BR 1-01: “Seasons and Celebrations”

“The New Year” and “Festivals old and new” (P.1, 2)

I read this book yesterday. The title of this book is“Seasons and Celebrations”. Actually, I borrowed this book last year at the library. Because I have borrowed the same book, I want to write different content this time. When it is the same contents, you may get bored. I do not intend to imitate the thing which I wrote before. In Britain, Canada, the US, people enjoy different festivals and celebrations. There are many kinds of festivals and celebrations all over the world. Also, food, family, and flowers are an important part of most celebrations. Restaurants and cake shops are very busy on Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Christmas. New Year's Day is January 1st, the first day of the New Year. It is a holiday for most people, and banks, department store, beauty parlors, barber shops, book stores, bakery, cake shops, supermarkets, and many shops don't open. What did you do for New Year's Day this year? Did you eat New Year dishes, rice cake, and zoni this year? Did you do a kite-flier this year with your friends or family? How many New Year's cards did you get this year? I didn't get any New Year's cards this year. This book is very interesting because I can learn many kinds of celebrations and festivals. I want to borrow this book again. 

Maguire, Jackie. (1997). Seasons and Celebrations. Oxford. Oxford University Press.

(229/1,296)

Placement essay: Advice to my kouhai

Hello, sophomore. I’m Rina Takamoto, and I am a senior. Please call me Rina senpai. Have you got used to a university life? Were you able to make friends? Do you have a part-time job? How many credits did you get last year? Do you enjoy your university life? Today, I will give you some advice. How many subjects do you take this year? In this year, sophomores must take 48 credits as the upper limit by 30 credits together a first semester for spring semester of this year. University is different from high school, so you decide one's class schedule by oneself and must file for the study registration. Do you understand that? You must never lose the credit in required subject. In addition, you must get 124 credits before you graduate from Kumamoto Gakuen University.

By the way, do you have driver’s license? Yes or no? I think that you should acquire the driver’s license. Why? This is because it is convenient for job hunting. When you have a driver’s license, it is very convenient. Why? This is because it may be asked as reference in the interview even if it is not work to need the driving of the car.

Do you have a credit card? Even university students can make a credit card. When you buy overseas travel and an expensive thing, the credit card is very helpful other than time doing shopping in the Internet.

Did you go for study abroad last year? Which country did you go? It is “foreign countries” to want you to experience it if you become a sophomore, and a junior. It is good to go as a trip and studying abroad with your friends. However, it is to go abroad that I recommend. It is very good for you. It is to know a foreign atmosphere and the culture to be the most important.

That’s all. Please enjoy your university life. Good luck.

(324/675)

Essay 1-01: Letter to my host family

Hello! Let me introduce myself. My name is Rina Takamoto, and I am a girl. Please call me Rina. I am 21 years old, and I go to Kumamoto Gakuen University (KGU). I have been living in Kumamoto city for 21 years. By the way, do you know where Kumamoto prefecture is? Kumamoto is a prefecture in the center of the Kyushu region. Kumamoto prefecture is very beautiful place to visit. Also, Kumamoto Castle and Suizenji Park are very famous for sightseeing. Many tourists visit these places. When you visit Kumamoto in the spring, you can see many cherry blossoms. There are many kinds of delicious food in Kumamoto. Especially, horse-meat sashimi, Taipien, dago-jiru, ikinaridango, and Karashi renkon are very delicious. Karashi renkon is very spicy, so I have never eaten it.

Next, I will introduce about my family. There are five people in my family. My father is a police officer, and he works every day at Aso police station. He always smokes. However, my father does not give up smoking. I wish he could stop smoking. He is very strict, but I like him very much. My mother works at a community center near the elementary school where I went to. She is very good at cooking and sewing. I like miso soup, nikujaga, curry and rice, and cream stew which my mother cooks. I have an older brother. He is a radiologist. He works at Kumamoto Saiseikai hospital. He is very kind to me. He likes driving and traveling. My older sister-in-law is a nurse. She is very kind to us, too. She gives birth to a baby soon. I am looking forward to it. She got married last May.

Thank you very much for inviting me. I have really wanted to go to many places for a long time, so I am very exciting. I really want to go to Victoria, Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary. I have some questions to ask you. How many people are there in your family? How many children are there in your family? Do you have any pets? What kind of pets?

                             (351/351)

My treasure

Today, I want to introduce about my treasure. My treasure is my pendant. This is very cute, isn't it? On Monday, in July 3rd, I went to yakiniku shop with my parents, my older brother, my sister-in-law, and my relations who lived in Canada, and my relations gave me a wonderful present. When I opened the box, there was a very beautiful pendant in it. I liked it very much. I like blue very much, and I was very happy. The cost was 18,900 yen. I love yakiniku, and I love this pendant. 

(93/7,212)

BR 1-11 “U.F.O.s”

“Are they real?” “UFOs and aliens” (P.1, P.15)

Today, I want to introduce about this book. This book is about UFO and aliens. Have you ever seen UFO? In this book, in 1897, something strange happened in the town of Aurora, Texas. Children playing in a field saw a strange “ship” fly over and then crash into a farm building. Can you believe it? I can't believe it. Since 1897, thousands of people have said that they have seen strange flying spaceships. It is called “UFO”. UFO is Unidentified flying objects. Also, UFOs sells newspapers and many newspaper men want to use UFOs in their stories. I can't understand why UFOs sells it. I can't believe it, too.

(115/7,119)

Brooke, Helen. (1999). U.F.O.s. Oxford. Oxford University Press.

BR : 1-10 “Australia and New Zealand"

“Australia”, “Animals, birds, and plants” (P.1,P.8)

I read this book two weeks ago. The title of this book is “Australia and New Zealand”. What do you think about Australia? Today, I want to introduce about Australia mainly. Which country would you like to travel, Australia, or New Zealand? If you want to see extraordinary animals, birds, and plants, I think that Australia is a very very very nice place to go. The kangaroo is one Australian animal that everybody knows. Of course, you can see koalas, too. The biggest of the fifty different kinds is the red kangaroo.  Also, there are many famous places to visit. Do you know Opera house? Do you know where the Opera house is? How about Sydney Harbor bridge, and Surfers Paradise? Where would you like to visit in Australia? I really want to go to Australia during summer vacations. I like Australia better than New Zealand. I want to see koalas and kangaroos. There are 23 million people in Australia. Aussie beef , fish and chips, Australian meat pie is very popular in Australia. Of course, people who living in Australia speaks English.

Lindop, Christine. (1998). Australia and New Zealand. Oxford. Oxford University. Press.

BR: 1-09 “DISASTER!”

“The Kobe Earthquake” (P.38)

I read this book a week ago. The title of this book is "Disaster!". What do you think about disasters? Do you feel scary, unbearable, or unbelievable? You know about the Kobe earthquake, the great East Japan earthquake, and the others, don't you? Japan has always had earthquakes. In 1923, there was a very big earthquake in Tokyo prefecture on 1st September, which killed 143,000 people. However, in 2011, there was a very big earthquake, too. It is called "East Japan great earthquake disaster". No one thought that the huge earthquake would occur. I think that earthquakes, floods, and landslide disaster is very scary for me.  Probably, I cannot endure it. 

(111/6,818)

McIntosh, Mary. (1998). “Disaster”. Oxford. Oxford University Press.