Refugees drown crossing the Mediterranean On the first weekend of May, Coast Guard boats from Italy rescued 6,800 refugees from unlicensed, overcrowded boats in the Mediterranean Sea between Libya and Italy. In April alone, it is estimated that 1,000 refugees drowned before reaching the Northern shores of the Mediterranean. Most of the refugees are fleeing war, economic collapse, or religious conflict in Libya, Somalia, and other North African countries. The Southern European countries including Spain, Italy, Malta, and Greece, are struggling to deal with the problem.

refugee: 難民 collapse: 崩落・崩壊 drown: 溺れ死ぬ

mark your calendar

Robert: My daughter is getting married next September 5th, so please save the date and try to attend.

Cheryl: I’ll mark my calendar, and tell my husband about it. Thanks for the invitation.

Explanation: When we say “mark your calendar” to someone, we mean that we want them to make plans to attend the event, and to reserve the time in their agenda book or other calendar. 

attend: 参加する　   
invitation: 招待する
save the date: アジェンダにおいておく・アジェンダに書いておく

alarm fatigue

Nurse: There are so many buzzers and beepers making noise in the hospital every day. I don’t always have enough time to check every machine that is sounding an alarm.

Doctor: Yes, I know what you mean. Alarm fatigue is an increasing problem in medical care. If there are too many alarms going off, we get tired of responding to each noise. Then we might start ignoring some of the alarms, or expect other staff members to take care of the situation.

Explanation:  The phrase “alarm fatigue ” means that there are so many alarms and beeping sounds in a medical facility that the staff become tired of responding to each one. The word “fatigue” is from French, meaning ‘to be tired.’ We can use it for people who become tired, or become tired of doing the same thing, or even for parts of machines that break down after repeated use. 

on the right track

Dear Juan:

The shops on the West Coast are buying our furniture more and more. They have increased their orders for the third year in a row. We are definitely on the right track. Keep contacting them!

Explanation:  When an idea or an effort is “on the right track” it means that it’s like a train on the proper line, going to the right destination.