CROSSROADSCROSSROA DS Language StudioÊs Newsletter June,
June , 201
20 1 6

There is nothing quite as revolting as
popping out to a restaurant for a meal, orgoing for a quick drink at a bar after work,
then heading home reeking of cigarettesmoke –
especially
if you are a non-smoker.
While much of the world has moved tooutlawing cigarette smoking in enclosed
spaces, in Japan it is still not unusual to be
confronted by a wall of foggy smoke in a baror the stale background stench of years ofciggy smoke infusion in taxis & hotel rooms.
Recently, the Japanese authorities havebeen working to improve smoking manners
in this country. A growing number of cities
have passed laws banning the practiceindoors and in public spaces, relegatingsmokers to designated areas. With the 2020
Ella theOlympic Games just over the horizon,
push to clear the air of second-hand smoke
is gaining momentum.
According to 2014 health statistics, theJanis
ratio of Japanese men aged 20 and older
who smoke was just over 30%. This is aconsiderable decline since 1966 whensmoking was at a peak. Then more than
80% of the male population was habitually
dragging on a fag. While the number ofwomen smokers has grown, the number isstill relatively small at only 10% of thefemale population.

NET LESSONS: Too busy to come to CROSSROADS?
…. Try our lessons on the net!
The history of tobacco smoking for history buffs:
http://www.jti.com/about-tobacco/history-oftobacco/

Funding this addictive habit is still
relatively inexpensive in Japan where apacket of cigarettes costs between ￥300 &￥500. Compare this with countries such as
The UK, Australia and New Zealand where
the governments are actively trying to push
the cost of the habit out of the reach of mostpeople. In New Zealand for example, taxes
account for about 95% of the cost of a packetof cigarettes (approx $25 or ￥2000 for apack of twenty). Couple this with those same
countries introducing plain packaging laws
andshowinggraphic
imagesofdisfigurements caused by smoking, the habit
has moved into the realm of being a sociallyunacceptable activity.
While smoking certainly isn’t asstigmatised in Japan as in some othercountries, there are the beginnings of a slow
move that is seeing a change in the habit. In
2003, to limit the effects of secondhand
smoke in the workplace, the government
introduced The Health Promotion Act. With
this law the government offers financial
assistance to businesses looking to build
enclosed smoking areas in offices or otherfacilities. Shinkansen and some express
trains have smoking rooms while othertrains have banned the practice outright. A
shift in smoking habits can also be seen infamily households. Smokers indulging at
home are increasingly apt to do so while
standing under a kitchen ventilation fan orwhile out on the veranda or balcony, earningthem the tag hotaruzoku (firefly tribe) for
the night-time glow of their cigarettes.
But, if the government wants to clear
the air by 2020 (which seems to be thegoal for so many government initiatives)
it will have to make a much moreconcerted effort to help those addicted
to kick the habit in the butt.

Article by MarkJoshua Says: June starts our second semester of the year. I’m pleased to seethat almost 100% of our students signed up again for the new semester. Thishas been the trend for some time now and we are very pleased that so manyof our present students are taking their English studies seriously. Junko, theteachers and I all strive to bring you the best English (or other language)
experience we can, and it looks like it may be working!
Junko Says: Have you seen the textbooks, workbooks and TOEIC study
books on the green shelf near the windows? They are all extra books we nolonger use in classes. They are still useful for home study and we are sellingthen all at only 500 yen each! Also you will notice some Japanese – English
books near them. They were given to us by a student and we are offering
them to you free. Please take a look at these, some could be very useful to you.
Mark Says: In the April newsletter I wrote an article celebrating thejoys of eating meat. It seems that this article has spread around theglobe and caused a bit of an uprising. A few weeks ago in Tbilisi,
Georgia, a large group entered a vegan café, pulled out grilled meatand sausages and started eating them and throwing them at staff andpatrons. I could never condone this kind of behavior. Perhaps I willneed to choose my newsletter topics more carefully in the future. ☺
Colm Says: The longest day of the year, or the summer solstice, falls on thetwenty-first of June. The day is celebrated in many countries for its significancein terms of Nature and people’s connection with a higher power. It’s usually anespecially good day to watch the sunrise. So if you woke up early on Tuesday
21st, it might have been worth your while looking out to the horizon.
Danielle dit: Le moi de mai en France aura été compliqué. Il y a d'abord
eu de grandes grèves qui se poursuivent encore et qui visent lestransports mais également la production d'énergie. Puis il y a eu degrandes inondations dans le centre de la France. A Paris, la Seine est
monté à plus de six mètres, quasiment la hauteur des ponts à certains
endroits. C'est très rare et beaucoup de clichés circulent sur Internet.
ACROSS
1 accused and classified as disgraceful
5 officially prohibiting something
6 closed in or surrounded
8 giving off a strong, unpleasant smell
9 assigning to a lower position or rank
10 a forward moving force or power
11 greatly offensive, disgusting
14 assigned a task or job to someone
15 opposed in a hostile way
16 by habit or custom
DOWN
2 enjoying to excess
3 damaged or spoiled appearance
4 forbidden by law
7 not fresh
12 short for cigarette
13 an unpleasant odor, smell

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910
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(print version here)
www.CrosswordWeaver.com

Some thoughts on conversationthat might help you in theclassroom“There is no conversation moreboringthantheone
whereeverybody agrees” - Michel Eyquem
De Montaigne 1533-1592, French
Philosopher.

And for word-buffs here are some things about English
words you didnÊt know...
● The longest one-syllableThat’s
word
me! in the English
language is “screeched.”● “Underground” and “underfund” are the only words
in the English language that begins and ends withthe letters “und.”“Conversation would be vastly
improved by the constant use offour simple words - I do not know:
Andre Maurois 1885-1967, FrenchWriter.

● The longest place-name still in use is
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukaka
pikimaungahoronukupokaiwenuakitanatahu, a hill inNew Zealand.

“The true spirit of conversationconsists in building on anotherman's observation, not overturningit” - Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton 18031873, British Novelist, Poet.

● The longest word in the English language, according to theOxford English Dictionary, ispneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

“No one will ever shine inconversation who thinks of saying
fine things: to please, one must say
many things indifferent, and many
very bad” - 1668-1740, BritishPrelate.
“Saying what we think gives awider range of conversation thansaying what we know” - Cullen
Hightower, 1923- 2008, USHumorist.
“The great gift of conversation
lies less in displaying it ourselves
than in drawing it out of others” Jean De La BruyFre 1645-1696,
French Classical Writer.
A V O I D I N GNI N C O N S I S T E N T
MEV A R Y I N GGTR U I NTIPM A N I P U L A T EHSNYERI N D U L G E
NEGROC O N S E Q U E N C EMOIVEUFC O R R E L A T E
NNYA
H A B I T
C O M P U L S I V E● Los Angeles’s full name is “El Pueblo de Nuestra
Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula” andcan be abbreviated to 3.63% of its size, “L.A.”● There are only four words in the English language which end in”dous” tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
● “Dreamt” is the only English word that ends in the letters “mt”.
● A pregnant goldfish is called a twit. And, a goldfish
has a memory span of only three seconds, likemost “twits.”● The combination of the letters “ough” can be pronounced innine different ways. The following sentence contains them all:“A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strodethrough the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough,he coughed and hiccoughed.”

Last Month’s Puzzle Solution
ACROSS
1 keeping out of the way of
3 not in agreement
5 being different in some away
DOWN6 destroy
2 honesty, truthfulness, reliability
8 influence something for personal gain 4 leaving out
11 enjoy to excess without restraint
7 a remarkable development
13 a result caused by a certain action
9 convey r express a meaning
14 having a mutual relation
10 describe something that has
15 a pattern of behavior
happened
16 obsessive habitual behavior
12 make visible or known

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.