CROSSROADS Language StudioÊs Newsletter August,August , 2022

Scotland is a country in the political union of The
United Kingdom, and a country unlike any other inEurope. It’s of course famous for whisky and salmon
and men wearing skirts, but what it’s less known for isthat since the 18th century it has played a significant
role in shaping the modern world, as we know it. Muchof North America, especially Canada, was explored by
fur trappers and traders, biologists and naturalists, anda vast majority of them hailing from Scotland. Therugged and unforgiving landscape of the Scottish
Highlands was inhabited by the hardiest of men andwomen, while famous universities in Glasgow andEdinburgh would produce the best intellectuals in thefield of Geography and Natural Sciences.

EllaJanis

Alexander McKenzie is arguably themost famous explorer of theAmerican continent. In 1789 hetravelled from Lake Athabasca tothe Arctic Sea. The biggest riverin the West now bears hissurname. In 1793 he travelledfrom East to West and was the first white man to reach thePacific Ocean by crossing the Rocky Mountains. Most
importantly, though, his book records an exceptionallydetailed account of his journeys, filled withmeasurements of geographical landmarks and detailsof his interactions with the Native American tribes.

The book was instrumental in setting up many
expeditions, including the famous Lewis and Clark
expedition in 1903 that mapped the route to thePacific across the United States.
Another influential Scot, who shaped
the history of Africa, is Dr. David
Livingstone. He was born in 1813
outside Glasgow and, despite growing
up in abject poverty, managedto study medicine at a university
and it is there that he found hiscalling as a missionary. David spent many years
working in South Africa and Zambia helping local
communities, and his efforts resulted in seriously
disrupting the slave trade between those countries
and the UK, later paving the way to a complete
abolition of slavery.
Scottish female explorers were also prominentand the best example would be the traveller andbotanist Isobel Wylie Hutchison.
In the early 20’s it was veryrare for women to travel great
distances, so it is somewhat
unbelievable that in 1924, Isobel
set off on a solo exploration toIceland and subsequently on toGreenland, to collect indigenousflora. A few years later, she travelled to the Panama
Canal and then embarked on a trek – mainly byboat and dog sled – along the west coast to Alaska,
visiting Eskimo tribes, collecting plants and sending
samples back home.
In a time with limited transport options in a largely
uncharted world, these brave explorers stand tall for
their courage and relentless determination toachieve their ambitions.

Article by Marek
NET LESSONS: Too busy to come to CROSSROADS?
…. Try our lessons on the net!
For more details, please visit:https://electricscotland.com/history/america/fur_trappers.htm

Joshua Says: Translation devices, and the software that comes with them, seem to be
making quite an impression in the business world these days. But how accurate are they? In
my opinion, AI is not quite ready to take over the world just yet! In fact, I don’t think it everwill be; there are too many variables. On top of that, a good negotiator needs to know how toread “between the lines” to get a full understanding of what’s being said. – body language,nuances and specific cultural references; things understood only in P-to-P situations.

Junko Says: The name “August” comes from the Latin word Augustus, thename of the first Roman Emperor. In many countries, as well as in Japan,
August is the holiday month. Interestingly, there were numerous holidays
during August in ancient Rome also. Now that this year’s very hot August isgoing to end soon, I hope you all had a good, relaxing holiday this year.
Marek Says: As I was reading about early Scottish inhabitants of the Highlands,
I learned about a common practice that people employed to protect themselves
during harsh winter nights. When the temperature dropped well below zero, theywould soak their clothes in a river, freeze them in the wind and then wear themduring the night. Frozen fabric acts as a thermal insulation against winter winds
and snow blizzards, working on the same premise as an igloo.

Mandcy dit: Chaque année au mois d'août, je me pose la même question. Pourquoi
il n'y a personne qui nage dans la mer ? En effet, les français adorent prendre unbain de mer et de soleil. j' adore aussi boire un cocktail sur la terrasse d'un café etaller à la piscine. Mais, au Japon, mes amis préfèrent aller à la montagne, faire un
BBQ et du camping. Je pense qu'il fait plus frais dans la montagne alors c'est trèsagréable !! Et vous ? Préférez-vous la mer ou la montagne
ACROSS
1 native
4 regardless of
5 rough, uneven, rocky
6 helpful, influential,
11 people who study nature
12 do away with, end
14 most unfortunate, miserable
916 plant life
17 far beyond what is normal 1218 standing out above others
19 family name
20 following in time or order123456

7
8
10

1113
14

15

16

DOWN
2 interfering, causing disorder
3 important in effect ormeaning
7 reciprocal actions
8 to a great extent
18
9 most physically strong
10 a person who studies plants
13 having the power to effect15 scientists who study living organisms

17

www.CrosswordWeaver.com

19(print version here)20

S(B)1’s Yukiko on the Tanka Poet,Hiroshi Homura
The Football World CupTanka is a form of traditional Japanese poetry which datesback over 1000 years, so it is older than haiku. Over time, theRoyal family designated it a part of the nation’s culture.
Hiroshi Homura is a famous tanka poet. Not only is his tanka good, but his
essays are very good too. When the Football World Cup was held, he enjoyedwatching it live. On the day of the final, however, he couldn’t get time to watch it
because he had to go out, so he recorded it to enjoy later.
As the game was important to him, he didn’t want to know the result before hegot back, but it was very difficult to avoid overhearing the result, especially inTokyo. If he took a train, someone would talk about it, and some evening papers
would say which team had won. He wanted to avoid contact with people andpublic transport, so he decided to take a taxi home. When he got in the taxi, hesaid to the driver “Don’t tell me the result of the World Cup, please”. He thought
to himself, “I did as much as I could. After coming back home, I’ll relax and enjoythe game”.
As soon as he got out of the taxi, a boy and his mother came near him and theboy said “Mom, it’s good news, Spain won!” Oh no! All his effort was for nothing.
He screamed in his mind: “return my taxi fee!”N
E X T I N C T I O NICNS T A R T L E DHUADR O T U N D
BF R E E Z E
NEIBC O M E B A C K
V
T H R I V E DLLAISF O L I A G E
SNSNR O O S TK
D E D I C A T E DDA
NDITT
S C U R R YIO R N I T H O L O G I S TNAIGLU N I Q U ELCYP R E D A T O R S

Last Month’s Puzzle Solution

ACROSS
2 no longer existing
4 surprised suddenly
6 fat, round shape
8 suddenly stop moving
10 return to an earlier condition
11 grow vigorously
13 a cluster of plant leaves
14 settle down, sit or stay
15 devoted to
17 moving, rushing about
hurriedly
18 a zoologist who studies birds
19 one of a kind
20 animals that prey on otheranimals

DOWN
1 active at night
3 exist or be situated in5 grown worse or less7 having a completely
destroying effect
9 up to the limit
12 basically, fundamentally
16 easily recognizable

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