Weekly News Digest
産経オンライン英会話
ニュースディスカッション教材

1 Article：
Volcanic Stones Found in Baby Sea Turtle’s Body in Okinawa.
Did it Eat Them Accidentally?
Directions: Read the following article aloud.
The incident follows the eruption of a submarine volcano in August this year, which has sent large masses ofthe floating stones toward the Japanese coastline.
A large amount of volcanic stones ー known as pumice ー were found in the body of a young sea turtle that
had been rescued on the Okinawa coast, according to a spokesman for the Okinawa Churashima
Foundation on November 13.
The foundation believes that the turtle had accidentally eaten the pumice stones which have been drifting
since the August eruption of the Fukutoku-Okanoba submarine volcano in the Ogasawara Islands.

The cause of death of the endangered green turtle is still unknown. It had been found in a weakened condition
on a sandy beach near Chatan Town in Okinawa on November 11, and was taken to the Okinawa Churaumi
Aquarium. It died the next day.
A computed tomography (CT) scan confirmed that there were large amounts of pumice in its intestines. Theturtle, whose shell was 6.5 cm long, is believed to have been born during the Summer.
According to Isao Kawazu, Ph.D. who focuses on reproductive biology and ecology of sea turtles at the theOkinawa Churashima Foundation’s Research Center, “Because it was a small turtle, it may not have been able
to eliminate the stones from its intestinal tract.”
Pumice believed to have come from the eruption has been found in various parts of Okinawa and Kagoshima
prefectures, as well as in Shikinejima (Niijima-village), one of the smaller Izu Islands of Tokyo prefecture, andmore recently along other parts of Japan’s Pacific coastline.

Volcanic Stones Found in Baby Sea Turtle’s Body in Okinawa. Did it Eat Them Accidentally?
https://japan-forward.com/volcanic-stones-found-in-baby-sea-turtles-body-in-okinawa-did-it-eat-them-accidentally/
本教材は、一般社団法人ジャパンフォワード推進機構、株式会社産経デジタルより許諾を得て、産経ヒューマンラーニング株式会社が編集しています。
テキストの無断転載・無断使用を固く禁じます。

Weekly News Digest
産経オンライン英会話
ニュースディスカッション教材

2

Key phrases and vocabulary

Directions: First repeat after your tutor and then read aloud by yourself.
1. Accidentally 誤って、偶然に、たまたま、うっかり、思わずI accidentally erased the file I need for a meeting tomorrow.
2. endangered (動物や植物の種が)絶滅の危機にある
Some of the most endangered species in the world are the rhinos.
3. various 様々な、別々の、多様なThe car’s interior is available in various color combinations.

4. A as well as B AだけでなくBも、AもBも、BはもちろんAもShe speaks Chinese as well as French.

3

Questions
Directions: Read the questions aloud and answer them.
1. What may have caused the death of the young turtle?
2. Where did all the pumice come from?
3. Do you know what other damages these drifting pumice have been causing?
4. What natural disasters do you worry about the most?

本教材は、一般社団法人ジャパンフォワード推進機構、株式会社産経デジタルより許諾を得て、産経ヒューマンラーニング株式会社が編集しています。
テキストの無断転載・無断使用を固く禁じます。

Weekly News Digest
産経オンライン英会話
ニュースディスカッション教材

4日本語関連記事：
子ウミガメ体内に大量軽石、誤食か沖縄

沖縄県の海岸で保護され、後に死んだ子ウミガメの体内から大量の軽石が見つかったことが１３日、沖縄美ら島財団への取材で分かった。財団は小笠原諸島の海底火山「福徳岡ノ場」の噴火で発生し、漂流していた軽石を誤食したとみている。
財団によると、絶滅危惧種のアオウミガメで死因は不明。北谷町の砂浜で１１日に弱った状態で見つかり、沖縄美ら海水族館が保護。翌１２日に死んだ。ＣＴスキャンで腸などに大量の軽石があるのを確認した。甲羅の長さは６・５センチで、今年の夏ごろ生まれたとみられる。
同財団総合研究センター動物研究室の河津勲博士（生態学）は「小さなカメなので、腸管から排便として抜けなかったのではないか」と話した。
噴火によるとみられる軽石は、沖縄県や鹿児島県の各地のほか、伊豆諸島の式根島（東京都新島村）でも確認された。

出典：子ウミガメ体内に大量軽石、誤食か 沖縄
https://japanforward.com/japanese/%e5%ad%90%e3%82%a6%e3%83%9f%e3%82%ac%e3%83%a1%e4%bd%93%e5%86%85%e3%81%ab%e5%a4%a7%e9%87%8f%e8%bb%bd%e7%9f%b3%e3%80%81%e8%aa%a4%e9%a3%9f%e3%81%8b%e3%80%80%e6%b2%96%e7%b8%84/
本教材は、一般社団法人ジャパンフォワード推進機構、株式会社産経デジタルより許諾を得て、産経ヒューマンラーニング株式会社が編集しています。
テキストの無断転載・無断使用を固く禁じます。