Australian opal miners fear for industry as land converted to national park
GRAMMAR
You said: When I was high school or elementary school, I went mountain to mining.
Better: When I was an elementary or high school student, I went to a mountain to mine crystals.
You said: When I was child, there was a small mountain nearby with remnants of a mine. It is a small mine but there was it a crystal of quartz and amethyst left behind.
Better: When I was a child, there was a small mountain nearby with remnants of a mine. Although the mine was small, there were some quartz and amethyst crystals left behind.
PRONUNCIATION
opal [ OH-puhl ]
fear [ feer ]
specific [ spi-SIF-ik ]
vulnerable [ VUHL-ner-uh-buhl ]
prospector [ PROS-pek-ter ]
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Opalはどういう意味ですか？ |
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What does ‘Opal’ mean? |
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opal a precious stone whose color changes when the position of the person looking at it changes miner – a person who works in a mine fear – to be scared of something Australian opal miners are worried or scared because the land where they mine is becoming a national park. |
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本文のas と landの間には，theが必要ですか？ |
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Is the ‘the’ necessary between ‘as’ and ‘land’ in the text? |
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Australian opal miners fear for industry as land converted to national park この英語は文法的に正しいですか？ |
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ChatGPT はい、この文は文法的に正しいです。 しかし、「as land converted to national park」の部分をより標準的な表現にするなら、次のように書くとさらに読みやすくなります。 Australian opal miners fear for the industry as the land is converted to a national park. この場合、「the industry」と「the land」という冠詞を加えることで、より具体的な意味合いが強調されますが、元の文も自然で正しい表現です。 |
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これは，タイトルですが，タイトルであれば，theとaなどを完全に省略してもよいのですか？ |
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はい、タイトルでは冠詞（the、a、an）を省略することが一般的です。タイトルや見出しは短く簡潔にするために、冠詞やその他の非必須の要素を省略することが多いです。 たとえば、「Australian opal miners fear for industry as land converted to national park」という形は、読者に情報を直接伝えるために効果的です。タイトルの冠詞の省略は英語の標準的なスタイルであり、情報が明確に伝わる限り文法的に問題はありません。 |
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あなたの住んでいるところの近くに鉱山はありますか？ |
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Is there a mine near where you live? |
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ありません．しかし，実家の近くにはあります． |
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No, there isn’t. But there is one near my parents’ home. |
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子供の頃，トンカチを持って，近くの山に登って，水晶や紫水晶を取りました．トンカチで叩くと小さな水晶の結晶の塊が取れます． |
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When I was a child, I would climb a nearby mountain with a hammer to collect quartz and amethyst. By striking with the hammer, I could break off small clusters of quartz crystals. |
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おそらくその鉱山は他のものを採掘していたと思いますが，鉱山の跡地には水晶が残っていました．鉱山はとても小さく，小さな洞窟がありました．そこで水晶を取りました． |
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The mine was probably originally used to extract something else, but there were quartz crystals left at the mining site. It was a very small mine, with a small cave where I could gather the quartz.” |
Posted November 6, 2024
Category: Business
Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
- source / sɔrs / (v.) – to get or obtain materials from a specific place
Example:
Companies source their raw materials from reliable suppliers.
- crucial / ˈkru ʃəl / (adj.) – very important or necessary
Example:
Crucial projects are assigned to senior members of the team.
- vulnerable / ˈvʌl nər ə bəl / (adj.) – easily injured, affected, or hurt physically, mentally, or emotionally
Example:
Young children are vulnerable during flu season.
- expire / ɪkˈspaɪər / (v.) – to become invalid or not be good to use after a period of time
Example:
My driver’s license will expire next month, so I need to renew it soon.
- prospector / ˈprɒs pɛk tər / (n.) – a person who looks for gold, oil, or other valuable substances on or under Earth’s surface
Example:
Prospectors often spent many years in far places to search for precious stones.
Article
Read the text below.
Opal miners in Queensland, Australia are concerned about the future of their industry as the land they source the gemstones from is being converted into a national park.
The Queensland government bought the land with a 21-million-Australian-dollar anonymous donation.
For the past thirty years, Robbey Vinnicombe has been looking through red dirt in search of a rare treasure.
A gemstone that can only be found in this remote part of Queensland: the Boulder Opal.
“It’s the most beautiful gemstone on earth. I’ll be here for the rest of my life if I can,” says Vinnicombe.
But Vinnicombe and many other miners who work here hold great concerns for the future of their industry.
Vergemont, the former cattle station on which Vinnicombe holds mining leases, will soon be transformed into a national park.
“There’s dozens and dozens and dozens of stakeholders here that have been here a lifetime and generations, you know what I mean? And we’re just completely ignored, as though we don’t even exist,” says Vinnicombe.
The state government argues they acquired the land to preserve crucial habitats for vulnerable and endangered species.
“It’s significant for the biodiversity that’s in that part of the world,” says Geoff Penton of Desert Channels Queensland.
Existing mining operations can carry on working in some of the property’s locations but for miners with leases that are close to expiring, the future is less certain.
The Queensland Department of Resources says it will work with the industry to help prospectors.
“We’re all small companies. We’re family companies. We’ve invested our life in this,” explains miner and shop owner James Evert.
Each year, the industry brings in 14 million Australian dollars to the area.
“I can’t see the Winton Shire without Opal in it. It’s so important to us. What we need is certainty for this industry,” says Winton Mayor Cathy White.
This article was provided by The Associated Press.
Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
- Opal mining is an important part of Winton residents’ local identity and economy. Do you think a community should have many different kinds of businesses or just focus on making one industry very strong? Why? What do you think are the pros and cons of having only to rely on one industry? Discuss.
- Should Winton fight to keep the opal mining industry open because it is an important part of their local identity, or should they be open to new industries that may protect the environment? Why? Discuss.
Discussion B
- Some miners in Winton feel ignored by the government’s decision to convert mining land into a national park. Do you think governments should always involve local communities in big decisions? Why or why not? Discuss.
- Why is it crucial for communities to be part of discussions about changes that affect them? What might happen if they aren’t included? Discuss.
Category: Business