これから紹介するTEDのビデオは英語中級および上級者向けです。 スピーカーの話す速度と使用される語彙は、通常のTEDビデオよりも比較的難しいです。
TEDでの勉強方法ですが、日本語の訳は見ないでまずはまずテキスト読んで下さい。そのあとに集中してすべて聞いてください。理解できない語句の意味を知れべて下さい。この後にビデオを途中で止めながら、スピーカーの発音をまねて声を出してテキストを読んでいきましょう。
Try Something New for 30 Days/Matt Cutts
A few years ago, I felt like I was stuck in a rut, so I decided to follow in the footsteps of the great American philosopher, Morgan Spurlock, and try something new for 30 days. The idea is actually pretty simple. Think about something you've always wanted to add to your life and try it for the next 30 days. It turns out 30 days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit -- like watching the news -- from your life.
There's a few things I learned while doing these 30-day challenges. The first was, instead of the months flying by, forgotten, the time was much more memorable. This was part of a challenge I did to take a picture every day for a month. And I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing that day. I also noticed that as I started to do more and harder 30-day challenges, my self-confidence grew. I went from desk-dwelling computer nerd to the kind of guy who bikes to work. For fun!
Even last year, I ended up hiking up Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. I would never have been that adventurous before I started my 30-day challenges.
I also figured out that if you really want something badly enough, you can do anything for 30 days. Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Every November, tens of thousands of people try to write their own 50,000-word novel, from scratch, in 30 days. It turns out, all you have to do is write 1,667 words a day for a month. So I did. By the way, the secret is not to go to sleep until you've written your words for the day. You might be sleep-deprived, but you'll finish your novel. Now is my book the next great American novel? No. I wrote it in a month. It's awful.
But for the rest of my life, if I meet John Hodgman at a TED party, I don't have to say, "I'm a computer scientist." No, no, if I want to, I can say, "I'm a novelist."
So here's one last thing I'd like to mention. I learned that when I made small, sustainable changes, things I could keep doing, they were more likely to stick. There's nothing wrong with big, crazy challenges. In fact, they're a ton of fun. But they're less likely to stick. When I gave up sugar for 30 days, day 31 looked like this.
So here's my question to you: What are you waiting for? I guarantee you the next 30 days are going to pass whether you like it or not, so why not think about something you have always wanted to try and give it a shot! For the next 30 days.
Thanks.
ボキャブラリー
Stuck in a rut
思考や行動・表現などが型にはまって変化がなく、独創性や新鮮さに欠けること「マンネリである」という意味。 “rut”は「わだち」,の意味で、車の跡.、車が通った後に残る車輪の後を意味し、そこにはまって抜け出せなくなることイメージしています。
例：
I feel like I'm stuck in a rut.
私ってマンネリ化している気がするわ
Follow in the footsteps
誰かの足跡をたどる、誰かの先例に倣うという意味
例：
She followed in her mother’s footsteps and started her own business
彼女は母親の足跡をたどり、自分のビジネスを始めました
philosopher
哲学者、哲人 と言う意味
例：
He is one of the most well-known philosophers in history
彼は歴史上最も有名な哲学者の一人です
turns out
「結局 XXXX であることが分かる」「 XXXX という結果になる」
例：
It turns out that she had known him when they were
彼らがいたときに彼女が彼を知っていたことが分かった。
Subtract
取り去る、削減 と言う意味
例：
Four subtracted from ten equals six
10から4を引くと6になります
Desk-dwelling
dwellの意味は～に住むという意味で、Desk-dwellingは机にかじりついているという意味
Scratch
ゼロ、まっさらな と言う意味
(…を)ひっかく という意味もある
例：
We're starting from scratch and have a lot of ground to cover
私たちはゼロから始めて、多くの土台を築いています。
Sleep-depriver
寝る時間がない という意味
awful
ひどい という意味
He suffered awful injuries in the crash
彼は衝突でひどい怪我をした
Sustainable
持続できる、持続可能 の意味
例：
That sort of extreme diet is not sustainable over a long period
この種の極端な食事は長期間にわたって持続可能ではありません
Give it a shot
やってみる、挑戦してみる の意味
例：
Kenny didn’t think he would get the job, but I told him to give it a shot”
ケニーはその仕事につけると思っていませんでしたが、私はそれに挑戦するように言いた