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English for Tomorrow

この本は，１から３までの３冊組で，１９７２年に三友社から出版されました。
青い表紙の薄い冊子ですが，中学生の心を育てる英語の詩や物語がたくさん収められています。

昭和の時代が香りがいっぱいの教材ですが，平成時代の中学生の素直な心にもきっと届いてくれると思います。

そのときどきの子どもたちの心情に寄り添い，心に響く詩や物語をさりげなく届けてみてください。

English for Tomorrow 1

That Is Our Blackboard

This is my desk.
This is my chair.

I use the desk.
I use the chair.

That is our blackboard.
Our teacher uses the blackboard.

We Play Together

We play volleyball.
We use a ball.
The ball is big.
We use a net.
The net is high.

Time Flows

Morning comes.
The sun rises.
Day-time comes.
The sun shines.
Night comes.
Stars twinkle.

Tree

The tree always stands,
The rain,
The wind,
But the tree always stands!

Our Desks

Our desks are small.
But our hope is large.

What Is This?

This is a yellow fruit. It is very, very sour.
It is not an orange.
What is it?

This is a yellow flower. It is not a tulip.
It blooms early in spring. Its stems and leaves are long and slender.
What is it?

This is a vehicle. It has two wheels, handle-bars, a seat, and two pedals.
What is it?

We smell with this.
What is it?

People live in this.
What is it?

I Like Stars

I like stars.
Yellow stars,
Green stars,
Red stars,
Blue stars.
I like stars.
Far stars,
Quiet stars,
bright stars,
Light stars.
I like stars.

Social Science

Where is Mt. Fuji?
It is in Japan.
It is the highest mountain in Japan.
Where are the Alps?
They are in Europe.
There are many high mountains in the Alps.
Most of them are higher than Mt. Fuji.

The Nile is in Africa.
The Amazon is in South America.
The Mississippi is in North America.
The Indus is in Asia.
These are very long rivers in the world.
The Nile is longer than the Amazon.
The Amazon is longer than the Mississippi.
The Mississippi is longer than the Indus.
The Nile is the largest of the four.

Mathematics

We count.
We use many signs in mathematics.
Some of them are:
＝ the sign of eqality
( ) parentheses
＋ plus sign
－ minus sign
× multiplication sign
÷ division sign

We know many figures.
Some of them are:
― a straight line
～ a curved line
□ a square　 （正方形）
□ a rectangle（長方形）
△ a triangle
○ a circle

We can draw these figures with a pencil, a ruler, and a compass.

The Rules of Volleyball

You must not carry the ball.
You must not hold the ball.
You must not kick the ball.
You must not touch the net.
You must not cross the back-line when you serve.
You must send back the ball within three taps.

Homemaking

Can you make a bookcase?
Do you like to make a bookcase?
We make bookcase of wood.
We make desks of wood, too.
We use many tools to make things.
We use a hammer,
a saw,
a plane,
a chisel,
a square,
and other tools.

What Are We Doing Now?

I'm studying English at school.
Our teacher is teaching English in our classroom.

My mother is washing our clothes.
She is working very hard.
My father is working in a factory.
He is driving a very big machine.
My brothers are working in factories, too.
My sisters are working in offices.

My little brother is playing in the children's park.
He is swinging in a swing.
He is going up and down in the swing.
My little sister is playing with her dolls.
She is changing their clothes.
She is kissing their red cheeks.

My little puppy is running.
He is barking.
My kitten is watching gold fish.
She is mewing.

The sun is shining.
The clouds are floating in the sky.
The wind is blowing.
The flowers are dancing in the garden.
The birds are flying over the chimneys.

Oh! Smoke is coming out of the chimneys.

Mr. Wind and Mr. Sun

Mr. Wind:　I am stronger than you, Mr. Sun.
I can make the leaves move on a tree.
Can you do that?
Mr. Sun: 　No, I cannot do that, Mr. Wind.
But I can make the plants come up in a garden.
Can you do that?
Mr. Wind:　No, I cannot do that.
But I can make the kites go up in the sky.
Mr. Sun: 　I know how we can find out who is stronger.
Do you see that man walking down the road?
Mr. Wind:　Yes, I see him.
Mr. Sun: 　The man has on a coat.
Each of us will try to make the man take off his coat.
If I can make him do that, I am stronger than you.
Mr. Wind:　If I can make him do that, I am stronger than you.
Mr. Sun: 　You try first, Mr. Wind.
Mr. Wind:　You will see, Mr. Sun.
I know I can make the man take off his coat.

(Mr. Wind blows and blows.)

Mr. Sun: 　You are not very strong, Mr. Wind.
You did not make the man take off his coat.
Mr. Wind:　Now you try, Mr. Sun.
We will see if you can make the man take off his coat.
Mr. Sun: 　I will try, Mr. Wind.

(Mr. Sun shines and shines.)

Mr. Wind:　You are strong, Mr. Sun.
You made the man take off his coat.
You did something that I could not do.
You are stronger than I, Mr. Sun.

Clouds

White sheep, white sheep,
On a blue hill,
When the wind stops
You all stand still.
When the wind blows
You walk away slow.
White sheep, white sheep,
Where do you go?

English for Tomorow 2

The Great Lakes

Look at the map.
There are five large lakes in the midwest of the U.S.A.
They are the Great Lakes.
Do you know the names of the Great Lakes?
They are Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario.

Many, many years ago, the Great Lakes were not lakes.
Who made these lakes?
Nobody made them.
What made these lakes?
Glaciers made them.

Do you know the word 'glacier'?
A glacier is a river of ice.
Many, many years ago, there were great glaciers in North America.
In many places these glaciers were several thousand feet deep.
They melted, and became large lakes.
It was about 11,000 years ago.
This is the history of the Great Lakes.

My Father

My father is a fisherman.
He starts off early every morning to catch many fish.
But he can't go fishing on windy days.
Because his boat is too small.
I want him to have a bigger boat.

But he works hard every day.
I like him.
Because he works hard.

He smells of raw fish.
But I like him.
I can see him smiling every day.

Coins

Coins! Coins! Coins!

We can buy anything with coins.
The beautiful foreign clothes.
The book.
The color television.
The house.
The doll.
The ......
The coins are very wonderful.

But we cannot buy
My mother!
My father!
Your life!
With coins.
Many people fight, hate and kill to get coins.
Oh! How terrible it is!

The coins change many people.
The coins are very, very terrible.
But I like coins very much.
And many people like coins very much.

A Pretty Hen

(1)
Once upon a time there lived a hen in a small house.
The house stoode near a big forest.
The hen worked very hard.
She cleaned the floor.
She polished the table.
She polished the knives.
She polished the forks.
The hen had needles and thread.
She liked sewing.
She liked knitting, too.

(2)
One day the hen went out.
She wanted to pick some berries in the forest.
She took a pretty basket with her.

A bad fox saw the hen.
"I will catch the hen and eat her!" the fox thought.
He knew that there were no hunters and their dogs near by.
The fox waited.

The hen noticed the fox.
At once she flew up into a big tree.
The fox came over to the tree and said,
"Come down, my dear hen! We are all friends now.
A fox, a dog, a monkey, a cat, a rat, a pig, a hen, a swallow
--- all animals are friends now.
No one will eat anyone else."

The hen smiled, "That's very good! But I will not come down now."

(3)
The bad fox thought of a plan.
He began to run round the tree.
He ran faster and faster.
The hen became dizzy.
"Oh! I'm dizzy --- I'm going to fall down ---"
She fell to the ground.

(4)
The fox caught the hen at once.
He was very glad.
He put the hen into his bag.
"I'll have a nice dinner this evening."
But the fox was too tired.
So he lay down on the grass and slept.

(5)
The hen in the bag took her big scissors out of her pocket.
She liked to work, so she always had a pair of scissors, needles and thread in her pocket.
She cut the bag open with her scissors, and go out.
She gatherede some stones and put them into the bag.
Then she sewed the bag up with her needle and thread.

(6)
The fox woke up.
He knew nothing about her escape.
He carried his bag.
The bag was very heavy.
"What a heavy hen she is! I can have a very, very, very nice dinner this evening!"
he said to himself.

(7)
When he came home, he made a fire at once.
He put a big kettle on the fire, and boiled some water.
The water became very, very, very hot!
The fox opened the bag, and put the big stones into the water.
Splash!
The boiling water burnt the fox.
(An English Folk Tale)

Tanka by Takuboku Ishikawa

たわむれに母を背負いてそのあまり
軽きに泣きて三歩あゆまず

I took my mother on my back for fun,
Oh, how light she was!
A full three steps I could not take, crying.

はたらけどはたらけど猶わが生活（くらし）
楽にならざりじっと手を見る

I work and work and work,
But still I'm poor.
I gaze closely at my hands,
Losing words.

BEING ONLY SEVEN

息一つ　確かに吸って　心音絶えき
頑張ったぞよく頑張ったぞと
吾子をほめやる

Breathing the last breath,
Fumiki died,
died, oh!
His little heart stopped
in the midnight.
Snow was falling
in Hiroshima.
Being only seven, only seven,
Fumiki died
died,

His mother having been burnt
in Hiroshima,
On August 6, 1945.

The Gojinjo Daiko

(1)
Do you know the Gojinjo Daiko?
Have you ever heard them beat the Gojinjo Daiko?
They --- Who are they?
Who?

They are peasants.
They are fishermen, too.
Where do you live?
They live in a small village, Nabuna.
Do you know where Nabuna is?
Nabuna is in the Noto Peninsula.
The villagers in Nabuna hold a festival in July every year.
Some men of Nabuna beat the Gojinjo Daiko then.
It's very impressive to hear them beat the splendid, big drum.

(2)
About 400 years ago Kenshin Uesugi sent his army to this small village, Nabuna.
He wanted to occupy the village and rule the villagers.
They didn't want to be ruled by the warrior class.
They loved peace and wanted to live independently.
But they were peasants and fishermen.
They had no weapons.
What could they do against Kenshin's strong troops?

They thought and thought.
They gathered and talked for a long time.
At last they thought of a plan.

They said, "we will make fearsome masks.
They will be ghost-masks and demon-masks, and they will frighten Kenshin's men.
Besides that, we will beat our drums loudly.
Kenshin's men will run away."
The villagers of Nabuna carried out the plan.
And Kenshin's troops ran away.

(3)
Since then they have had feasts to cerebrate the victory.
At these feasts some men wear ghost-masks and demon-masks, and beat a big drum as fast and loudly as they can.
This drum is called the Gojinjo Daiko.

Most of the men in the village have to go out of their village and work in towns for a long time every year.
Therefore many young men of the village have gone to towns.
So, few are left to beat the drum now.

A Letter from Hokkaido

January 15, 1972
Dear Friend,
As you know well, I live on a tiny island.
It is only one kilometer in circumference.
There are no reglar boats to this island.
There are only ten houses of fishermen and one school building.
There are no doctors.
There are no stores.
Even our drinking water must be brought by boat.

As I told you, I have six dear pupils in my school.
These boys and girls have recently built a wonderful skating rink.
Well, I am going to tell you about this splendid skating rink.

(1)
We've had much snow this year.
Every child enjoyed sliding down the small hill on a sled.
After they slid for some days, frozen ground appeared from under the snow.
There wasn't a skating rink on this tiny island.
Though all the children wanted to have a rink, their parents said that making it was impossible
because there was neither room nor water.
So they thought they had to give up skating.

(2)
One day their teachers decided to buy skates for them and take them on a winter excursion.
In a few days a pair of new, shining skates was given to each child.
"What wonderful skates these are!"
"How nice these skates are!"
Everyone shouted with joy.
"Oh, I want to skate at once."
"Osamu, have you ever skated before? I have never skated. Perhaps I can't stand with skates on."
"Neither can I. I don't know how to skate."

(3)
"Toshi, why can't we have a rink in Kojima? All the children in Akkeshi have a good time every day."
"That's right. When I went there, I saw many boys and girls skating very happily."
"Children in Shibecha enjoyed skating, too. I'm sorry we can't skate."
"Now if our teachers and parents don't try to make a rink, let's make it by ourselves."
"What? By ourselves? How can we? We can't do such a thing, can we?"
"Why do you say we can't do so? Why?"
"Because we have no water, no place.... And we don't know how to make it."
"Water, a place.... Wait a minute. Come on, Osamu. I have a good idea. Let's call all our friends at once."

(4)
One Suturday afternoon the pupils and two little children came with various buckets and shovels.
First they began to stamp on the snow covering the ground near the school.
Next they brought lots of water from the pump well though it contained a little salt.
Nobody complained, and nobody rested.
Toshi and Osamu encouraged the other children.
It was getting dark and cold.
But everybody continued to carry salt water.
Their faces became red in the cold air, and their eyes were shining like their parents' eyes when they worked hard.

(5)
As soon as Toshi got jp the next morning, he ran to the new rink.
But he was disappointed when he looked at it.
After a while the children came with skates.
"What's the matter with you?"
"We can't skate on such a rink. Look at this. This ice is too rough."
"Why isn't it smooth?"
"Probably because of salt water. I don't think that we can make good ice from it." "But there's only salt water in Kojima. We have been making the rink for three days. After all we can't make it without water. I'm already tired. Oh, we need water!"

(6)
"I won't give up, Osamu. Well, there's lots of snow around us. We'll use it. We'll make water form it. Shall we melt the snow this evening?"
It was cold that evening.
They put the buckets filled with snow on the stoves.
Each stove changed the snow into water little by little.
They watched it.
Then they carried the water to the rink.
Their work went on until about nine o'clock.
The tiny island was already calm.
Only the sound of the buckets was heard all over the island.

(7)
Their parents were watching these children at work.
They were surprised to know that all the children could unite so fast to achieve their object.
Now they too thought about the skating rink.
The next day they decided to bring some water by ship for the children.
All the children were very glad to hear this.
How long they had wanted water!
The water was brought in the afternoon at last.
Every pupil and little child helped his father with a smile.
Their actions moved their parents and so their hopes were going to be realized.

(8)
"We didn't have a skating rink in our school. So we began to make it a week ago. We have been working for a week to make it. And we have just made the rink, though it is very small. We can enjoy skating like many children in Akkeshi. By the way have we all united in order to make somothing? We think we have learned an important lesson for a week. If all of us unite, we can do anything we want. If we work together, we can make everything. Our skating rink is the best example of this."

Please tell this story to your pupils.

Yours sincerely,
T.T.

English for Tomorrow 3

The Rainbow

(1)
Look! The rainbow!
How beautiful the rainbow is!

The rainbow has seven colors.
The are red,
orange,
yellow,
green,
blue,
indigo,
and violet.

(2)
A rainbow is often seen in the sky opposite the sun during a light rain.
It is caused by the sun shining through raindrops.
We can sometimes see a rainbow at night.

The Sun

(1)
We know the sun.
You know the sun.
The sun is burning.

(2)
The sun makes things grow.
Animals need the sun.
Animals live on the plants that grow in the sun.

People need the sun.
We eat the plants that grow in the sun.

We eat the animals that eat the plants that grow in the sun.
So in a sense we are living by eating sunlight.

(3)
What a beautiful day!
The sun is shining.
Everything looks bright.
It's nice and warm out!

Color

What is pink?
A rose is pink by a fountain's brink.

What is red?
A poppy's red in its barley bed.

What is blue?
The sky is blue where the clouds float thro'.

What is white?
A swan is white sailing in the light.

What is yellow?
Pears are yellow, rich and ripe and mellow.

What is green?
The grass is green, with small flowers between.

What is violet?
Clouds are violet in the summer twilight.

What is orange?
Why, an orange, just an orange!

The Garden Year

January brings the snow,
Makes our feet and fingers glow.

February brings the rain,
Thaws the frozen lake again.

March brings breezes, loud and shrill,
To stir the dancing daffodil.

April brings the primrose sweet,
Scatters daisies at our feet.

May brings flocks of pretty lambs
Skipping by their fleecy dams.

June brings tulips, lilies, roses,
Fills the children's hands with posies.

Hot July brings cooling showers,
Apricots and gillyflowers.

August brings the sheaves of corn,
Then the harvest home is borne.

Warm September brings the fruit,
Sportsmen then begin to shoot.

Fresh October brings the pheasant,
Then to gather nuts is pleasant.

Dull November brings the blast,
Then the leaves are whirling fast.

Chill December brings the sleet,
Blazing fire and Christmas treat.


（Sara Coleridge）

The First Thanksgiving Day

(1)
On September 6, 1620, a ship sailed from Plymouth, a port in southern England. It was going to America -- the New World! -- across the Atlantic! The Mayflower was the name of the ship, on which there were 78 men, 24 women, and some children. The men are known as Pilgrim Fathers. In their home country they could not worship God in the way they liked. "We will go to a new land. There we will be able to worship God as we like," they thought in their minds. Their desire was to begin a new life in a new land.
Before going ashore the Pilgrim leaders drew up the Mayflower Compact, America's first written plan of self-government. It stated that governments exist for the good of the governed -- a new and unusual idea at that time.
They landed on the northeastern coast of America on December 21, 1620.

(2)
When they began to live there, it was the coldest season of the year. There were no houses to live in and no food to eat. It was necessary for them to cut down trees and build houses. It was necessary to catch fish and to hunt rabbits, turkeys, pheasants, and deer for food.
Fortunately, there were Indians, who had been living a long time with their own culture until the white men came. The newcomers saw corn, pumpkins, potatoes, tomatoes, and turkeys for the first time. The Indians cooked them. They taught the newcomers how to cook them.

(3)
The first winter was so cold that more than half of them died before the spring came. It was because they had neither good food nor medicine and neither houses nor clothes.
However, spring finally came and brought warm weather and bright hopes to them. The Indians helped them to build larger houses. The Indians also helped them to plant corn, pumpkins, and all sorts of vegetables.
During the summer teh corn and vegetables grew rapidly. In the fall of that year the harvest was wonderful. And it was possible to catch more rabbits, pheasants, turkeys, and deer than the year before. The settlers were now happy, because they had been able to store away enough food against the winter.

(4)
"Let's hold a party and give thanks to God for waht the year has brought," they said to one another. "We must invite our friends, the Indians, to our party."
The day was set. Everyone began to prepare for the party. The men went to the forest to hunt, while the children gathered wood for the open fires. All day long the women were busy preparing food for the party. They baked bread and prepared the turkeys.
At last the day of the party came. Everything was ready. The tables were spread under the trees.
When the Indians came in their best clothes, the settlers showed them their places at the tables. After the settlers gave thanks to God for the good year, they sat down together with the Indians. Thus the first settlers and the Indians held a party together for three days.
That was the first Thanksgiving Day, and since that time, the Americans have commemorated that event every year. They stop their work and celebrate it on the fourth Thursday of November.

I Have a Dream

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners, will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the State of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.
……………
This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the south ……………
With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
……………
Let freedom ring!
Let freedom ring from every hill!
Let freedom ring from every village and every city!

Sweden

1) The Land
Sweden is the largest and most populous country of the Scandinavian countries. Sweden is a long country, which extends more than on-seventh of the distance from the eqator to the pole. So there are wide differences in climate. In the south the climate is pleasant most of the year. In the north the summer is very short. The midnight sun in the far north is seen for fiftry nights. During the winter, however, there is continuous night for several weeks.
Sweden has many navigable rivers and lakes. The lakes are connected with one another by many canals. They extend to more than 700 miles. The country has also a network of railways and fine roads.
In the south, the land in flat and very fertile, and there are rich crops. In Sweden there are some high mountains which are about 7,000 feet in height. There are many fine forests which give the people a lot of timber.
The central part of the country is rich in iron which is very pure and good. A lot of iron ores are exported. Sweden also exports large quantities of metal goods and machinery. There is much electric power which is produced from falling water.
In the northern part of Sweden, the Lapps live. They usually keep reindeers.

2) Stockholm
Stockholm, the Swedish capital, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is built on a number of islands. Stockholm is often called the Venice of the North. But many travelers say that Stockholm is far lovelier than the Italian city. The city has one of the most complete historical museums. Stockholm is the commercial center of Sweden.

3) History
During the Viking period of conquest, Swedish pirates roved the sea in their dragon boats. In the twelfth century, several Swedish cities joined the Hanseatic League. In the thirteenth century, Stockholm became the residence of the king. In 1434, there was a rising against the power of the king, and a "Riksdag" (Parliament) was born. This was the first parliament on the continent of Europe.
Sweden was once ruled by Denmark. But in 1520, Gustavus Eriksson Vasa, a young nobleman, led a revolt against the brutal King of Denmark. Sweden became independent then.

4) Politics
In both the World Wars Sweden chose to be neutral, and she has chosen not to join NATO. She believes that she can do more to serve peace of the world by remaining outside alliances. Sweden has a balanced welfare program that is a model to the world in many respects. But the country which has the most suicides in the world is Sweden. Why? We have to think about it.