CROSSROADSCROSSROA DS Language
Language StudioÊs Newsletter April,
April , 201
20 1 7

Television is a mediumthat can unite a country andsometimes even the world
for moments in history.
Rikidozen v Lou Thez
Recently, I was reading
about how Rikidozen v Lou Thez in 1957
had an 80.9 rating (which means that 80%
of every TV that existed in Japan at thattime was tuned to the match) so I thought
it would be interesting to see what events
other countries have experienced over theyears.
In the UK you wouldthink that the most watched
programs would be Royalevents. However, in actual England’s 1966 World Cup
fact it is an event that has even more
reverence then our monarch which is the1966 World Cup EllaFinal
where England won its
first and only major
football tournament.
Janis
Diana’s Funeral
Closely following this is the funeral ofPrincess Diana and then surprisingly adocumentary about the Queen from 1969.
Moving on to the UnitedStates, nineteen of the top
twentymostwatched
programs were, unsurprisingly,
The Superbowl
Superbowls. The Superbowl
is American Football’s biggest event of theyear with people who don’t care at allabout the sport watching for theextravagant commercials madespecifically for the show. The only
non-Superbowl in the top twenty
was the finale of the TV series
M*A*S*H, a TV show about theVietnam War.

Because of their sheer
population China has oneof the most watched News
programs in the world with
CCTV’s Spring Gala
some of the highest prices
for advertising anywhere. The CCTV
Spring Festival Gala (which is similar
to Japan’s New Year’s Eve shows),
regularly attracts an audience of over
700 million.
Interestingly, the Spring Festival
Gala is the number 2 most watched
global event on TV despite it being
virtually unknown outside of China. The
only event that garnered more viewers
wastheOpening
andClosing
Ceremonies
ofthe2008
BeijingOlympics. It’s estimated that 4.7 to 5
billion people watched some part of the2 week event which is 70% of the world
population!

Article by Matt

Beijing Olympics 2008

NET LESSONS: Too busy to come to CROSSROADS?
…. Try our lessons on the net!
Here’s how IMDb rates the current top TV series’:
http://www.imdb.com/search/title?title_type=tv_series

Joshua Says: Crossroads has been teaching English to people in
Matsuyama for a very long time, as everyone knows. I often think about
the people who have studied with us and have then, for whateverreasons, moved on. I wonder what our past friends are up to these days,
how they are coping with life’s challenges, have they benefited, do they
still benefit, from the lessons they took with us.
Junko Says: Michelangelo created a work of sculpture – the Pieta – that helped launch
his career more than any other previous work he had created. I saw the Pieta about 40years ago in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. I guess no one can avoid being moved by thepower and beauty contained within this work of art. Even now, when I look at a picture ofthe Pieta, it is difficult for me to stop gazing at it. Here is a quote from Michelangelo – “Ifpeople knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all”.
Matt Says: This month is a great one for me since not only do I
have my birthday but I am going on holiday to where I used to livein China. I haven’t been there in 10 months so I can’t wait to go
back to all my favorite places and see all my close friends again.
Nigel Says: To my current and past students, this is a parting message. I'll
be moving to Hiroshima this month and so cannot stay at CR to continue ourlessons. I hope I was able to make learning English enjoyable for you all.
Remember, learning to communicate in English is more important than justlearning English! Cheers, Nigel
Danielle dit En France, les farces que l'on fait le 1er avril s'appellent les« poissons d'avril ». Cependant, on ne sait pas vraiment d'où vient ce nom.
Plusieurs hypothèses sont proposées : un lien avec Pâques où le poisson prend
une place alimentaire importante, changement de calendrier difficile,ouverture de la saison de pêche, etc. Une chose est sûre : le 1er avril, il est
difficile de ne pas se faire tromper !
ACROSS
2 a nation's head of state
7 a sporting competition
11 feelings or a showing of great respect
12 excessive, overdone, wasteful
13 distinctly different from others
14 a way of communication information
16 in defiance or disregard ofDOWN
1 a film or TV program dealing with facts
3 advertisements on TV
4 an appraisal or ranking
5 real, a fact
6 essentially so, if not in fact
8 absolute, supreme, unlimited
9 a showy festive party
10 acquired, assembled
15 bring together

12

3

5
6

7

8
910

11

12

13

1416(print version here)

15

4

The Sports Page with S(a)3’s TaroNOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!

That’s me!

“Unbelievable”. Anyone who watched the soccer game on March 8, 2017 could
not help saying so. FC Barcelona (nicknamed “Barca”) made a stunning comebackin the UEFA Champions League round of 16 against FC Paris Saint German (PSC).
Only three weeks earlier, Barca was defeated 0-4 in Paris. In the European Cup’s knockout round, final results
are decided by the aggregate score after one match at home and one away have been played. In other words,
Barca needed at least five goals in the return match to win. Many newspaper critics and TV commentators
described it as “Mission Impossible”. Indeed, even Ethan Hunt (portrayed by Tom Cruise in the Mission Impossiblemovies) might have been desperate in such a situation. There have been no teams in European soccer history thathave overcome a 4 goal deficit. Later, I found out that the odds for a Barca win were 200-1, but no matter how
optimistic a fan you might be, you could hardly bet on them and expect to win!
In Japan, the game between Barca and PSG was broadcast on TV at 4:30 in the morning. Honestly speaking, I
hadn’t expected Barca to complete a “Mission Impossible”. It was only out of my habit as a soccer fan that I wokeup early to watch it live. Barca started the game brilliantly and scored three goals. However, they also conceded
one to PSG. The aggregate score from both games was 3-5 at half time. If the combined total score from bothgames had been 5-5 at full time, PSG would have gone on to the quarter finals because they had scored an awaygoal. In short, Barca needed three more goals. With only seven minutes left, most spectators must have regarded
this as hopeless. I began to think I should have been sleeping instead of being depressed.
But the great players never give up. Barca scored twice within two minutes before scoring another in the lastseconds of the game. As soon as they got the deciding goal, the referee blew the final whistle. They had made an
historical triumph which is bound become a legend forever.
When I watch soccer games, I usually shout “Well!” or “Yes!” when goals are scored. However, this time I
unintentionally made a queer, meaningless noise from the bottom of my throat, “AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!”
It must have gone through the entire apartment block so early in the morning. (Fortunately, I haven’t yet received
any complaints from my neighbors.) It was inconceivable! I couldn’t believe my eyes. If it were not for a pain in myleg, which hit the edge of the table when I jumped for joy, I would have thought it was a dream.
“Miracle”, “Amazing”, “Heroic”.... When I checked websites the next morning, European newspapers were full offavorable adjectives. At the press conference, the Barca coach proudly said it was a “victory for faith”. I wasashamed I had given up so quickly. We must keep our faith to the last minute.
F A S C I N A T I N GNS N O U T S
RNIEDGAHR E V I V E DUROVIBCAAC U R R E N C Y
S Q U I R R E L
OEGL
DUUVL
I N G E S T I B L ENDRR
D U N GATG
P E L T S
D E R I V E D
DLast Month’s Puzzle Solution
ACROSS
1 holding a high level of interest
3 noses
7 brought back, reestablish
9 a system of money
11 a small furry animal
13 possible to eat and drink
14 animal manure
15 the fur and hides of animals
16 formed or developed fromDOWN
2 provoking curiosity
4 close5 lowered in value
6 secretly storing valuables
8 reduce the population by selected killing
10 gone back to a previous state
12 anger, disgust, revulsion

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