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Why Can't America Agree on Ending Daylight Saving Time?

なぜアメリカは夏時間の廃止で意見が一致しないのか?

#daylight saving time#United States#time change#US Congress
0:00 / 0:00

Every year, millions of Americans have to change their clocks twice. Many people dislike losing an hour of sleep in the spring and feeling tired after the time changes. Now, lawmakers are trying to stop this routine, but deciding how to set the clock is not easy.

The US House of Representatives recently voted to end the twice-a-year clock change. Under the proposed plan, daylight saving time would become permanent, meaning people would no longer need to adjust their clocks every spring and autumn.

no longer= もはや〜ない、もはや〜する必要がない

However, the bill faces strong disagreement in the US Senate. Senators remain divided on whether permanent daylight saving time or permanent standard time is better for safety, school schedules, and daily routines.

remain divided on whether ... or ...= 〜かそれとも〜かについて意見が割れたままである

This is not the first time the country has tried to fix the clock system. The US previously introduced permanent daylight saving time, but lawmakers quickly reversed course after complaints about dark winter mornings. Because of this history and conflicting opinions, ending the clock change remains a controversial issue.

reverse course= 方針や決定を反対方向に急に変更する

学習ノート

表現パターン

パターン意味
no longerもはや〜ない、もはや〜する必要がない
remain divided on whether ... or ...〜かそれとも〜かについて意見が割れたままである
reverse course方針や決定を反対方向に急に変更する

語彙

レベル意味
daylight saving timeB1サマータイム、夏時間
lawmakersB1議員、立法者
permanentB1恒久的な、永久の
adjustB1調整する、合わせる
controversialB2議論を呼ぶ、物議を醸す

言語メモ

  • サマータイム(夏時間)はもともと第一次世界大戦中にエネルギー節約目的で導入されましたが、現代の研究では節電効果に疑問の声もあり、睡眠リズムの乱れによる健康への影響が懸念されています。
  • アメリカでは「日光保護法(Sunshine Protection Act)」として通年夏時間化の法案が議論されていますが、医療・健康の専門家からは体内時計に優しい「通年標準時」を支持する声も強く、議論が続いています。

練習

読んだ内容を確認しましょう。

  1. Under the proposed plan, daylight saving time would become  , meaning people would no longer need to adjust their clocks every spring and autumn.

  2. Why did US lawmakers reverse course after previously introducing permanent daylight saving time?

  3. What does the pattern 'remain divided on whether ... or ...' mean in the article?

Source: Al Jazeera