American students smoking more marijuana A recent study by the University of Michigan found that nearly 6% of university students in the United States smoke marijuana, also called “pot,” on a daily basis. This is the highest rate since 1980, when studies showed a 7.2% daily use for the same group. The study’s principal author, Lloyd Johnson, added that the increase is in parallel with the increase of use among high school seniors. The study also found that only 35% of 19- to 22-year-old students thought marijuana use was dangerous. That number is significantly less than the rate of 55% recorded in 2006.

In parallel:  並行的

overexert/overexertion

Donald:  Every morning I run 20 kilometers, and every afternoon I practice judo for 2 hours. Sometimes my muscles hurt really bad, but I don’t want to stop.

Jacob:  If you overexert yourself, you might get a serious muscle sprain. You should be more careful with your intense exercise. It’s better to take a break every few days to avoid overexertion.

Explanation: When a person tries so hard that they risk injury, we might say to them  “don’t overexert yourself.”

overexert (verb) / overexertion (noun):  出し過ぎる

bilateral

Patient:  Is the infection in my right lung or my left lung?

Doctor Abdul: Actually, it’s a bilateral infection. We detected problems in both lungs. A unilateral infection is rare with this type of illness.

Explanation:  Something on both sides of the body is “bilateral” while something on only one side of the body is “unilateral.”

bilateral  (adjective):  双務・左右対称
unilateral (adjective):  片務・一方的

interim

Dear Mr. Huang:

Our company’s finance manager is quitting the company, and the new manager won’t arrive until next year. Can you act as interim manager for the rest of this year?

Explanation:  To do something as an “interim” employee means to work for a short time until a permanent solution is found. It comes from Latin, meaning “in between one thing and another.”

interim (adjective): 中間