T:Today, let’s talk about our towns. Where do you live? How do you like your town? I live in Nakano. I like my town very much. It’s a comfortable place to live in.
– Where do you live? How do you like your town?
T: S1, Where do you live? S1:I live in Meguro. T:How do you like your town? S1:I like my town a lot. T:Would you tell me why you like your town a lot? S1:Meguro is such a quiet place. I like quiet place. Also it is close to Shibuya, Shinjuku and Tokyo. T:How does your partner like her town? S1:She lives in Koenji. She says her town is O.K.
前回は「どこに住んでいるか」に続けて「どのくらい長く住んでいるか」を現在完了の文を使って聞きましたが、今回はHow do you like …? と「好きである程度」を聞いてみました。この質問もまた日常生活では多用される表現です。例に示したように、「すごく好き」を表す表現や、「まあまあ好き」を表す表現を覚えておくと役に立ちます。前回のWhat…is like? 同様、Small Talkで扱うのに適した表現だと言えるでしょう。
T:Well then, what is special about your town? Tsukiji has a great market. Yoyogi has Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine.
– What is special about your town?
T: S2, what is special about your town? S2:I live in Takadanobaba. There are a lot of colleges in Takadanobaba. You see many young people on the streets. Also there are a lot of small restaurants. T:Then, what is special about your partner’s town? S2:She lives in Shiodome. She says there are lot of sightseeing spots in her town. T:Would you tell me one of them? S2:Hama Rikyu. T:Have you ever been there? S2:No, I have not? T:Do you want to visit Hama Rikyu? S2:Yes. My partner says it is a beautiful traditional garden but there are lot of tall buildings around it. T:You mean, a beautiful traditional garden surrounded by skyscrapers. Sounds so nice.
今回は、生徒たちから自分たちの町についての情報を「引き出す」ことを狙ってのSmall Talkですが、このような場合、What is special about …?という質問も大変有効です。特にこの質問の場合は、生徒それぞれが自分でspecialだと思うことを話すので、対話がより深まり、面白みが生じます。高田馬場が学生街であることや、汐留の浜離宮が周辺の高層ビルとは対照的な伝統的な庭園であることなどを知って、「へぇ」と興味を持つ生徒もいることでしょう。このような対話は、英語でされている場合でも、私たちが日常的にする対話と変わらぬ内容になります。つまり、コミュニケーションとして「自然」なものになるのです。
T: Most of you live in Tokyo. If your friends from foreign countries visit you, where do you take them? Do you know any good spots for foreign tourists?
– Do you know any good spots for foreign tourists?
T:Does anyone know a good spots for foreign tourists? S3:I believe Rikugien Garden is a very good spot for foreign tourists. T:What is Rikugien Garden like? S3:It is a big Japanese garden built in Edo era. It is so beautiful. T:What is the best time to visit Rikugien Garden? S3:Autumn is the best. You can enjoy the beautiful colors of maple trees there. T:How can we go there? S3:You can walk from Komagome station of Yamanote Line. It takes about ten minutes. T:Thank you. I got interested in visiting Rikugien Garden so much.