エンジョイ・シンプル・イングリッシュ　26年4月13日〜17日の復習

この記事では、NHKのラジオ「エンジョイ・シンプル・イングリッシュ」で扱われた英文や表現をまとめてあります。復習としてご活用ください。

2026年4月13日　Beam of light（光の光線）

話の概要

バチカは砂漠の中を3時間も歩き、写真映えするスポットを探していましたが、電波が弱く仲間のイチカに助けを求めることもできませんでした。偶然通りかかった車に拾われたバチカは、近くにアンテロープ・キャニオンという人気の観光地があることを知ります。そこはナバホ族の土地であり、許可なしには立ち入れないため、バチカは翌日の公式ツアーに参加することにしました。

翌日、ツアーに参加したバチカは、何百万年もの歳月をかけて雨水が削り出した砂漠岩の波打つような壁に感動します。さらに、キャニオンの頂上から差し込むスポットライトのような**「光の光線（beam of light）」**の下で写真を撮ってもらいます。戻ったバチカはイチカにその写真を見せますが、イチカからは「（バチカが写っていない）キャニオンだけの写真はないの？」と言われてしまうという結末です。

物語の全文（英語）

This is Bachka. Ichka. Can you hear me? I need help. My signal is weak in the desert, so she can’t hear me. It’s so hot. I’ve been walking for 3 hours. Is there really a good photos spawn around here. Oh, a car. Hey, stop. I’m so glad you picked me up.
I can’t believe you’re walking all by yourself. It’s dangerous out here.
Well, the mother ship dropped me off. Anyway, I hear there’s a popular tourist spot nearby.
Yeah, Antelopee Canyon. The entrance is just over there.
Great. Could you drop me off there? I want to go check it out.
You can’t go in by yourself.
Why not?
Because this land belongs to a group of Native Americans called the Navajo. We need their permission to enter.
So, what should I do?
You need to join an official tour that’s run by the Navajo.
Oh, okay. I’ll book a tour for tomorrow then. Red rocks, red sand. This looks like Mars. Ah, I see people. I think that’s my tour.
Hi everyone. Welcome to the Upper Antelopee Canyon tour. First, We’ll be taking a truck to the canyon entrance.
Okay, that’s the entrance over there. Let’s go.
It’s like we’re going into a cave. Ah, it’s nice and cool inside. Wow, look at that. I’m surrounded by wavy red brown walls.
For millions of years, rainwater rushed through this area. It made these narrow pathways and smooth curved walls.
Amazing.
The canyon walls are made of sandstone. If you look closely, you can see patterns that look like layers.
Yeah, they kind of look like tree rings. I can’t believe water could make these walls curved like this.
It’s like magic, isn’t it? Okay, let’s keep going. In the upper Antelopee Canyon, there are spots where you can see beams of light.
What’s a beam of light?
It’s sunlight that shines through from the top of the canyon. It looks like a spotlight.
Cool. Hey, I think I see one over there. It looks like the beam of light that bad aliens use to take people up to a spaceship.
Why don’t I take a picture for you? Stand in the spotlight.
Thanks. Hey, Ichka, I’m back. Take a look at this photo. It’s awesome, isn’t it?
Uh yeah, but do you have a picture of just Antelopee Canyon? You don’t need to be in it.
What? Here you go.

覚えておくと役に立つ表現

物語の中で使われている、日常や旅行で役立つ表現をいくつかピックアップします。

My signal is weak.

• 電波が弱いです。
• 携帯電話の電波状況を説明する時に便利な表現です。

all by yourself

• たった一人で
• 「一人きりで」という強調が含まれる表現です。

drop someone off

• （人を車から）降ろす
• タクシーや誰かの車に乗せてもらった際、降車場所を伝える時に使います。

permission

• 許可
• 何かをするための正式な許可を指します。

be surrounded by…

• 〜に囲まれている
• 美しい景色や建物に囲まれている状況を説明するのに使えます。

take a look at…

• 〜を見てみる
• 写真や資料など、何かを確認してもらう際に使う定番表現です。

2026年4月14日　I was a crow（私はカラスだった）

話の概要

会社員の金子は、ある朝目覚めると自分が黒い羽とくちばしを持つカラスになっていることに気づきます。彼女は電車に乗る代わりに空を飛んで会社へ向かい、屋上から上司に欠勤のメールを送ります。屋上で同僚たちが「金子先輩は仕事はできるけれど、何を考えているか分からなくて怖い」と噂しているのを耳にし、ショックを受けます。夕方、買い物帰りの母親に見つかると人間に戻ることができましたが、翌朝、彼女は再びカラスになってしまいます。

物語の全文（英語）

I woke up one morning in my bed and found I had two black wings and a black beak.
Kaneko, I hear your alarm. Are you up? You’re going to be late for work.
Mom. I didn’t want her to see me.
I quickly stopped my alarm with my bird feet, picked up my phone with my beak, and hung it around my neck.
And then I did the only thing I could do.
I flew out the window.
I flew toward the station, but then I realized I didn’t have to take the train.
I could just fly.
Flying was awesome.
I found a quiet spot on the rooftop of my company building and typed an email to my boss.
I’m sorry, but I cannot work today. I am sick.
I was so glad I brought my phone with me.
But it takes so much time to type when you are a bird.
Wait a second. Why did I turn into a crow? How?
Suddenly two crows landed beside me.
They started talking to me and I actually understood them.
Wow, that’s a really shiny thing you have around your neck. What is it? Give it to me. Give it to me.
I had decorated my phone a long time ago with shiny stickers and crystals.
It must look like treasure to them.
I was not going to give them my phone.
Stop talking to me. I have a lot to think about. Shoo. Fly away.
I was still thinking on the rooftop when two of the new workers came up for lunch.
I didn’t know they ate their lunch here.
Mina, did you know Kaneko senpai isn’t coming today? Yeah, I heard she was sick.
I’m here with you. And I’m a crow. I’m kind of glad.
Actually, I know what you mean. I’m always nervous when I talk to her. She’s kind of scary.
What? I know she’s smart and does her job well, but I can’t tell what she is thinking.
That’s how they see me. Really? I was trying to take really good care of you two. You thought I was scary. Explain yourselves.
Look, that crow is hopping toward us. I hate crows. Ew. Go away. Shoo.
I flew away to the park near my home and landed on a bench.
I was shocked. I didn’t know they thought of me like that.
The sun was setting and the orange light shone through the branches.
Kaneko, what are you doing there? It was my mom on her way home from the supermarket.
How did she know it was me? I looked down and I wasn’t a crow anymore.
I was so relieved.
But there was one problem. I didn’t want to go back to work.
The next morning, I was a crow again. Unbelievable.

覚えておくと役に立つ表現

物語の中で使われている、日常で役立つ表現です。

be late for work

• 仕事に遅れる
• 学校や会議に遅れる際にも「work」の部分を入れ替えて使えます。

on her way home

• 彼女の帰宅途中に
• 「on one’s way to…」で「〜へ行く途中で」という使い方もできます。

take good care of…

• 〜をよく面倒みる、大切にする
• 人に対しても、持ち物に対しても使える表現です。

look like treasure

• 宝物のように見える
• 「look like…」で「〜のように見える」という比喩表現です。

2026年4月15日　Stephen Hawking（スティーヴン・ホーキング）

話の概要

偉大な物理学者スティーヴン・ホーキングの生涯を紹介しています。21歳の時にALS（筋萎縮性側索硬化症）と診断され、余命2年と宣告されますが、彼は決して諦めませんでした。車椅子生活でコンピュータ音声を使用しながらも、ブラックホールの研究で大きな功績を残し、多くのベストセラーを執筆しました。彼は「足元を見るのではなく、星を見上げなさい。好奇心を持ち続けなさい」という力強いメッセージを世界に送り続けました。

物語の全文（英語）

We are smart monkeys on a small planet of a very normal star.
But we can understand the universe. That makes us very special.
These are the words of one of the greatest physicists, Stephen Hawking.
Hawking was born in Oxford, England in 1942.
He wasn’t the best student in school, but people knew he was smart.
He was interested in many things as a child.
He once made a computer out of old clock parts and other recycled items with his friends.
He was always interested in science and the sky.
When Hawking was 21 and studying about the universe at Cambridge University, he became very sick.
He had ALS.
He was told by the doctors that his muscles would stop working and he had only 2 years to live.
Although most people would become very sad and lose their will to do things, Hawking was different.
He always looked on the bright side.
Later in life, he said, “Here’s my advice to other people with physical disabilities.
Work on things you can do well and don’t be sorry about things you can’t do.
Don’t be disabled in both mind and body.”
Hawking was still alive 2 years later.
In fact, he lived until he was 76 years old.
During his life, he did many great things.
He researched Einstein’s famous theory and black holes and received many awards.
Hawking was able to explain about black holes using science and math.
He also wrote many best-seller books.
He wrote in simple words for people to know more about the universe.
He said that he wanted to write a book that people would buy at airports.
Hawking was also a man who liked jokes.
He once did a strange experiment called a party for time travelers.
He wanted to show that time traveling was impossible.
Hawking wrote invitation cards for a party, but he didn’t send them.
He thought, “Time travelers know everything about the past. They don’t need invitations.”
Of course, no one came to the party.
Stephen Hawking was a man of many faces.
He was a physicist in a wheelchair with a computer voice.
He was a character in anime and movies.
He was a special math teacher at Cambridge, just like Isaac Newton.
And more than anything, he was a man who didn’t give up.
At the London Paralympics 2012, he gave a speech.
However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.
Look up at the stars and not down at your feet.
Try to make sense of what you see and wonder what makes the universe exist.
Be curious.

覚えておくと役に立つ表現

伝記の内容から、励ましや信条を表す表現です。

look on the bright side

• 物事の明るい面を見る、楽観的に考える
• 困難な状況でも前向きさを失わない姿勢を表します。

give up

• 諦める
• 「never give up」の形で強い決意を表す際によく使われます。

make sense of…

• 〜を理解する、〜の意味を汲み取る
• 複雑な物事や状況を理解する際に使われます。

physical disabilities

• 身体障害
• 「physical（身体の）」と「disabilities（障害）」を組み合わせた表現です。

2026年4月16日　Health talks at school（学校での健康に関するお話）

話の概要

小学校の養護教諭である佐藤先生が、4年生のクラスで健康診断について話をします。子供たちは身長や体重を測る理由を問い、先生は体が順調に育っているかを確認するためだと説明します。また、日本の学校における健康診断の歴史が1897年から続いていることや、戦時中に子供たちの身長が一時的に低くなった記録が食事の大切さを物語っていることを伝えます。最後に、背を伸ばすためには食事だけでなく、十分な睡眠と適度な運動が不可欠であると助言します。

物語の全文（英語）

Hello children.
How do you feel now that you are fourth graders?
I think I’m taller.
Maybe you are. We can check tomorrow.
You all will do your yearly health checkup then.
Do we have to? Yes.
It’s a good chance to understand your body.
How? How? All we do is check our eyesight and hearts.
If you don’t get your eyes checked, you won’t know how well you can see.
We have health checkups to see if your body is growing well and doesn’t have any problems.
Can someone tell me what else we check for?
We check our hearing and our teeth and body weight, too.
That’s right.
I don’t want to be fat. So, I’m not going to eat breakfast tomorrow.
Me neither.
That is a really bad idea.
You might be a few grams lighter, but then you will be hungry at lunch, so you will eat more than you usually do.
But if you don’t eat, your body won’t have enough energy.
You won’t be able to concentrate during class or play with your friends.
Okay, I will eat breakfast tomorrow.
Great.
Now, do you know how long Japan has been doing health checkups for school children?
50 years? More?
The first health checkup at elementary schools was in 1897.
Not many countries have such detailed data on children’s growth.
There’s so much we can learn from it.
Like what?
Well, children’s height kept increasing until around 1945. Then it suddenly dropped.
Can anyone guess the reason?
There was a war.
That’s right.
Children didn’t have enough food to eat during the war.
And you can learn that from the records.
It shows how important it is to eat.
Mrs. Sato, besides eating well, what can I do to become taller?
Sleep.
My favorite baseball player said that he sleeps 10 hours.
Yes, getting a good night’s rest is key to growing.
Your bones need good food and good sleep to grow longer and stronger.
How about jumping? I saw a TV program that said jumping is good for you.
You’re right. Movements like jumping help the bones grow, too.
I want to be tall, so I’m going to play volleyball all day after school and sleep 10 hours.
Who wants to play with me?
I do. Me, too.
Changes to your body don’t happen overnight, but you might find a change at your health checkup next year.
I have good eyesight.

覚えておくと役に立つ表現

健康や日常生活に関するアドバイスで使える表現です。

health checkup

• 健康診断
• 学校だけでなく、会社や病院での定期検診全般に使えます。

get a good night’s rest

• ぐっすり眠る、十分な休息をとる
• 「rest」を「sleep」に置き換えて使うことも可能です。

bad idea

• 良くない考え
• 相手の提案をやんわり否定する際に使われます。

concentrate during class

• 授業中に集中する
• 「concentrate on…」の形でもよく使われます。

2026年4月17日　Stories from the stage（舞台上の物語：勧進帳）

話の概要

源義経と弁慶の一行が関所を通過しようとする際、関守の富樫に正体を疑われます。弁慶は山伏に扮して富樫の鋭い質問に次々と答え、その知恵と信仰心で富樫を感服させます。しかし、荷物持ちに扮していた義経が怪しまれると、弁慶はあえて主君である義経を杖で激しく打ち据えます。この行動によって疑いが晴れ、一行は無事に関所を越えることができました。

物語の全文（英語）

Yoshitsune, Benkei and his soldiers are stopped at the checkpoint.
Togashi, the leader of the gate, starts to ask Benkei questions about his Shugendo religion.
Most monks want peace, but Yamabushi wear special clothes. Why is that?
That is easy to explain.
Shugendo follows the teaching of Fudo Myoo.
It is a combination of kindness and wisdom.
We are kind at heart, but we wear scary clothes to prevent people from breaking Buddha’s laws.
The small black hat you wear, what is that?
Our hat is like a soldier’s helmet.
We use it so we can safely walk paths no one has walked before and cross the highest mountains.
As a monk, you cannot kill. Why do you carry a sword?
We believe it is right to kill one evil person to save many.
And your straw sandals with eight knots?
They are to remind us that we are sitting on the eight petals of the lotus flower in the pure land.
What are the nine words of the Kuji ritual?
They are usually a secret, but I will tell you because you doubt my honesty.
The nine words are rin, pyo, to, sha, kai, jin, retsu, zai, and zen.
If you still do not trust me, ask me more questions.
Togashi is deeply impressed.
I am sorry. I did not believe you. I wish to donate.
Bring some offerings.
The guards bring fine white kimono pants, rolls of silk and two bags of gold.
Thank you. You will have peace in this life and the next.
We have to travel, so I will take the gold, but leave the other things with you.
We will collect them on our way back to Kyoto next month.
Now, everyone, we have permission to pass the gate.
The group of Yamabushi monks begins to walk through.
Then a guard points to Yoshitsune dressed as a luggage carrier.
Togashi cries out. Wait you there with the bag. Stop.
Benkei steps between Togashi and Yoshitsune.
Why did you stop him?
One of my guards says he looks like the man we are looking for. He looks like Yoshitsune.
Benkei turns to Yoshitsune and speaks angrily.
We wanted to reach our destination before sunset, but you are walking too slowly.
You are not doing your job well, and that is why people think you are someone else.
You are no good. You are making me angry. I will show you.
Benkei reaches for Yoshitsune’s walking stick and begins to hit him.

覚えておくと役に立つ表現

歴史劇や対話の中で使われる表現です。

reach our destination

• 目的地に到着する
• 旅行や移動の場面で使われるフォーマルな表現です。

deeply impressed

• 深く感銘を受ける
• 人の行動や能力に強く心を動かされた際に使います。

remind us of…

• 私たちに〜を思い出させる
• 何かをきっかけに別のことを想起する場面で使われます。

combination of…

• 〜の組み合わせ
• 複数の要素が合わさっている状態を説明する表現です。