Column Discussion (Expert)｜コラムディスカッション（上級）Lesson25 : Continued Melting of Ice in Tibet Worries Scientists

PART A_1

Let’s learn vocabulary. Listen and repeat the words and the sentences with your tutor.

PART A_2

1.　tremendous	/trih-MEN-duhs/
	-extraordinarily great in size, amount, or intensity
	The dancers gave a tremendous performance.
2.　vanish	/VAN-ish/
	-to disappear from sight, especially quickly; become invisible
	Most of the guests vanished even before the program ended.
3.　diminish	/dih-MIN-ish/
	-to make or cause to seem smaller, less, less important, etc.; lessen; reduce
	Her drunkenness diminished after taking a nap.
4.　elaborate	/ih-LAB-er-it/
	-to add details to; expand
	The presenter elaborated on the topic to ease the confusion of the audience.
5.　concern	/kuhn-SURN/
	-to relate to; be connected with; be of interest or importance to; affect
	The doctor has genuine concern for her patients.

PART B_1

Let’s read the article. Please read it aloud, and I will check your pronunciation and intonation.

PART B_2

Scientists worry about continuous ice melting in Tibet

Tremendous fields of ice in the mountains close to Tibet keep on vanishing at a rate that causes worry among researchers. The disappearing glacial mass is the biggest in the Qilian Mountains.

Laohugou No. 12, the 20-square kilometer ice sheet, has diminished by around seven percent since estimations started. Scientists elaborate that the ice has become thinner as well. In fact, around 13 meters of ice has melted since temperatures began rising.

Since the 1950s, average temperatures within the range have risen by around 1.5 degrees Celsius. They add that it shows signs of continuous temperature increase. Scientists express concern about the 2,684 ice sheets within the Qilian Mountains.

It is forecasted that the phenomenon will climax for a decade. After that, the melting of now would strongly diminish since there would be less icy masses.

Higher than normal temperature is believed to be the cause of the recent unpredictable weather conditions.

PART C_1

Let’s answer comprehension questions. Please answer them based on the article.

PART C_2

1.	How much has Laohugou No. 12 diminished?
2.	When did the temperature begin to rise?
3.	How long is the melting of ice expected to continue?

PART D_1

Let’s discuss the article. Please answer the questions below and express your opinions.

PART D_2

1.	What are your thoughts on this?
2.	Do you think that the experts’ forecast will actually happen?
3.	How do you think can we prevent the ice from melting continuously?
4.	Do you think individuals like us should also be concerned about it?
5.	Have you noticed the sudden changes in weather conditions? Please explain.

REVIEW AND FEEDBACK

Now, let us review the things that you learned in this lesson.

ではこのレッスンで学んだことを振り返りましょう。

(Please give a short feedback on how your student did on your class.)

	Grammar 文法	Pronunciation 発音	Vocabulary 単語	Comprehension 理解
GOOD	文法の誤りはほとんどなく、完全な文章で話すことができる	ほとんどの単語をはっきりと正しく発音することができる	習った表現を適切に使うことができる	文章を理解し、質問に正しく答えることができる
FAIR	文法の誤りはあるが、完全な文章で話すことができる	発音の練習が必要な言葉がいくつかある	たまにミスはあるが、習った表現を適切に使うことができる	文章を完全に理解するのは難しく、質問に正しく答えられないときもある
POOR	文章で話すのは難しく、単語だけで話すことができる	発音の練習が必要である	習った単語と表現を少しだけ使うことができる	文章を理解するのは難しく、質問に答えるのは難しい

TUTOR FEEDBACK

GRAMMAR
Good:	Was able to speak in complete sentences with minimal grammatical errors.
Fair:	Was able to speak in complete sentences with evident grammatical errors.
Poor:	Was able to speak using words only.
PRONUNCIATION
Good:	Was able to pronounce most of the words clearly and correctly.
Fair:	Mispronounced a few words.
Poor:	Mispronounced most of the words.
VOCABULARY
Good:	Used appropriate expressions learned in class.
Fair:	Used appropriate expressions learned in class and made a few errors in word choice.
Poor:	Used only a few words and expressions.
COMPREHENSION
Good:	Was able to understand the passages and answer the questions correctly.
Fair:	Had a little difficulty in understanding passages and answering questions.
Poor:	Had a hard time understanding passages and answering questions.

Parts of this lesson material are based on:
An article by Voice of America