Title: THE BEATLES
Author: Paul Shipton
Publisher: PENGUIN READERS Level:3
Summary:
The four boys from Liverpool were all born during the Second World War. Their names are Richard Starkey, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and John Lennon. The Beatles were selling millions of records in Britain. At the beginning of 1964, the Beatles were the most popular band in Britain. However, the Beatle’s first singles in the US didn’t do very well. After the first American tour, the Beatles turned to another world. The tour continued, but it wasn’t a happy time. It was impossible to hear the music because of the screams. The Beatles ruled the music world in the 1960s.
(words 100)
Evaluation: stars 3
One of their songs reminds me of an expression, "beyond compare."When I learned the lyrics, I began to wonder what the expression meant. Judging from the song, Paul wants to say she looks very good. So I thought that's what the expression meant.
Later I came across the same kind of expressions such as beyond description, priceless.
When something is really good, it is too good to explain or evaluate. These sound natural to me now because Japanese has similar expressions as well.
(words 83)
2010年1月12日火曜日
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
Title: SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
Author: Jane Austen
Publisher: Penguin Readers READERS Level:3
Summary:
This is the story of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne.
At their father’s death, the two sisters move to Devon. They are very different. Elinor is thoughtful and has a good sense, whereas Marianne is romantic.
Elinor falls in love with Edward. He seems to like her too. Marianne enjoys her love life with Willoughby. Everyone thinks they will get married. However, one day everything suddenly changes. Edward is distant and Willoughby leaves for London. Both girls are very sad. Edward writes a letter to Elinor, which says that he is engaged to someone else.
The sisters go to London for the winter. Willoughby ignores Marianne at a dance, so she is devastated.
They learn that both men left them because of problems with money. They loved the girls, but their parents would not allow the marriage.
Marianne gets ill, and realises her sadness is killing her. She takes Elinor as an example and decides to be strong.
Edward is disinherited and asks Elinor to marry him. Meanwhile, Marianne marries a Colonel who is 25 years older than her.
(words 179)
Evaluation: stars 3
This is a love story. The contrast between the two sisters is interesting, and so is the ending of the story. Elinor, who was a sensible girl, marries the man she loves, whereas Marianne, the romantic girl, chooses to marry an old man she did not love at first. Love is an important topic of the story, but so is money. A long time ago in England, people were not free to decide who they were going to marry. Edward and Willoughby could not marry Elinor and Marianne. That is because they thought their parents would not allow it. It is very difficult to choose between money and love.
(words 109)
Author: Jane Austen
Publisher: Penguin Readers READERS Level:3
Summary:
This is the story of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne.
At their father’s death, the two sisters move to Devon. They are very different. Elinor is thoughtful and has a good sense, whereas Marianne is romantic.
Elinor falls in love with Edward. He seems to like her too. Marianne enjoys her love life with Willoughby. Everyone thinks they will get married. However, one day everything suddenly changes. Edward is distant and Willoughby leaves for London. Both girls are very sad. Edward writes a letter to Elinor, which says that he is engaged to someone else.
The sisters go to London for the winter. Willoughby ignores Marianne at a dance, so she is devastated.
They learn that both men left them because of problems with money. They loved the girls, but their parents would not allow the marriage.
Marianne gets ill, and realises her sadness is killing her. She takes Elinor as an example and decides to be strong.
Edward is disinherited and asks Elinor to marry him. Meanwhile, Marianne marries a Colonel who is 25 years older than her.
(words 179)
Evaluation: stars 3
This is a love story. The contrast between the two sisters is interesting, and so is the ending of the story. Elinor, who was a sensible girl, marries the man she loves, whereas Marianne, the romantic girl, chooses to marry an old man she did not love at first. Love is an important topic of the story, but so is money. A long time ago in England, people were not free to decide who they were going to marry. Edward and Willoughby could not marry Elinor and Marianne. That is because they thought their parents would not allow it. It is very difficult to choose between money and love.
(words 109)
Listen to the boy
Title: Listen to the boy
Author: Donn Byrne
Publisher: Penguin Readers READERS Level:3
Summary:
Three women are waiting at the grocery store. While the first customer is talking to the grocer, a boy runs into the shop. He pushes the customer. He wants to say something, but the grocer stops him. He has to wait his turn. The woman continues to talk to the grocer. The boy tries again but the
grocer doesn’t want to listen. Instead, he asks the boy if he is there for his mother. The boy says no. When the second customer starts saying what she wants, the boy tries to talk again. The others ignore him. The woman wants apples. The grocer suggests her sweet apples. He goes to the car to
get the apples. However, he comes back to the shop without them. He is screaming. The apples are gone, somebody stole them. The little boy then tells him that he saw someone take the apples. The grocer asks the boy why he didn’t say so earlier. He replies that he tried but he wouldn’t listen to
him.
Evaluation: stars 3
This is a common story, that could happen to anyone. I think both the boy and the grocer were a little bit wrong in the situation. The boy shouldn’t have pushed the three customers at the beginning. He didn’t even apologize. The grocer, on the other hand, could have at least listened to what
the boy had to say. If the boy wanted to order something, he could have then told him to wait for his turn. This is a situation of our everyday life. Adults often think what children say are irrelevant.
Author: Donn Byrne
Publisher: Penguin Readers READERS Level:3
Summary:
Three women are waiting at the grocery store. While the first customer is talking to the grocer, a boy runs into the shop. He pushes the customer. He wants to say something, but the grocer stops him. He has to wait his turn. The woman continues to talk to the grocer. The boy tries again but the
grocer doesn’t want to listen. Instead, he asks the boy if he is there for his mother. The boy says no. When the second customer starts saying what she wants, the boy tries to talk again. The others ignore him. The woman wants apples. The grocer suggests her sweet apples. He goes to the car to
get the apples. However, he comes back to the shop without them. He is screaming. The apples are gone, somebody stole them. The little boy then tells him that he saw someone take the apples. The grocer asks the boy why he didn’t say so earlier. He replies that he tried but he wouldn’t listen to
him.
Evaluation: stars 3
This is a common story, that could happen to anyone. I think both the boy and the grocer were a little bit wrong in the situation. The boy shouldn’t have pushed the three customers at the beginning. He didn’t even apologize. The grocer, on the other hand, could have at least listened to what
the boy had to say. If the boy wanted to order something, he could have then told him to wait for his turn. This is a situation of our everyday life. Adults often think what children say are irrelevant.
2009年12月15日火曜日
THE BLACK CAT
Title: THE BLACK CAT
Author: Allan Poe
Publisher: Penguin Readers READERS Level:3
Summary:
This is a horror story, written by Edgar Allan Poe.
The narrator first tells us that this is a true story, and that he will die in the morning.
He was always a kind person. He loved animals. He and his wife had many animals. His favorite one was a black cat called Pluto.
However, he was slowly changing and became an alcoholic. He was violent when he was drunk. He even cut one of Pluto’s eyes. One day, he hanged the cat in the garden. When he woke up, the house was on fire.
He was sad and looked for a new cat. He found a black cat that ressembled Pluto. The cat loved him. On the other hand, he gradually started to hate the cat. He thought the cat was evil. The cat had a shape of gallows on his chest. One day, he wanted to kill the cat but instead killed his wife with a hammer. He tried to hide the body in the cellar walls. He could'nt find the cat anymore, and he was happy.
The police came to look for his wife. They were about to leave the cellar, when they heard a loud noise coming from the walls. They found the body and the cat inside.
(words 202)
Evaluation: stars 3
This story is very scary. The atmosphere is dark and heavy. The man used to be a very kind person, but the alcohol changed him. He did bad things that he regretted later on. However, he continued drinking. After the death of Pluto, he took another cat. He thought the cat was evil. He wanted to think that all the bad things were coming from the cat. The man killed his wife and he said that he slept well that night. The new cat was there to make him pay for his wrongs. He couldn’t get away so easily. (words 99)
Author: Allan Poe
Publisher: Penguin Readers READERS Level:3
Summary:
This is a horror story, written by Edgar Allan Poe.
The narrator first tells us that this is a true story, and that he will die in the morning.
He was always a kind person. He loved animals. He and his wife had many animals. His favorite one was a black cat called Pluto.
However, he was slowly changing and became an alcoholic. He was violent when he was drunk. He even cut one of Pluto’s eyes. One day, he hanged the cat in the garden. When he woke up, the house was on fire.
He was sad and looked for a new cat. He found a black cat that ressembled Pluto. The cat loved him. On the other hand, he gradually started to hate the cat. He thought the cat was evil. The cat had a shape of gallows on his chest. One day, he wanted to kill the cat but instead killed his wife with a hammer. He tried to hide the body in the cellar walls. He could'nt find the cat anymore, and he was happy.
The police came to look for his wife. They were about to leave the cellar, when they heard a loud noise coming from the walls. They found the body and the cat inside.
(words 202)
Evaluation: stars 3
This story is very scary. The atmosphere is dark and heavy. The man used to be a very kind person, but the alcohol changed him. He did bad things that he regretted later on. However, he continued drinking. After the death of Pluto, he took another cat. He thought the cat was evil. He wanted to think that all the bad things were coming from the cat. The man killed his wife and he said that he slept well that night. The new cat was there to make him pay for his wrongs. He couldn’t get away so easily. (words 99)
AN AFTERNOON ON THE BEACH
Title: AN AFTERNOON ON THE BEACH
Author: Donn Byrne
Publisher: Penguin Readers READERS Level:3
Summary:
This is a play, composed of three scenes.
In the first scene, we learn that Mr and Mrs Brown, Mary, John, and "Granny" are at the beach. They find a place near the cliffs. They put Granny's chair in the sun, but she prefers to stay away from it. She wants to have a rest and ready her book. They don’t listen to her. The children want to see a cave, and the family leaves Granny alone. While they are away, Granny moves the chair and hides behind a big rock. She falls asleep.
The second scene shows the family in the cave. It is dark, so they use matches to see. The children want to go to the back of the cave. It is dangereous because the sea is coming in. John falls into the water and drops the box of matches. They decide to go back to the beach.
In the third scene, the family is now back near the beach. They can’t see Granny. She is not where they left her earlier. Everyone is traumatized and Mrs Brown is crying but the children soon start laughing. As they went to take the baskets, they found Granny sleeping in her chair. Mrs Brown gets angry at Granny, who proposes some tea. (words 213)
Evaluation: stars 3
At first, this is a play telling an ordinary story, although we can feel that something is going to happen to Granny. The author leaves some clues, such as « the sea is coming in » and the fact that Granny is left alone on the beach. If Mrs Brown had listened to Granny in the first place, she wouldn’t have feared for her safety. When she finds out thet Granny is alive, she is angry at her. This is a common reaction, but it means that she is relieved. Old people still have the right to be heard. (words 99)
Author: Donn Byrne
Publisher: Penguin Readers READERS Level:3
Summary:
This is a play, composed of three scenes.
In the first scene, we learn that Mr and Mrs Brown, Mary, John, and "Granny" are at the beach. They find a place near the cliffs. They put Granny's chair in the sun, but she prefers to stay away from it. She wants to have a rest and ready her book. They don’t listen to her. The children want to see a cave, and the family leaves Granny alone. While they are away, Granny moves the chair and hides behind a big rock. She falls asleep.
The second scene shows the family in the cave. It is dark, so they use matches to see. The children want to go to the back of the cave. It is dangereous because the sea is coming in. John falls into the water and drops the box of matches. They decide to go back to the beach.
In the third scene, the family is now back near the beach. They can’t see Granny. She is not where they left her earlier. Everyone is traumatized and Mrs Brown is crying but the children soon start laughing. As they went to take the baskets, they found Granny sleeping in her chair. Mrs Brown gets angry at Granny, who proposes some tea. (words 213)
Evaluation: stars 3
At first, this is a play telling an ordinary story, although we can feel that something is going to happen to Granny. The author leaves some clues, such as « the sea is coming in » and the fact that Granny is left alone on the beach. If Mrs Brown had listened to Granny in the first place, she wouldn’t have feared for her safety. When she finds out thet Granny is alive, she is angry at her. This is a common reaction, but it means that she is relieved. Old people still have the right to be heard. (words 99)
2009年12月4日金曜日
SPACEBUSTERS THE RACE TO THE MOON
Title: SPACEBUSTERS THE RACE TO THE MOON
Author: PHILIP WILKINSON
Publisher: DORLING KINDERSLEY READERS Level:2
Summary:
An American would reach the moon before the end of 1969. This story is first of astronaut’ history. It would take three days to reach the moon. All the food had been dried to store it for the journey. Sometimes when astronauts looked out of windows they could see Earth. It is long journey. At last, they reach the moon and stand the moon. The history of astronauts just begins. (words 70)
Evaluation: stars 3
It is very interesting for me because there are not sad. It is impossible to create only happy. I do not know why they do not have sad. However, I can’t image this city as Eden city. The author is very unique. The last is very strictly.
(words 47)
Author: PHILIP WILKINSON
Publisher: DORLING KINDERSLEY READERS Level:2
Summary:
An American would reach the moon before the end of 1969. This story is first of astronaut’ history. It would take three days to reach the moon. All the food had been dried to store it for the journey. Sometimes when astronauts looked out of windows they could see Earth. It is long journey. At last, they reach the moon and stand the moon. The history of astronauts just begins. (words 70)
Evaluation: stars 3
It is very interesting for me because there are not sad. It is impossible to create only happy. I do not know why they do not have sad. However, I can’t image this city as Eden city. The author is very unique. The last is very strictly.
(words 47)
2009年11月12日木曜日
The Crane’s Gift
Title: The Crane’s Gift
Author: Steve and Megumi Biddle
Publisher: PENGUIN YOUNG READERS Level:2
Summary:
Every winter the Tancho crane comes to visit cold and lonely mountain in Japan. The poor people think that Tancho crane brings long life, peace, and happiness to Japan. One cold dark winter’s day, the old man went to the forest to look for wood. He saw a beautiful white crane which was lying on the ground. He began to open the trap. That night a beautiful young girl visited his house. The old man and woman think of her as their daughter. The girl promised them that they must not open the work room. But they broke the promise. She is a crane. Then, she left their house. She is a crane that he helped to set free from the trap.
(words 122)
Evaluation: stars 3
This story is very famous in Japan. It is called tsuru no ongaeshi. I heard it in young children. I like this story because I can know Japanese culture. Japanese people have loved animals and plants for a long time. I think that it is Japanese spirits. I want to become a kind man of Japanese.
(words 60)
Author: Steve and Megumi Biddle
Publisher: PENGUIN YOUNG READERS Level:2
Summary:
Every winter the Tancho crane comes to visit cold and lonely mountain in Japan. The poor people think that Tancho crane brings long life, peace, and happiness to Japan. One cold dark winter’s day, the old man went to the forest to look for wood. He saw a beautiful white crane which was lying on the ground. He began to open the trap. That night a beautiful young girl visited his house. The old man and woman think of her as their daughter. The girl promised them that they must not open the work room. But they broke the promise. She is a crane. Then, she left their house. She is a crane that he helped to set free from the trap.
(words 122)
Evaluation: stars 3
This story is very famous in Japan. It is called tsuru no ongaeshi. I heard it in young children. I like this story because I can know Japanese culture. Japanese people have loved animals and plants for a long time. I think that it is Japanese spirits. I want to become a kind man of Japanese.
(words 60)
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