こんにちは😊
今日は皆さん、おそらくすでにご存知のSMAP解散のニュースです。
BBC NEWSにも取り上げられていましたので、載せてみました。
すでにご存知で読み易い内容だと思いますし、国際情勢でよく出てくる表現も含まれていますので
是非読んでみてください。記事の下に語彙も入れています。
以下、BBC NEWSの記事です。
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Japan boy band SMAP to break up
14 August 2016
One of Asia’s biggest pop groups, SMAP, is to break up at the end of the year after a 25-year career.
The Japanese boy band, which sold 35m records up to last year, will disband on 31 December, its management agency said on Sunday.
Rumours of a split had been rife since the turn of the year, but had all previously been denied.
Its five members, who are aged between 39 and 43, are now expected to pursue solo careers.
The band, formed in 1988, has built up a huge fanbase in Japan and throughout Asia with members appearing frequently in films, soap operas, and commercials.
Members of SMAP, which stands for “Sports Music Assemble People”, have also appeared on cookery shows and Japanese coverage of the Rio Olympics.
Their popularity has even made them ambassadors for diplomatic relations between Japan, China and South Korea.
In 2011, they were the first Japanese pop group to visit China in a decade, amid a row between the countries over disputed territory. Their Beijing concert was attended by 40,000 people.
A statement by the group’s managers Johnny and Associates said they were “truly and deeply pained and sorry” to not be able to take part in 25th anniversary celebrations.
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disband 解散する
rife （うわさが）飛び交って、広まって
pursue 追いかける、追求する
stand for – （略語などが）–を表す
（この記事中ではSMAP stands for “Sports Music Assemble People”と書かれていますね。知らなかったです。。）
ambassador 大使
diplomatic relations between — and – –と — の外交関係
amid a row 論争の最中に
disputed territory 係争中の領土
statement 声明