NHKニュースで学ぶ現代英語 2025年3月勉強分⑤
トヨタ 未来型実証都市を初公開
< 見出し>TOYOTA COMPLETES PHASE 1 CONSTRUCTION OF FUTURISTIC CITY
Toyota Motor has completed the first phase of its construction of a futuristic city southwest of Tokyo that will weave new technologies into urban living.
・weave：織る、編む、紡ぐ [wíːv]
・weave A into B：ＡをＢに織り交ぜる
It unveiled the site on Saturday that will eventually cover 175 acres. That’s more than 700,000 square meters.
The Japanese automaker started work in 2021 on what it calls “Woven City” in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture.
・work on ～：～に取り掛かる
・woven：weaveの過去分詞形
Toyota says it’ll showcase different aspects of mobility for residents.
・showcase：「（目立たせる目的で）見せる、展示する、紹介する」→「実証する」
・aspect：側面、様相
・mobility：移動性、可動性、流動性、交通の利便性、人や物を移動（輸送）させる能力、移動手段
The city will have separate roads for autonomous vehicles and other forms of transport, as well as pedestrian areas.
・autonomous：自律的な、自治の [ɔtɑ́nəməs]
※cf. autonomous region：自治区、自治州
・autonomous vehicle：自動運転車
・forms of transport：交通手段
Toyota says it’ll run safety tests among the different transport modes.
・mode：方法、様式
・transport modes：交通手段
It will have an underground passageway for deliveries and garbage collection.
It will test advanced digital technologies and autonomous robots.
犯罪被害者支援の岡村勲弁護士が死去
< 見出し>JAPAN LAWYER WHO FOUGHT FOR CRIME VICTIMS’ RIGHTS DIES AT 95
A Japanese lawyer who fought for the rights of crime victims has died of pneumonia. Okamura Isao was 95 years old.
・pneumonia：肺炎 [nuːmóuniə]
Okamura was a consultant at a securities firm in 1997, when his wife was murdered by a former defendant with a grudge against his client.
・securities：（有価）証券
・defendant：被告（人）
・grudge：悪意、恨み [grʌ́dʒ]
Bereaved family members were not allowed to participate in criminal trials at the time.
・bereaved：近親者を亡くした、死別した [biríːvd]
・bereaved family member：遺族
※= the bereaved
Okamura sought to give victims and their loved ones a voice.
・seek to ～：～しようとする、～しようと努める
He established the National Association of Crime Victims and Surviving Families in the year 2000.
The group launched signature drives nationwide and called for the justice system to be reformed.
・drive：（組織的な）活動、運動
・signature drive：署名活動
※= petition drive、signature campaign
These efforts prompted Japan to enact the “Basic Act on Crime Victims” in 2004, which specified the rights of victims for the first time.
・prompt A to ～：～するようにＡを促す、Ａを促して～させる
・enact：（法律として）成立させる、制定する [enǽkt]
・act：法令、決議
・specify：明記する、規定する
Related measures came into effect four years later, allowing victims to take part in criminal trials.
・come into effect：発効する、成立する、施行される
Okamura disbanded his original group.
・disband：（組織などを）解散する
But he relaunched it in 2022, saying compensation to victims remained insufficient.
・insufficient：不十分な
青森 “雪むろりんご”の掘り出し
< 見出し>TASTE TIME FOR FRUIT BURIED BENEATH SNOW IN AOMORI
・bury ～：～を埋める
It was crunch time for fruit buried beneath the snow in northeastern Japan, a local practice to boost its sweetness.
・crunch time：本来の意味は「（歯をかみしめるような）正念場、試練のとき、ふんばりどころ」
・practice：習わし、慣習
Around 30 people gathered for an annual event Wednesday to dig up the winter treat in Aomori Prefecture.
Heavy machinery was used to clear more than 4 meters of accumulated snow.
・accumulated：堆積した
Shovels were then used to remove the last snow around crates containing 30,000 bright-red Sun Fuji apples.
・crate：木箱
They had been stored under the snow, where the temperature and humidity remain constant, for about two months.
・remain constant：一定のままでいる、一定に保たれている
These conditions boost their sweetness.
The event took place at an elevation of about 750 meters in the Hakkoda mountain range, with participants savoring the special winter delicacy.
・elevation：標高、高台
・mountain range：山脈、山岳地帯
・with＋名詞＋状況を表す語句：～して、～しながら、～したままで
※そのときに「共に」起きている状況を示す。
・savor：味わう
・delicacy：珍味、ごちそう [délikəsi]
“Delicious. These are very sweet, and the juiciness is completely different.”
・juiciness：果汁の多さ、みずみずしいおいしさ
The apples will reach supermarket shelves across the country starting on Thursday.
【 豆知識："different" の後ろの前置詞による違い 】
be different from … / be different than … / be different to …
は3通りのどれを使っても意味が通るが、微妙なニュアンスの違いを「このりんごは、あのりんごとは違います」と言う場合で考えると
be different from：fromは何かが起こる始まりの点、「起点」
・This apple is different
from that apple.
「このりんごは、（離れた所にある）あのりんごから見ると、かなり違う。」
from以下のことからは「距離がある、隔たりがある」ので、２つのりんごが明確に違うことを強調。
be different than：than以下を比べる対象として強調
・This apple is different
than that apple.
「このりんごは、あのりんご（と対比してみれば）、あれより違う。」
be different to：相手に対して違いがあることを強調
・This apple is different
to that apple.
「このりんごは、あのりんごにとってみれば、違うものだ。」
どれでも良いが、「be different from」が万能な表現。アメリカ英語でもイギリス英語でも通用し、書き言葉にも適している。
「be different than」はアメリカ英語では広く受け入れられており、「be different to」はイギリス英語で使われている。
米・ウクライナ首脳会談 決裂
< 見出し>TRUMP, ZELENSKYY FAIL TO REACH AGREEMENT
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has visited the White House for the first time since Donald Trump returned to office.
But the two leaders found themselves engaged in a shouting match.
・find oneself ～：気が付くと～している、知らずのうちに～する、～してしまう
※意図せずに何かの行動をとってしまったときに使われる言い回し。
・engaged ：（政治や社会の問題に）積極的に関与している、参加している
・shouting match：どなり合い、激しい口論
They left without signing a planned agreement on developing Ukraine’s natural resources.
Trump and Zelenskyy had been discussing a deal that would give the U.S. access to mineral deposits, oil, and gas.
・deposit：埋蔵物、鉱脈
They met for talks in front of reporters for about an hour, but the atmosphere grew tense after Zelenskyy started questioning U.S. diplomacy.
・grow：増大する
・question：(動)～を疑問に思う、疑問に感じる
“You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards.”
“I’m not playing cards. I’m very serious, Mr. President. I’m very serious.”
“You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III.”
・card：（交渉ごとや取り引きなどのための）手段、手（札）、材料
・gamble with ～：～を危険にさらす、～にリスクを生じさせる
Zelenskyy left the White House without speaking to reporters.
アップル株主総会 “多様性重視”を継続
< 見出し>APPLE SHAREHOLDERS VOTE TO KEEP DEI PROGRAMS
Shareholders of U.S. tech giant Apple have rejected a proposal to scrap the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
Many American companies have been reviewing their DEI initiatives following criticism by President Donald Trump.
・initiative：主導権、率先、（ここでは）構想、計画、（新たな）取り組み
A conservative think tank submitted a shareholder proposal to terminate the programs to an Apple online meeting on Tuesday.
It said that DEI poses “litigation, reputational, and financial” risks to companies.
・pose a risk to ～：～にリスク、危険（性）をもたらす
※poseの目的語には、ほかにthreat、problemなど、対処すべき何かが来る。
・litigation：訴訟 [lìtəgéiʃən]
Apple’s board issued a statement recommending shareholders reject the proposal as unnecessary because the company has a well-established compliance program.
・establish：確立する、確証する
It said the proposal “inappropriately attempts to restrict” Apple from managing its own operations and business strategies.
The proposal was later voted down.
・vote down：（採決の結果）否決する
※似た意味で使える口語的なフレーズ「shoot down」：（必ずしも採決の結果としてではなく）否決する、却下する、酷評する
U.S. media quoted Apple CEO Tim Cook as saying the company’s strength lay in people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives coming together to innovate and “create something magical.”
・quote A as saying ～：Ａが～と述べたとして引き合いに出す
・lie in ～：（事実、原因などが）～にある
※「横たわる」lie-lay-lain この文では時制の一致で過去形になっている。
・come together：（複数の人や物が集まって）１つの集団を作る
※ここでは「団結する、一体となる」というニュアンス。