusing and complicated network of passage ways

Example: The rat finds it difficult to find a way out in the maze.

5. reversible [ri-VUR-suh-buh l] (adj.) – can change back to the original condition

Example: The doctor assured the patient not to worry because the disease is reversible.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

Scientists recently found a clue that may help search for the cause of memory problems related to age. The recent study found evidence proving that memory loss is a distinct condition from pre-Alzheimer's and that it may be treatable. The scientists from Columbia University Medical Center studied the brains of young and old people, who died without any signs of brain disease. They found that when people get old, a certain gene in the dentate gyrus, part of the hippocampus [hip-uh-KAM-puh s] where Alzheimer's is triggered, starts producing less of an important protein. The experts suspect that the protein called RbAp48 affects memory loss. To prove the protein’s effects, scientists experimented on rats, which like humans also become forgetful as they age. Young rats, whose RbAp48 levels were cut, performed badly in mazes and memory tasks just like the old mice do. But what's really interesting is that old mice whose proteins were given a boost performed as well as the youngsters did. This result suggested that memory loss might be reversible. However, Dr. Molly Wagster said the research is still in its early stages. Proving this claim may still need a lot of additional research that could take years to complete, she added. On the other hand, the good news is that the researchers have already found that exercise improves the functions of the dentate gyrus. They are now studying whether nutrition can also affect it.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

         Do you think that a cure for age-related memory loss can really be found in the future? Please explain your answer.

         Why is it important to find a cure for age-related memory loss?

Discussion B

         How do you think a person can keep his/her memory sharp?

         What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a good memory? Please explain your answer.

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Jewish and Palestinian Rock Bands Promote Peace through a Concert Tour

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. gig [gig] (n.) – a job, usually of short duration, especially in performing jazz or rock music

Example: The band planned to reschedule the gig from tonight to tomorrow.

2. heavy metal [HEV-ee MET-l] (n.) – a type of rock music with a loud, strong beat

Example: The man was awakened by the heavy metal song playing in the neighbor’s garage.

3. consist [kuh n-SIST] (v.) – to be composed, formed or made up of

Example: The band consists of five members.

4. blend [blend] (v.) – to mix things harmoniously and thoroughly

Example: The costumes, music, and lighting on stage all blend together beautifully.

5. spark [spahrk] (v.) – to make something happen

Example: The rock band’s racist speech sparked controversy among the public.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

A Jewish rock band and a Palestinian one have joined together for an 18-day gig in six different European countries to encourage peace between Israel and Palestine. The two bands, Khalas and Orphaned Land, share a love for metal music. Kobi Farhi of Orphaned Land and Abed Hathout of Khalas met each other a decade ago at a radio station. Friendship sparked soon after due to their mutual love for metal music. Last July, the two bands launched their European tour and explained their mission in Tel Aviv, Israel. Both Farhi and Hathout want to promote coexistence and peace between Israel and Palestine through metal music. Farhi mentioned that the tour cannot change the world, but he and his co-performers can at least show everyone that coexisting peacefully is possible. The bands will live together and share a single tour bus for their tour. The two bands call their music Oriental Metal, which blends classic heavy metal and Arabic rhythms. They also use other instruments like violin and flute, making their music a lot more interesting and diverse. Hathout, Khalas' guitarist and band manager, added that if the Khalas and Orphaned Land members can coexist on a bus, then doing it in the two conflicted countries may not be a problem. Similar to Khalas’ and Orphaned Land’s case, conductor Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said also founded The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra consisting of Israeli and Arab musicians in 1999.  Despite numerous criticisms, they kept performing all over the world to encourage people to listen to each other and to break down barriers through music.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

         Why do you think the two bands collaborated for a concert tour for a cause?

         Is concert a good way to promote peace? Please explain your answer.

Discussion B

         As an ordinary citizen, how will you promote peace in your own way?

         What can the government do to promote peace? Please explain your answer.

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Weighed Down by Guilt: Research Shows It's More Than a Metaphor

"Guilt-inducing memories lead to increased reports of weight."

Lots of people say they do. They're "carrying guilt" or "weighed down by guilt." Are these just expressions, or is there something more to these metaphors?

Princeton researcher Martin Day and Ramona Bobocel, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Waterloo, recently published the results of a series of studies that begin to offer answers to that question.

In an article titled "The Weight of a Guilty Conscience: Subjective Body Weight as an Embodiment of Guilt" in the journal PLOS ONE, Day and Bobocel find evidence that the emotional experience of guilt can be grounded in subjective bodily sensation.

Day, a postdoctoral research associate at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and Bobocel discuss their findings and how they can contribute to the broader understanding of how humans perceive guilt:

"Embodied cognition is an emerging field in psychology that examines how our thoughts and emotions interact with our bodies to guide behavior. Guilt is important because it plays a role in regulating our moral behavior. It can help us correct our mistakes and prevent future wrongdoing. Of course, people know that guilt feels unpleasant and is sometimes associated with feelings of tension and regret. However, we know less about the broad nature of guilt -- such as how it interacts with the body and our beliefs about the body.

"People often say guilt is like a 'weight on one's conscience,' and we examined whether guilt is actually embodied as a sensation of weight.

In a series of studies we asked students and members of the public to recall a time that they did something unethical. People recalled a variety of wrongdoings, such as lying, stealing or cheating. Afterward, in a separate task, we asked them to rate their subjective feeling of their own body weight as compared to their average. That is, did they feel less weight than usual, about the same weight, or more weight? We compared these responses to participants in control conditions who recalled an ethical memory, a memory of someone else's unethical actions or who were not asked to recall a memory.

"We found that recalling personal unethical acts led participants to report increased subjective body weight as compared to recalling ethical acts, unethical acts of others or no recall. We also found that this increased sense of weight was related to participants' heightened feelings of guilt, and not other negative emotions, such as sadness or disgust.  Ethical deeds were rated just as important as unethical actions, but only unethical, guilt-inducing memories led to increased reports of weight.

"In a final study we also explored a perceptual consequence of the weight of guilt. Using the same materials, we tested whether recall of unethical memories would affect perceived effort to complete a variety of helping behaviors as compared to a control condition. Importantly, some of these behaviors involved physical effort, such as carrying groceries upstairs for someone, whereas other behaviors did not, such as giving someone spare change. We found no differences between conditions for the perceived effort of the nonphysical actions.

However, those who recalled unethical memories, which can be accompanied by sensations of weight, perceived the physical behaviors to involve even greater effort to complete compared to ratings provided by those in a control condition.

"Overall, it was exciting to find these patterns of results, which are consistent with an embodied theory of emotion. However, this is still relatively new research, and we are still exploring how to more fully characterize the experience of guilt. There are also very recent and complementary findings on this topic from independent research labs. For example, simulating the experience of the weight of guilt, such as with a heavy backpack, seems to be tied to regulating moral behavior. Such results are encouraging, and hopefully this emerging line of research will lead us to a more comprehensive understanding of the nature of guilt."

*  *  *  *  *

For more on character development, click on the image below:

A Writer's Guide to Characterization: Archetypes, Heroic Journeys, and Other Elements of Dynamic Character Development
by Victoria Lynn Schmidt

Story Source: Martin V. Day, D. Ramona Bobocel. The Weight of a Guilty Conscience: Subjective Body Weight as an Embodiment of Guilt. PLoS ONE, 2013

China Builds the World’s Next Tallest Skyscraper

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. one-stop shop [wuh n stop shop] (n. phrase) – a business or an office that offers a wide variety of products and services

Example: The tycoon wanted to build a one-stop shop to cover a larger market share.

           

2. evoke [ih-VOHK] (v.) – to cause a reaction to happen

Example: The new method in building houses evoked worries that the structures may not be stable.

3. pace [peys] (n.) – the speed or rate of movement or progress

Example: Due to the fast pace of the construction, the building will be finished in less than a year.

4. prefabricated [pree-FAB-ri-key-td] (adj.) – manufactured or made beforehand for assembly later on

Example: The company ordered prefabricated materials to finish the construction earlier.

5. confirmed [kuh n-FURMD] (adj.) – definite or not going to change

Example: The confirmed construction schedule has been approved by the company’s president.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

In about six months from now, China will be stealing the title for the world’s tallest building from Dubai's Burj Khalifa. Burj Khalifa in Dubai stands at 828 meters high, but the new skyscraper called Sky City will be 838-meter tall. It is now being constructed in Changsha, Central China and is expected to be finished in April 2014, only ten months after it was started. The company behind the building’s construction expects to save both on land and energy by making the building a one-stop shop. The building will specifically have a mall, school, amusement park, hospital, and roof gardens so residents would not need to leave the building anymore. Despite the building’s interesting features, the speed of its construction has evoked criticisms from netizens and experts. Some people are expressing safety concerns due to the fast pace of the construction and the strange method used to build the skyscraper. But Broad Group, the construction company behind Sky City, said the technique has been proven to be safe. The technique involves using thousands of prefabricated steel and concrete blocks, which are then assembled on-site. Broad Group added that it has used this technique to build more than 30 buildings in the country. The current trend of fast-built skyscrapers, which are often taller than 152 meters, seems to become popular in China nowadays. Currently, 470 skyscrapers stand in China, while 332 are still under construction, and 516 are confirmed to be on the planning stages. By 2022 China would have a total of 1,318 skyscrapers, more than double than what is expected from the United States.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

         Do you think people should really be worried about the fast-paced construction of skyscrapers in China? Why or why not?

         In your opinion, what are the advantages and disadvantages of building skyscrapers? Please briefly explain.

Discussion B

         Do you think having a world title helps a country’s tourism? Why or why not?

         Why are innovations important in a country’s development?

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Africa’s Growing Funeral Business Attracts Insurance Companies

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. lucrative [LOO-kruh-tiv] (adj.) – very profitable or can produce large profit

Example: Investors target a lucrative market to earn more profit.

2. insurance [in-SHOOR-uh ns, -SHUR-] (n.) – a contract in which money is paid in exchange of protection from possible loss, damage, illness, or death

Example: His company pays for his health insurance due to his risky job.

3. lavishly [LAV-ish-ly] (adv.) –  done luxuriously or generously

Example: Because of their tradition, Africans lavishly spend huge amount of money on funerals.

4. extravagant [ik-STRAV-uh-guh nt] (adj.) – unnecessarily or unreasonably exceeding what is appropriate

Example: Extravagant ceremonies and funerals often cost a lot of money.

5. dignified [DIG-nuh-fahyd] (adj.) – showing respect or honor

Example: In some countries, family and friends hold dignified memorials for their dead loved ones.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

Insurance companies are now looking at the booming funeral business in Africa as a lucrative opportunity to increase sales.   Funerals are considered as extravagant ceremonies in Africa. As a result, Africans spend lavishly in honoring the dead. In fact, people will think that one is poor if he or she holds only a small or intimate funeral instead of a big one. The funeral business in Africa is growing rapidly due to the high mortality rate in the continent. Most of the countries with the highest death rates are actually located in Africa. One of which is South Africa, whose mortality rate remains high despite having a good economy. While mortality rates are high, most people in the continent do not have enough savings to afford big dignified funerals and ceremonies. Even so, a big demand for funeral insurance still exists because of the Africans’ cultural tradition of having lavish funerals, said Jacky Huma, head of micro-insurance at the South Africa's Financial Services Board. This condition is what insurance companies find advantageous. With funeral insurance, Africans, especially those who are unemployed and have many dependents, can make sure that they can still hold a proper funeral for their loved ones. Gautam Duggal, the head of bancassurance for Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, added that funeral insurance is the leading product in most markets. It contributes to more than 60 percent of the banks' individual life insurance sales. On another note, entrepreneurs also discovered ways to earn money by creating a virtual platform for harambee, a tradition in which families and friends raise money to contribute to the funeral expense.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

         In your opinion, is it important to have big funerals for a dead loved one? Please explain your answer.

         Why do you think Africa has very high death rates?

Discussion B

         How do you think traditions and customs can affect a country’s economy? Explain.

         Do you think your country’s traditions are helping your economy? Why or why not?

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Usain Bolt Reclaims 100-meter World Title in Moscow

【Unlocking Word Meanings】

　今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. reclaim [ree-KLEYM] (v.) – to get something back after it was lost or stolen

Example: The athlete lost his world title last year but was able to reclaim it this year.

2. pummel [PUHM-uh l] (v.) – to hit something repeatedly

Example:  The boxer pummeled his opponent repeatedly in the last round, resulting in a knock-out victory.

3. dampen [DAM-puh n] (v.)  – to make something weaker or less active

 Example: The team’s third loss further dampened the chances of winning the championship this season.

4. neck and neck [nek and nek] (idiom) – very close or equal in a race or a competition

Example: The swimmers from China and Russia were neck and neck until the Chinese swimmer widened his lead to claim his first Olympic gold medal.

5. false start [fawls stahrt] (idiom) – a movement by an athlete, such as in a race, before the starting signal

Example:  In 2011, Usain Bolt got disqualified from the 100m finals of the world championships due to a false start.

【Article】

　ニュース記事

Read the text below.

Usain Bolt reclaimed the 100-meter world title after winning another individual gold medal at the Moscow World Championships in August this year. Bolt, known as the fastest person in the world, did not allow the heavy rains pummeling the venue to dampen his enthusiasm. The athlete clocked 9.77 seconds, beating Justin Gatlin of the US who registered 9.85 seconds and Nesta Carter, whose running time was 9.95 seconds. In Bolt’s interview after his victory, he admitted that he could have done better. According to Bolt, his legs were sore during the 100m run because he had just participated in the semi-finals. Despite his condition, he still managed to register the eight-fastest time of his career and he is happy about it. Silver medalist Gatlin observed that Bolt has been working on his reaction time. When the gun went off, Bolt and Gatlin both registered a reaction time of 0.163 seconds. Indeed, the two athletes were neck and neck until Bolt started coming out ahead in the latter part of the race. This victory is widely seen as a much-needed redemption not only for Bolt who got disqualified from the finals two years ago due to a false start, but also for the sport itself whose reputation has been tainted by doping scandals. The most recent scandal to rock the sport was a failed drug test by Trinidad and Tobago sprinter Kelly-Ann Baptiste.

【Viewpoint Discussion】

　ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

         What do you think makes an athlete successful? Discuss with your tutor.

         Do you agree that athletes do not need to take performance-enhancing drugs just to win a game? Why or why not?

Discussion B

         Do you get excited when athletes from your country win in international competitions? Why or why not?

         Should governments make sports a priority when allocating budgets? Why or why not?

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