コメントの投稿対象: NHKラジオ　実践ビジネス英語で英語をマスターしよう！

本年の最後のメルマガとなりました。

来年もよろしくお願いします。

良いお年を。



明日またお会いしましょう。


テキスト60ページの下のほうに、alpha momが今年、
米国の記事に多く取り上げられたとあります。

今年8月のUS News and World Reportにも記事を見つけました。

ビニエット通りのことが書かれてありました。


The Age of the 'Alpha Mom'
A new wave of advertising is showing women in control

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/070826/3mommy.b.htm




■意味を考えてみよう。今日取り上げる単語が含まれています。

Any ideas about the bind I'm in?

Other mothers love their kids just as much and want to
raise them right but don't bend over backwards to give
their kids the best that money can buy.

Sociologists don't buy into the media hype, pointing
out that there's no evidence that alpha moms are
better moms.

How can they hold up their heads if they flunk the
acid test of motherhood?

■意味を考えてみよう。答えは以下で

in a bind
bend over backwards to do
buy into
media hype
acid test




──────────────────────────────
in a bind, 困って
──────────────────────────────
あんな時、こんな時より。

If you are in a bind, you are in a difficult situation,
usually because you have to make a decision or a choice
and whatever decision or choice you make will have
unpleasant consequences. [INFORMAL]

ex) This puts the politicians in a bind as to what course
to take.

──────────────────────────────
bend over backwards to do, 一生懸命…する
──────────────────────────────
Mother of All Mothers (3)より。

If you say that someone is bending over backwards to be
helpful or kind, you are emphasizing that they are trying
very hard to be helpful or kind.

E-DICより。

bend over backward (to do something)　骨を折って…する

「体を後ろに反り返す」が原意。なかなかユニークな表現で、意味が
つかみにくいかもしれないが、「（～するために）無理な姿勢をとる」
「無理をする」という発想であることが分かれば容易に納得できると
思う。backwardの代わりにbackwardsと-sをつけることもある。

──────────────────────────────
buy into, …に賛成する
──────────────────────────────
Mother of All Mothers (4)より。

If you buy an idea or a theory, you believe and accept it.
[INFORMAL]

Buy into means the same as buy.

ex) I bought into the popular myth that when I got the new car
or the next house, I'd finally be happy.

──────────────────────────────
media hype, マスコミの宣伝[扇動]
──────────────────────────────
Mother of All Mothers (4)より。

Hype is the use of a lot of publicity and advertising
to make people interested in something such as a product.

ex) My products aren't based on advertising hype,
they sell by word of mouth.

──────────────────────────────
acid test, 厳しい吟味、最終的な試練
──────────────────────────────
Mother of All Mothers (4)より。

The acid test of something is an important aspect or result
that it might have, which allows you to decide whether
it is true or successful.

ex) The perception of fairness is the acid test for a democracy.