March The Newsletter ofCROSSROADS Language Studio 2003

fÑÜ|Çz |á [xÜx4The first day of spring is March 21s t.
On that date, night and day are exactly
12 hours long.
Also onthat date,the suncomes uppreciselyin theEast andgoes
down
preciselyin theWest.
This day is called the “Spring Equinox”(ee-kwin-ox) and is officially the end ofwinter. Days start to become longer,and warmer.
But spring is more than just anotherseason. Spring is a special time thatinspires poets, p a i n t e r s , musicians…and lovers!
In spring, nature comes to life.

Flowers replace frost, trees are filledwith the songs of birds, and f o r e s t
animals wake-up from a long wintersleep.
The most romantic holiday, Valentine’sDay, is in February, but love really
blooms in springwhen many
peoplefall in love,
becomeengaged andoften
get married.
There
are also manyholidays in spring such as St. Patrick’s
Day which is on March, 17th; Easter on
April 20th and of course, the month longholiday Sakura Matsuri starting on
March 20th in Japan.
Most American universities have“spring break” during March. “Springbreak” is famous for the wild parties,drinking - and sometimes trouble students get into during their vacations!
Whatever you do this spring, have fun!

GLOSSARY (These words are in red in the story)

Joshua Says: English is Japanese! Does that sound strange? Most
Japanese people think of English as “foreign”. But because it is Japan’s
second language, you can simply think of it as another Japanese
language. How easy it will be to learn English now that you know it’s
simply a different kind of Japanese!
Junko Says: “Good Luck!” to our teacher Peter. Beginning in March, hewill not be at CROSSROADS for a while. He has many exciting thingsplanned for the next few months including a trip back to his homecountry, Poland! Goodbye, Peter. Hope to see you soon! – from everyone atCROSSROADS!
Joanna Says: I’ve been enjoying the end of winter, and eating a lot ofdelicious winter food before the hot weather comes! The other day I tried
something called Motsu, which I think is cow intestine. It was delicious,but I found it difficult not to think about where it came from! Urrrggh!!

Drew Says: Maybe you won’t recognize me when you see me this month
because I cut my hair very short. I like to cut it short about twice a year.
It’s much easier to take care of and healthy for your head. Also, I savelots of money on haircuts!

Tamara Says: Have you ever noticed how everything smells different in
the spring? That’s one thing I really miss about Canada. Once the snow
has melted, birds return, flowers begin to bloom again, and the grassstarts to turn green. The smell of freshly cut grass is something everyoneshould experience.
Greg Says: Last month, I tried a few restaurants for the first time andthey were all delicious! The Yamatoya Hotel in Dogo was excellent. The
food was great, and the sake was even better. Best of all, I went with agroup of college students and they paid for everything!

Yuka Says: I’ve just begun taking lessons in pastel painting. It’s really
fun to draw pictures. I’m still poor at painting, but I have painted a lot of
beautiful flowers. Doing something completely different from ordinary life
makes me feel refreshed so why don’t you try something new?

Yukiko Tamai Says: I went to Italy recently. I went to five cities in oneweek! My favorite places were Florence and Venice. I saw a beautiful viewof Florence from Michael Angelo Square, and I rode on a gondola in Venice!
Akiko Kawabata Says: I just returned from a trip to Spain. I expected the weather
to be very cold but it was actually really warm! I recommend that everyone visit Spainat least once!
Elijah Ochi: Maybe you saw me play flute at the Christmas party last year. Well, I’vebegun to study jazz theory so I can be even better at the next Christmas party. I hope toplay for you then!

Congratulations To:
Yoko Hattori – passed her entrance exam and will begin studying business at Litsumeikam
University next April.
Tomomi Ninomiya – graduated from Matsuyama East High School on March 1st. She hopes
to study biology at Kyushu University.

In English, a word for an “action” is calleda verb. Some verbs are irregular.
For example:
Present: do go am have
Past:
did went was had

speakspoke

In English a word for a “thing” is called anoun. Some nouns are irregular.
For example:
Singular: (Only One):
person footPlural: (Two or more.):people feetmanfishmenfish

Improve your English - learn all theirregulars!

NET LESSONS: Are you too busy to cometo CROSSROADS for English lessons? Try
our lessons on the internet! It’s
CROSSROADS in your home! You get
CROSSROADS’ great teachers, materials,
even classmates, all on-line! Call now formore information.
NET SITE OF THE MONTH:
St Patrick’s day is March 17th. Learn more at
www.holidayspot.com/patrick/index.htm
NET NOTEBOOK: Check out the internet
activity notebook in our open-house. You’ll
find games, news and English learning sites.
Phone: 0120-21-7594
Tel: (089) 921-7595
Fax: (089) 921-7319
Email:info@crossroadsco.com
Web Site: www.crossroadsco.com