音声プラットフォーム「Voicy」で毎朝6時30分に更新中の英語ニュースチャンネル「Voicy News Brief with articles from New York Times」。このチャンネルでは、The New York Timesの記事をバイリンガルのパーソナリティが英語で読み上げ、記事と英単語を日本語で解説しています。英語のニュースを毎朝聴いて、リスニング力の向上と英語学習にお役立てください。
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目次
3/14(月)の放送の英文記事と英単語：思春期、保留、合法
Texas Court Halts Investigations of Parents of Transgender Children
Injunction 命令、禁止命令
Puberty 思春期、年頃
Abuse 乱用、虐待
Pending 保留、承認待ち
Legality 合法、正当性
prioritize 優先させる、優先権を与える
著者：J. David Goodman
(c) 2022 The New York Times Company
HOUSTON — Investigations of parents with transgender children for possible child abuse were halted across Texas on Friday after a state court ruled that the policy, ordered last month by Gov. Greg Abbott, had been improperly adopted and violated the state constitution.
The temporary injunction, issued by Judge Amy Clark Meachum in Travis County, stemmed from a legal challenge by the parents of a 16-year-old transgender girl. Her family was among the first to be investigated under Abbott’s order, which directed state officials to consider medically accepted treatments for transgender youth — including hormones or puberty-suppressing drugs — as abuse.
The ruling applied to all such investigations in Texas under Abbott’s order, which the court said could no longer be enforced pending a trial on the issue.
Although it was not clear how many inquiries had already been initiated, several parents of transgender children had come forward in recent weeks to say they had been contacted by officials from the Department of Family and Protective Services about the treatment their children had received. A spokesperson for the department did not respond to a request for comment.
Meachum this month temporarily halted the investigation of the family, which was named only as John, Jane and Mary Doe in court papers, but left the question of the policy’s broader legality open until a hearing Friday.
The hearing brought out new facts about how investigations had been conducted since Abbott’s order in late February.
Child abuse investigators in Texas have been told to prioritize cases involving the parents of transgender children and to investigate them without exception, after the state’s governor ordered certain medical care to be treated as abuse, an investigations supervisor said during the hearing.
The supervisor, Randa Mulanax of the Department of Family and Protective Services, testified in an Austin courtroom that the agency was not given the freedom to determine that a given report involving a transgender child was quite likely not a case of child abuse and that investigators were not able to close the cases.
“I’ve been told about that directly,” said Mulanax, who has submitted her resignation to the department.
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3/15(火)の放送の英文記事と英単語：対抗する、弱体化させる
Russia Asked China for Military and Economic Aid for Ukraine War, U.S. Officials Say
counteract (効力、影響力を)弱める、打ち消す、対抗する
undercut ～を失敗させる、弱体化させる
evasion 回避、ごまかし
backfill 埋め戻す
anonymity 匿名、匿名性
dissuade 思いとどまらせる (⇔persuade 説得する)
著者：Edward Wong and Julian E. Barnes
(c) 2022 The New York Times Company
WASHINGTON — Russia asked China to give it military equipment and support for the war in Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin began a full-scale invasion last month, according to U.S. officials.
Russia has also asked China for additional economic assistance, to help counteract the battering its economy has taken from broad sanctions imposed by the United States and European and Asian nations, according to an official.
U.S. officials, determined to keep secret their means of collecting the intelligence on Russia’s requests, declined to describe further the kind of military equipment Moscow is seeking. The officials also declined to discuss any reaction by China to the requests.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has strengthened a partnership with Putin and has stood by him as Russia has stepped up its military campaign, destroying cities in Ukraine and killing hundreds or thousands of civilians. U.S. officials are watching China closely to see whether it will act on any requests of aid from Russia. Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser, is scheduled to meet Monday in Rome with Yang Jiechi, a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s elite Politburo and director of the party’s Central Foreign Affairs Commission.
Sullivan intends to warn Yang about any future Chinese efforts to bolster Russia in its war or undercut Ukraine, the United States and their partners.
“We are communicating directly, privately to Beijing, that there will absolutely be consequences for large-scale sanctions evasion efforts or support to Russia to backfill them,” Sullivan said on CNN on Sunday.
“We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world,” he said.
Sullivan did not make any explicit mention of potential military support from China, but other U.S. officials spoke about the request from Russia on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of diplomatic and intelligence matters.
The Biden administration is hoping to persuade the Chinese to pressure Putin to change his course in Ukraine, something many current and former officials believe is unlikely. But some in the administration believe it could be possible to dissuade China from stepping up its assistance to Moscow. Beijing may be content to offer rhetorical support for Moscow, and not want to involve itself further on Russia’s side by providing military equipment to assist in the invasion of Ukraine.
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3/16(水)の放送の英文記事と英単語：小学生、地政学
‘Think of Groundhogs’: For Life Advice From a Grade Schooler, Press 2
Grade Schooler 小学生
Geopolitical 地政学
Hotline (二国の政府首脳を結ぶ)ホットライン、直結電話線、電話身の上相談サービス
matter-of-factly 事務的に、事もなげに、淡々と
pep 元気、気力
mad 気の狂った、馬鹿げた、夢中になって(口語で)腹を立てて
著者：Isabella Grullón Paz
(c) 2022 The New York Times Company
If you happen to find yourself feeling overwhelmed or anxious about matters personal, professional or geopolitical, a new hotline offers advice on how to deal with those big feelings.
“If you’re nervous, go get your wallet and spend it on ice cream and shoes,” a distinctly young-sounding voice enthusiastically advises.
“If you’re frustrated, you can always go to your bedroom, punch your pillow or cry on it. And just go scream outside,” another child says matter-of-factly.
At various points since it became operational late last month, about 9,000 people an hour were calling PepToc, a hotline dispensing the wit and wisdom of students at West Side School, a small primary school (enrollment: 147) in rural Healdsburg, California, about 70 miles north of San Francisco.
“I think we’re a grieving world right now,” said Jessica Martin, a West Side art teacher who created the hotline with Asherah Weiss, a fellow artist and educator.
“The pandemic, the war in Ukraine — it’s all still very raw, and we’ve never had the time to emotionally recover,” Martin continued. “But to hear the pure joy from kids is extremely comforting.”
After dialing 707-873-7862, callers are presented with a series of options: Those who are feeling “mad, frustrated or nervous” are instructed to press 1. For “words of encouragement and life advice” or “a pep talk from kindergartners,” dial 2 or 3. Press 4 “to hear kids laughing with delight” or 5 for “encouragement in Spanish.”
Matisse, a fifth grader who advises on the hotline that “if you’re feeling up high and unbalanced, think of groundhogs,” said that his favorite part of the project was being there for people who were struggling.
“Some people just need help,” he said Thursday. “And if people are feeling sad, they can just call in and hear a funny thing.”
Since the hotline began, it has gotten a steady stream of callers listening to the approximately 25 recordings, Martin said. But she thought it would receive maybe 1,000 calls in a month — not thousands an hour.
Martin is hoping the school can secure funding to keep the hotline operating indefinitely.
“But mostly, I hope that the kids take this experience with them forever,” Martin said.
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3/17(木)の放送の英文記事と英単語：停止する、緩める、厳重な
Surge of Omicron Infections Prompts Lockdowns in China
halt 停止する
zero-tolerance 許容なし、徹底した取り締まり
loose 緩める
stringent 厳重な
lift restrictions 制限を解除する
overwhelm 圧倒する、無理が生じる
containment strategy 封じ込め戦略
著者：Keith Bradsher
(c) 2022 The New York Times Company
BEIJING — Several of China’s largest factory cities have ordered a lockdown, halting production of Toyota cars and Apple iPhones. Theaters, cinemas and many restaurants have closed in Shanghai. The northeastern province of Jilin on Monday banned its 24 million residents from leaving the province or traveling between cities.
China is grappling with its largest surge of COVID-19 infections since the coronavirus first emerged more than two years ago in central China. Sustained outbreaks in two-thirds of the country’s provinces are proving the toughest test yet of China’s zero-tolerance coronavirus policy.
Even as countries in the West are now loosening or abandoning mask mandates and other measures, Chinese officials are implementing some of their most stringent methods. That is in large part because China can’t afford to lift restrictions.
The government has been concerned about comparatively lower rates of vaccination among China’s older adults. The country also has far fewer intensive care hospital beds compared to its population than most industrialized countries.
The United States and other Western countries have suffered far higher rates of infection and deaths over the past two years than China and still have higher rates now. But the seven-day average rate of new cases in mainland China, now at 1,584, has more than quintupled in recent days.
China has responded to the current surge in cases by mobilizing its vast Communist Party apparatus to deploy workers and resources. In Jilin province, where many cases have been recorded, workers are building temporary facilities to house thousands of people who test positive. Across the country, workers are corralling and testing millions of citizens every day. But that testing program is starting to be overwhelmed.
China’s virus containment strategy is focused on moving quickly to lock down buildings or neighborhoods. In response to even a single case, officials may seal all the entrances to a store, office building or even convention center. Everyone inside must then stay there for up to several days as they are tested for the coronavirus and sent into isolation if their results are positive.
In Guangzhou, the municipal government Friday sealed off the world’s largest convention center, which was holding a beauty products exhibition. Videos circulating on Chinese social media showed crowds of stranded convention goers milling around and looking for exits in attempts to evade the lockdown.
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3/18(金)の放送の英文記事と英単語：強固な、見劣りさせる、組織化
Starbucks CEO Retires; Schultz Steps In as Interim Chief Executive
Robust 強固な
Overshadow 見劣りさせる
Parlance 用語
Unionize 組織化
Interim 合間の
Jeopardize 危険にさらす
Entrenchment 塹壕
著者：Julie Creswell and Noam Scheiber
(c) 2022 The New York Times Company
For the past two years, even as the pandemic shut down key markets and created supply shortages, Kevin Johnson, the chief executive of Starbucks, managed to lead the company to robust revenue and profit growth.
But in recent months, those operational and financial successes have been overshadowed by a wave of employees — “partners” in Starbucks parlance — who have taken to social media to criticize work conditions and raise other issues at the chain. As a result, more than 100 Starbucks stores in more than 25 states have filed for union elections. Many either have begun to vote or are likely to vote in the coming months. At least six have voted to unionize.
On Wednesday, in an abrupt move, Starbucks said Johnson, who has held the job since 2017, will retire on April 4 after 13 years with the company.
His interim replacement until the board of directors names a permanent one is a familiar name: Howard Schultz.
Schultz, 68, joined Starbucks in the 1980s and built it into a global coffee giant. And this isn’t the first time he has come back to oversee the company. After stepping down as chief executive in 2000, he returned as CEO from 2008 to 2017, when Johnson took over and Schultz became executive chairman. Schultz will also rejoin the company’s board. Shares of Starbucks rose 4.8% to $87.10 on Wednesday.
The unexpected leadership change followed weeks of mounting pressure from investors as more stores filed for union elections. “We believe that Starbucks’s reputation may be jeopardized due to reporting of aggressive union-busting tactics,” a large group of investors, representing more than $1 billion in Starbucks stock, said in a letter sent to Johnson on Tuesday. Starbucks has denied engaging in anti-union activity.
This week, the National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint accusing the company of illegally penalizing two workers involved in a union drive at a Starbucks in Phoenix, the latest in the chain’s labor struggles.
It is unclear whether the return of Schultz signals a softening of the company’s battles against unions or a deeper entrenchment. Schultz, who stepped down as executive chairman in 2018 and was, at the time, one of the largest Starbucks stockholders with 33 million shares, has played a significant role in the company’s response to stores that have sought to unionize.
Starbucks declined to make Schultz and Johnson available for interviews.
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3/19(土)の放送の英文記事と英単語：記録に迫る、大学5年生
Lia Thomas Wins an NCAA Swimming Title
record-threatening 記録に迫る
fifth-year senior 大学5年生
feat 手柄、偉業
cap 〈物事を〉完成する，仕上げる
more than a dozen 12以上
ascension … 登ること、上昇
著者：Alan Blinder
(c) 2022 The New York Times Company
ATLANTA — Lia Thomas, a transgender woman whose record-threatening times on the University of Pennsylvania’s swim team made her a star of college athletics and a symbol of the debate over sports and gender identity, won an NCAA championship in the 500-yard freestyle Thursday.
Thomas, a fifth-year senior who arrived for the swimming championships in Atlanta as the top seed in the 500 and 200 freestyle races, completed the race in 4 minutes, 33.24 seconds, more than a second ahead of the runner-up.
Thomas’ victory made her the first openly transgender woman to win an NCAA swimming title, a feat that came nearly three years after hurdler CeCe Telfer became the first openly transgender person to capture an NCAA championship.
The 200 free will be contested Friday.
Thomas has said little in public this season, her final collegiate campaign to cap a distinguished career that included runner-up finishes in several men’s freestyle races at the Ivy League championships in 2019, even as her story rocketed from the insular swimming community onto talk shows and social media.
In an interview that Sports Illustrated published this month, not long after Thomas won this year’s Ivy League women’s championships in the 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle events, she said: “I don’t look into the negativity and the hate. I am here to swim.”
Her critics argued that was precisely the problem.
Through Nancy Hogshead-Makar, a lawyer who won three Olympic gold medals in swimming in the 1980s, more than a dozen members of Penn’s team sent an anonymous letter to the university and the Ivy League last month to complain that Thomas had “an unfair advantage over competition in the women’s category.” They cited her rapid ascension in the rankings, from high-quality conference swimmer to national title contender, and asserted that her potentially record-breaking times were “feats she could never have done as a male athlete.”
By then, though, the Ivy League had said it welcomed Thomas, who in 2019 came out to her team and began hormone replacement therapy, as a competitor in women’s swimming. (The Ivy League did not hold a 2020-21 season because of the coronavirus pandemic.)
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3/20(日)の放送の英文記事と英単語：同盟を結ぶ、主張する
Biden Warns China of ‘Consequences’ if It Aids Russia in Ukraine War
Ally (動詞) 同盟を結ぶ、(名詞) 同盟国 Alliance は同盟
Make the case 主張する
Face off 対決開始する、試合開始する
Culmination 集大成、仕上げとして
Appease なだめる
著者：David E. Sanger and Edward Wong
(c) 2022 The New York Times Company
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden warned President Xi Jinping of China on Friday of “implications and consequences” if Beijing decides to give material aid to Russia to support its war in Ukraine, the White House said.
During a nearly two-hour video call, Biden laid out for Xi the punishments the United States and its allies had imposed on Russia after it invaded Ukraine last month, said a senior U.S. official, who spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity. And he made the case, officials said, that China would pay a similarly heavy price if it backed President Vladimir Putin of Russia in the fight, less than two months after Putin and Xi declared a partnership in facing off against the United States and the West.
“He made clear what the implications and consequences would be if China provides material support to Russia as it conducts brutal attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Friday afternoon. She declined to say how Xi responded or give details on the costs the United States has threatened to impose on Beijing.
The call was the culmination of an effort to cut off Russian appeals to China for help, as its invasion plan runs into trouble. In conversations this week, administration officials said they were concerned Beijing would try to appease both sides, publicly urging calm while quietly fueling the Russian effort and nurturing its relationship with Putin.
In its public messages, the White House is implying that the United States could impose what are called “secondary sanctions” on China, the world’s second-largest economy. .
The conversation took place just as Russia is seeking to take Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and expand control of the southern coast.
U.S. and European officials see China’s role in the conflict as critical, and decisions by Xi could push the war in different directions — perhaps toward a cease-fire or more robust diplomatic talks, or toward renewed momentum by the Russian forces in their deadly offensive. Xi, who has built a bond with Putin over years, gave no indication he would help seek a diplomatic solution, according to an official Chinese readout of the call.
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