マイケルズイングリッシュスクール英会話　大阪天王寺　毎週の単語レッスン

Huge sinkhole opens up in downtown Fukuoaka

Sinkhole 博多駅前で道路陥没、周囲では停電

福岡市博多駅前の道路が１１月８日早朝に陥没し、穴は縦横約３０メートルにまで拡大した。周辺地域では停電や交通の遮断などの被害が広がった。

A gigantic sinkhole appeared early in the morning of November the 8th in downtown Fukuoka, officials said.

The sinkhole, which by 6 p.m. had reached 30 metres in length, disrupted traffic and caused blackouts.

The road caved at an intersection near JR Hakata Station in the capital of the prefecture, the city office said.

The site is around the area where construction work is underway to extend the city subway system\’s Nanakuma Line. The police and the city are investigating to determine if the sinkhole was caused by the work.

Key Vocabulary / 必要単語

sinkhole – 陥没穴・disrupted – 〜を混乱させた・ caved – 陥没した・determine – 〜を判断する、断定する.

Read more about the sinkhole in English or in Japanese!

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The aim of the articles is to be short enough to easily digest, whilst still providing some important new words. Furthermore, we deliberately choose topics that you\’ve probably heard in the news already – which makes them relatable and easier to understand. Could you tell your teacher about this news story, in English? Try to practice recounting the story, or even rewriting it in your own words. Afterwards, you can show it to your teacher for correction. Additionally, you could also try a translation of the article. This is an intellectually stimulating exercise which is both fun and great practice for understanding the different ways of thinking between English and Japanese. Finally, please remember to have fun learning English! The most rewarding thing for us at Michael\’s English School is seeing your results. See you next time!