CROSSROADSCROSSROA DS Language StudioÊsStud ioÊs Newsletter November,November , 201
20 1 4This year the Nobel Prize in Physics wasawarded to three Japanese inventors, Isamu
Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and ShujiNakamura, for their invention of efficient blue
light-emitting diodes which enable bright andenergy-saving white light sources.
What exactly is a light-emitting diode (LED)and how does it work? Unlike theincandescent light bulb or a compact
fluorescent bulb (CFL) which emits light froma vacuum or a gas, LED emits light from solid
matter in the form of a semiconductor. A
semiconductor is something that conducts
electricity under certain conditions but notothers.
LEDs emit a very narrow wavelength oflight with a colour characteristic of thesemiconductor material used to make theLED. The earliest LEDs in the 1950s emitted
red light, then came green light in the 1960s,
but blue-emitting LEDs did not come about
until the 1980s. The breakthrough came withthe discovery by Akasaki and Amano at
Nagoya University and Nakamura at Nichia
Corporation in Tokushima that gallium nitride(GaN) had a large bandgap energy
corresponding to ultraviolet light. Together
they overcame two other hurdles, how toproduce high quality crystals of GaN with
ideal optical properties, and how to dope GaN
with zinc so it would serve as a suitable p-typesemiconductor. After they were able tocombine the p-type GaN semiconductors withother GaN semiconductors in multilayer
heterojunctions, the first high brightness blueLED was produced in 1993. Once blueemitting LEDs became a reality, white light
LEDs could be produced for general-purpose
lighting by either mixing light from red, green,
and blue LEDs, or using a phosphor to convert
some of the light to other colours.

With their low
consumption
ofenergy, small sizeand low maintenance
LEDs have found practical use in a wide rangeof products. They have minimized the energy
demands of back lighting in monitors, TV
screens and many portable electronic devices.
As visual signals they serve as status indicatorsand displays for equipment and installations.
They are ideal for traffic lights, exit signs,
emergency vehicle lighting, navigation lights onships and Christmas lights. Owing to theirrapid switching time, long life, and highvisibility even in broad daylight they havefound ready application in brake lights andturn signals for cars and trucks. White light
LEDs are now used in hand-held flashlights,
headlamps, camera flashes, stage lights, street
lights and other architectural lighting, bicycle
lights, and replacement bulbs in light fixturesand other applications requiring high efficiency
lighting. In addition to their light-emitting
capacity, LEDs can be used as a light sensor.
Lighting accounts for about 6 per centof global CO 2 greenhouse gas emissions.
Switching to solid state
lighting (SSL) withLEDs
forgenerallighting requirements,
combined with smart
controls, could reducethese emissions by 50
to 70 per cent.

Article by Kenneth

NET LESSONS: Too busy to come to CROSSROADS?
…. Try our lessons through the net!
SITE OF THE MONTH: Here is a short documentaryon LED featuring an interview with Shuji Nakamura:
http://uctv.tv/shows/Journey-to-a-Brilliant-DiscoveryLighting-the-World-Ep-2-24739

Joshua Says: Kenneth will no longer be teaching with us here at the school fromnext month. I feel many of his students will miss his presence here, and we all wantto thank him for devoting his time, energy and knowledge to the classes he has beenin charge of during the time he has been with us. It has been a very rareopportunity to have had someone with Kenneth’s background and expertise on our
teaching staff and we all wish to thank him sincerely for giving us this experience.
Junko Says: I too feel very thankful to Kenneth for the good work he hasdone for our students during more than one year with us. I want to extend
my gratitude and best wishes to him and his family. But, although he is
not going to be teaching here at the school from next month, he will still
continue some outside company lessons for us, so don’t be surprised if you
run into him around the school every now or then.
Kenneth Says: It has been my great pleasure to teach conversation English to mymany students at Crossroads Language Studio. The classes have varied fromdiscussion of issues in science and story-telling to jazz singing sessions. I haveenjoyed hearing about Japanese traditions and culture, interesting destinations,Japanese cuisine, food cultivation and innovation in our world. Thank you for thesesessions. May peace, good will and happiness find you at Christmas and always.

Danielle dit: Le sapin de Noel était très important chez moi quand j'etais petite. Mes
parents nous emmenaient au marche le choisir et ensuite on le décorait ensemble. La
coutume du sapin de Noël est née en Alsace, au début du XVIIe siècle. Pour la premièrefois, on présentait un sapin entier sur l'actuelle place Kebler de Strasbourg. Au Japon, j'ai
toujours décore le sapin de Noel avec mon fils. Meme maintenant, a 16 ans, il a hate desortir les lumières multicolores et ses bricolages d'enfance pour les accrocher dans l'arbre.
Ensuite, on fait des biscuits de Noel ensemble. Ce sont de beaux souvenirs pour moi !
1ACROSS
2 having no matter including air
6 emitting light through heating
9 joined or united into one
10 give off, expel, discharge
11 making an important discovery
14 make small or less important
15 ship or airplane guidance
16 similar to especially in position or purpose

23568791011DOWN
1 to gain an advantage, to win
3 change from one thing into another4 keep something in good working order
5 the first person to think of or make something
7 change a thing or its position for another8 capable or able to do a task
12 relating to light and sight
13 a device to receive light singles(Print Version here)

12

13

15

16

14

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An Excursion to Kashima by P-student Keiko KuritaIwentto Kashimaislandwith myfriendattheend ofNovember.Werode on a train from Matsuyama to Hōjō. We had a bowl of udon atMatsuyama Station and bought a small lunchbox before riding on thetrain. It was a beautiful day. We got off the train at Hōjō Station and
walkedtotheharbour.ThenweboardedaboatforKashimaIsland.Ittook three minutes. The visitors were just us. We climbed Kashima
Mountain.Ittookonly15minutestothepeakbutmylegswerehurtingfrom the climb. The view from the summit was beautiful. We had ourlunchthere.TherearemanydeeronKashimaIslandalthoughwedidn’tsee any today. We went down the mountain and back to Hōjō Station. I found a nice curryrestaurantbythestation.Sincewehadtowaitabouthalfanhourforthetrainwedecidedtohaveacurry.Itwasdelicious.SoIhadagooddaywalkingandeatingverymuchtoday.
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M O U N T I N GSIREC R E E DAAIO N S E TL
CV E N T U R E

Last Month’s Puzzle Solution
ACROSSDOWN

2 change place or direction
4 the first attempt to venture forward
8 not influenced by fear or intimidation
9 an organism's complete DNA sequence
11 surprising beyond belief
12 going up, increasing advancing
14 a system of beliefs
15 the beginning or early stage
16 go ahead despite risk or possible danger

1 move from one country and settlein another3 cut off or left left behind
5 a sign of something (importantoften bad) to come6 a special group (mainly biological)
7 appearing to be or similar to human
10 redress or payback
13 a path or track

Here’s a great idea to keep in touch with other Crossroads students, and practice English at thesame time. Some students would like to link up through Facebook and create an English-fan “club”.
It is a way to share experiences, keep in touch outside of the school and to practiceEnglish together. We support this idea 100%, and we’d like to join in too!
All you needto do isto leave yourFacebookaddress withus andwe’ll pass it on. Your “like” hits to grow fasterthan ever! And so will your English!!

Don’t forget… Our SPECIAL 1+1 Campaign offer! Up to 50% off!!
See our notice board, or ask Junko in our office, for the details.