NHKニュースで学ぶ現代英語 2025年6月勉強分②
新ローマ教皇にレオ14世
< 見出し>FIRST AMERICAN POPE, LEO XIV
For the first time in history, an American will be leading the Roman Catholic Church.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was chosen by the conclave, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.
・cardinal：カトリックにおける「枢機卿」
※枢機卿はローマ・カトリック教会で教皇に次ぐ地位の聖職者で、８０歳未満であればコンクラーベで投票する権利を持っている。
One-hundred thirty-three cardinals from around the world reached a consensus on the conclave’s second day.
・reach a consensus：コンセンサスを得る、大方の同意に達する
White smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel late Thursday afternoon.
・billow：大きく波打つ、大きくうねる
The new pontiff is 69 years old and was born in Chicago.
・pontiff：教皇
He served as a bishop in the northern Peruvian city of Chiclayo and became a cardinal in 2023.
・bishop：カトリックにおける「司教」
“Excited. We’re really excited that we have an American pope at this point in our lives because the U.S. is getting a bad rep.”
Experts say his ties to Latin America may have helped him win the vote.
Leo spent many years in Peru and has Peruvian citizenship.
Late Pope Francis also hailed from the region, which has a large Catholic population.
・late：（最近）死んだ、亡くなった、今は亡き、故人となった、故～
・hail ～：～に挨拶する、～を歓迎して迎える [héil]
・hail from …：～の出身である
※上記の「hail」の意味の通り、昔船で行きかう際挨拶をしどこの出身か尋ねたことに由来するという説がある。
富士登山 静岡県が規制条例を施行
< 見出し>SHIZUOKA PREF. ENACTS NEW RULES FOR MT. FUJI CLIMBERS
・enact ～：～を制定する、成立させる
The central Japanese prefecture of Shizuoka has enacted a new ordinance to discourage risky behavior by hikers heading to Mount Fuji.
・ordinance：条例
Trekkers will now have to pay a fee of 4,000 yen, or about 28 dollars, to climb from the Shizuoka side.
Yamanashi Prefecture has initiated the same fee.
・initiate：（計画・事業などを）開始する、着手する
The ordinance also limits the hours that hikers can pass through the gates at the 5th station on Shizuoka’s three trails.
・5th station：（ここでは）5合目
The measures are designed to discourage overnight climbs and prevent accidents.
・overnight climb：いわゆる「弾丸登山」（山小屋などに泊まらず、主に徹夜で富士山頂を目指す登山の仕方）
※ = bullet climbing
“I believe the new regulations are necessary, as trekking can be dangerous.”
Some hikers were seen climbing over a fence to head up the trail, even though it was closed.
The prefecture has started a registration system via a dedicated app that allows people to pay the entrance fee in advance.
The official climbing season on the Shizuoka side starts on July 10.
ムーディーズ 米格付けを引き下げ
< 見出し>MOODY’S DOWNGRADES U.S. CREDIT RATING BY ONE NOTCH
・credit rating：信用格付け
・notch：級、段
Major U.S. ratings agency Moody’s has downgraded the credit rating of the United States, citing its rising national debt and higher interest payments.
Moody’s Ratings announced on Friday that it had lowered the U.S. by one notch from the top Aaa (triple-A) to Aa1 (double-A one).
・lower ～：～を下げる、低くする
The move effectively means a downgrade of U.S. government bonds.
・effectively：事実上、実質的には
・government bond：国債
Moody’s said, “Successive U.S. administrations and Congress have failed to agree on measures to reverse the trend of large annual fiscal deficits and growing interest costs.”
・successive：連続する、相次ぐ、代々の（歴代の）
・deficit：赤字額、不足額
The firm also said it expects larger deficits over the next decade as entitlement spending rises.
・entitlement：〔政府の行う社会保障などの〕給付金制度
・entitlement spending：（アメリカ政府の連邦予算のカテゴリーの１つである)「義務的支出」
※社会保障や医療保険などの支出を表す言葉。
It added, “While we recognize the U.S.’ significant economic and financial strengths, we believe these no longer fully counterbalance the decline in fiscal metrics.”
・counterbalance：釣り合わせる、相殺する
・metric：何かをはかる基準、指標
The Wall Street Journal says the move by Moody’s strips the U.S. of its last remaining triple-A credit rating from a major ratings firm.
・strip A of B：ＡからＢを奪う、剥奪する
【 豆知識：分詞構文 改めてポイント解説 】
ニュース文
“A major U.S. ratings agency
has downgraded the credit rating of the United States,
citing
its rising national debt and higher interest payments."
は、言い換えると
“A major U.S. ratings agency has downgraded the credit rating of the United States,
and the agency has cited
its rising national debt and higher interest payments."
となる。
分詞構文のポイント
例
“She read a French book, looking up
words in the dictionary."
①…ingは「～して」という意味になることが多い。
「彼女は辞書を引いて（辞書を引きながら）フランス語の本を読んだ」
②「そして～した」などと考える
「彼女はフランス語の本を読んだ。そして辞書を引いた」
（She read a French book
and
looked up
words in the dictionary.）
※時制は、「～した」となることが多いが、その文のメインの動詞の時制に従うのが基本。
③省略があるので意味が曖昧
【過去の参考】
・豆知識：分子構文をリスニングで理解するポイント
・豆知識：動名詞～ingを使うと意味が曖昧になることがある
・豆知識：分詞構文のおさらい
・Native Camp 文法中級61 “ing”を使った情報の追加(分詞構文の表す内容)
日産 国内工場の削減を検討
< 見出し>NISSAN RESTRUCTURING MAY AFFECT 2 FACTORIES IN JAPAN
We’re finding out the details of Nissan Motor’s restructuring plans after it posted a huge financial loss in the business year through March.
The restructuring plan announced on Tuesday includes reducing factories worldwide by fiscal 2027.
Sources say the reduction plan includes the Oppama plant in Kanagawa Prefecture and the Shonan plant of Nissan’s subsidiary Nissan Shatai in the same prefecture.
Sluggish sales have led to low production rates at the two facilities.
・sluggish：低迷している、不活発な
The Oppama plant started operations in 1961 and was Nissan’s first factory dedicated to making passenger cars.
・dedicated to ～：～を専門に扱う、～（すること）に特化した
※toの後ろは名詞または動詞のingの形
・passenger car：乗用車
It produces EVs and hybrid cars, with an annual capacity of 240,000 units.
The plant also served as a “mother factory,” sharing cutting-edge technology and know-how with factories overseas.
・mother factory：「マザー工場」
※最新の技術やノウハウを海外の工場に展開する際のモデルになる工場。
Nissan has not confirmed the details of its plant reductions.
※この放送回の学習ポイントは、ニュース「キャッシュレス決済 4割に」の【 豆知識："be to ～" のイメージ 】」に記載。