Part 4A (第4問A)

When I first came to Japan, I was surprised when people asked if I was annoyed by the sounds of insects such as cicadas. They had heard many western people couldn’t stand such sounds. Actually, the sound of cicadas—which are called semi in Japanese—makes me feel at home. When I was growing up, the cicadas would sing in a tree just outside my bedroom window all summer long. I would lie on my bed, listening to their peaceful song. When I heard the cicadas during my first summer in Japan, it brought back happy childhood memories.