English Recordings

It's time for the drawing. Effie Trinket says as she always does, "Ladies first !" and crosses to the glass ball with the girls' names. She reaches in, digs her hand deep into the ball, and pulls out a slip of paper. The crowd draws in a collective breath and then you can hear a pin drop, and I'm feeling nauseous and so desperately hoping that it's not me, that it's not me, that it's not me.
Effie Trinket crosses back to the podium, smoothes the slip of paper, and reads out the name in a clear voice. And it's not me.
It's Primrose Everdeen.
One time, when I was in a blind in a tree, waiting motionless for game to wander by, I dozed off and fell ten feet to the ground, landing on my back. It was as if the impact had knocked every wisp of air from my lungs, and I lay there struggling to inhale, to exhale, to do anything.
That's how I feel now, trying to remember how to breathe, unable to speak, totally stunned as the name bounces around the inside of my skull. (…)
There must have been some mistake. This can't be happening. Prim was one slip of paper in thousands ! Her chance of being chosen so remote that I'd not even bothered to worry about her. (…)
Somewhere far away, I can hear the crowd murmuring unhappily as they always do when a twelve-year-old gets chosen because no one thinks this is fair. And then I see her, the blood drained from her face, hands clenched in fists at her sides, walking with stiff, small steps up toward the stage, passing me, and I see the back of her blouse has become untucked and hangs out over her skirt. It's this detail, the untucked blouse forming a ducktail, that brings me back to myself.
"Prim !" The strangled cry comes out of my throat, and my muscles begin to move again. "Prim !" I don't need to shove through the crowd. The other kids make way immediately allowing me a straight path to the stage. I reach her just as she is about to mount the steps. With one sweep of my arm, I push her behind me.
"I volunteer ! " I gasp. " I volunteer as tribute !"
There's some confusion on the stage. District 12 hasn't had a volunteer in decades (…).
"Lovely ! " says Effie Trinket. "But I believe there's a small matter of introducing the reaping winner and then asking for volunteers, and if one does come forth then we, um…" she trails off, unsure of herself.
"What does it matter ? " says the mayor. He's looking at me with a pained expression on his face. He doesn't know me really, but there's a faint recognition there. (…) I am the girl (…) who five years ago stood huddled with her mother and sister, as he presented her, the oldest child, with a medal of valor. A medal for her father, vaporized in the mines. Does he remember that ? " What does it matter ? " he repeats gruffly. "Let her come forward."
Prim is screaming hysterically behind me. She's wrapped her skinny arms around me like a vice. "No, Katniss ! No ! You can't go !"
"Prim, let go," I say harshly, because this is upsetting me and I don't want to cry. When they televise the replay of the reapings tonight, everyone will make note of my tears, and I'll be marked as an easy target. A weakling. I will give no one that satisfaction. "Let go !"
I can feel someone pulling her from my back. I turn and see Gale has lifted Prim off the ground and she's thrashing in his arms. "Up you go, Catnip, "he says, in a voice he's fighting to keep steady, and then he carries Prim off toward my mother. I steel myself and climb the steps.
"Well, bravo !" gushes Effie Trinket. "That's the spirit of the Games !" She's pleased to finally have a district with a little action going on in it. "What's your name ? "
I swallow hard. "Katniss Everdeen," I say.
" I bet my buttons that was your sister. Don't want her to steal all the glory, do we ? Come on, everybody ! Let's give a big round of applause to our newest tribute ! " trills Effie Trinket.
The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins (2008)

1. He works on complex cases like homicides, he is the boss. He supervises the other agents and experts. He makes deductions and decisions.
2. He looks for clues, he uses scientific methods, he analyses the crime scene, he takes photos, he lifts fingerprints and he takes DNA samples. In his lab he analyses the objects, the fingerprints and DNA traces (hair, nails, saliva…) found on the crime scene in order to find evidence. He has to be very patient and meticulous.
3. He is specialized in psychology and morphology: he can use the evidence given by the detectives and the crime scene supervisor in order to define the psychology and the physical appearance of the criminal.
4. He is a medical doctor specialized in anatomical pathology. He performs autopsies to determine the causes of death and collect evidence. His findings can also help to determine the victim's identity.
the police inspector
The crime lab analyst
the forensic scientist
the crime scene supervisor
the coroner

Washoe is a monkey. She lives in a lab. The lab is a place where men
and women study monkeys and other animals. They study the animals
to find out how they learn.
One day a man put a puzzle in Washoe’s cage. Washoe had to take
the puzzle apart. Each time she did it right, the man gave her a slice
of banana. That was her reward.
Washoe didn’t eat the banana slices. She just put them there.
The man made the puzzle harder. But Washoe soon learned how to
take it apart.
Then the man ran out of bananas. What now? Would she keep on
doing puzzles without a reward?
Washoe looked at him. She waited. The man gave her the next puzzle.
Washoe took it apart. Then she picked up a slice of banana. She
put it outside the cage for the man!
And so it went. The man would give Washoe a puzzle. And she would
give back a banana slice. She kept on until she had returned all the
bananas.
Washoe learned many new puzzles that day. And the man learned
something too. He learned that some monkeys don’t work puzzles
only to get food. They do puzzles for the fun of it -- just like you and
me!

Let me introduce him. He was called Eko Tunde, but he was also known as Mister Eko. He was born on the seventh of May nineteen seventy-three in Nigeria. He was thirty-seven. He was Nigerian. As for his family, he lost his brother. Concerning his description, he was very tall and strong. His hair was very short, curly and black and he had black eyes too. He could be described as a dangerous and determinate person. Before the flight, he was at a café at the airport and he was seen with a woman. He died on the twenty-eighth of september twenty ten.

From "Moste Potente Potions"
"Properly brewed, the Polyjuice potion allows the drinker to transform himself temporarily into the physical form of another."
“This is the most complicated potion I’ve ever seen,” said Hermione as they scanned the recipe. “Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed, and knotgrass,” she murmured, running her finger down the list of ingredients. “Well, they’re easy enough, they’re in the student store-cupboard, we can help ourselves… Oooh, look, powdered horn of a bicorn - don’t know where we’re going to get that - shredded skin of a boomslang - that’ll be tricky, too and of course a bit of whoever we want to change into.” From Harry Potter,The chamber of secrets,(chapter 12), by J.K.Rowling, 1998

From Harry Potter The chamber of secrets,(chapter 12), by J.K.Rowling, 1998
Immediately, his insides started writhing as though he’d just swallowed live snakes. Doubled up, he wondered whether he was going to be sick. Then a burning sensation spread rapidly from his stomach to the very ends of his fingers and toes. Next, bringing him gasping to all fours, came a horrible melting feeling, as the skin all over his body bubbled like hot wax and before his eyes, his hands began to grow, the fingers thickened, the nails broadened, the knuckles were bulging like bolts, his shoulders stretched painfully and a prickling on his forehead told him that hair was creeping down toward his eyebrows. His robes ripped as his chest expanded like a barrel bursting its hoops. His feet were agony in shoes four sizes too small.

The other day, it was unexpectedly warm. I walked into the Yoga Room and the smell of male sweat assailed my nostrils. My husband was already there finishing off his yoga practice.

I said to him, "Whoa, it stinks of male sweat in here".

"Is it that bad" he asked anxiously, looking embarrassed. (My husband is fastidiously clean. In summer, he sometimes has as many as three showers in one day, changing his clothes completely each time, and making a mountain of washing for me.)

"Well", I said, "It's pretty strong". And then I added, giggling, "Not that I mind of course. Quite the opposite in fact".

And then I thought to myself, how amazing it is that when you love someone, you love everything about them, even their sweat. You inhale them like they are a glass of wine you never want to finish.

Anyway, on that note, I would like to introduce the song I'm going to have a go at translating today: "Beautiful Darling" by Kate Miller Heidke. Sadly, I couldn't find an official video clip on YouTube, but I found the two wedding videos below in which it is used as background music.

Afterword:

Kate Miller Heidke is an Australian. In Australian English, the word, "beautiful" has several meanings. One usage is similar in meaning to the Japanese words, "美しい" and "綺麗". Another is used as an affectionate term similar to "あなた". In addition, recently, young shop assistants have - somewhat strangely - started using "beautiful" as an expression similar to "畏まりました".

It's a great responsibility to transform a Harry Potter book into a film. Here are some of the people who do the job. This scene of the Great Hall at Hogwarts School of Magic was shot on a film set at studios in London. The actor Michael Gambon who plays Dumbledore is a member of the cast. The crew is a group of people who make a film. The crew is divided into different departments: camera, visual effects, sound effects, hair, make-up and costumes. The film director decides how the film will look: special effects, camera angles, lights and sets. He also chooses the actors and directs them. Now look at the microphone boom! The boom operator has to position the boom near the actors, but out of the camera's view. The cameraman shoots a scene. It's a creative job but it's technical too. A take  is a scene that is filmed without stopping. The director says "cut"  when a scene is finished. The cameras and sound stop. The clapperboard is shown before a scene is filmed.

I think Lily Allen is the best singer. She is English, just like me! Her real name is Lily Rose Cooper. She is 29 and she is from London. I love listening to her music. She sings very well. And she is also very pretty: She is quite short and she has got a round face. She has got long brown hair and a little nose. She has got brown hair. Her brother’s name is Alfie and he is also famous because he plays in a TV show called “Game of Thrones”. I enjoy watching this TV show !!! “

“My favourite actor is Ryan Gosling. He is 33. He is from Canada. I am a big fan because he is SO handsome. He is tall and athletic. He has got short blond hair and brown hair. He hasn’t got glasses but he has got many tattoos. I love watching the film Drive.