crack down on

あけましておめでとうございます。今年初めの表現はabcNEWSから取り上げさせていただきます。今年、少し変わった州の法律が制定されるようです。

New Year Welcomes Oddball State Laws
Many new, unusual state laws will take effect when the ball drops at midnight and millions of Americans ring in the New Year, including one that will limit the number of cats in a household.

Turns out 2013 will be unlucky for cat lovers in Wellington, Kan., where the city will be restricting the number of cats in a household to no more than four.

The law was put in place after 231 cats were sent to animal clinics in 2012, Wellington Police Chief Tracy Heath told the Wellington Daily News.

“Those are cats that go to the animal clinic, they’re there for the allotted time and then, unfortunately, they are euthanized,” Heath told the newspaper.

Another unusual law taking effect at midnight is Public Act 97-743 in Illinois. This law imposes a fine of $1,000 on anyone who pops a wheelie on a motorcycle while speeding. While this law might upset some motorcyclists, the state is now giving them a free pass to go through red lights.

Motorcycles are often not heavy enough to trigger magnetic sensors at traffic lights to inform them a vehicle has pulled up. Motorcyclists usually have to wait for a car to pull up before the light turns green.

The new bill states that after a “reasonable” amount of time, the motorcycle could pass the red light if the coast is clear. The law doesn’t apply to cities where the population exceeds 2 million people.

Illinois is also imposing a law cracking down on those who posses, sell or distribute shark fins. For those that haven’t looked at a map lately, Illinois is nowhere near an ocean.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/12/new-year-welcomes-oddball-state-laws/

今回気になったのは crack down on という表現です。
crackには、みなさんご存知の通り、「〈物が〉ひびが入る、割れる」「鋭い音を出す」「〈声が〉（急に）変わる、うわずる」など様々な意味があります。また、ここでは crack down on という形で「〈人・事〉を厳しく取り締まる、…に断固たる処置をとる」という意味を表しています。（『ジーニアス英和辞典　第４版』大修館書店）

今年からゼミの活動がより本格化していくことと思います。気持ちを入れ替え、英語と真剣に向き合っていきたいと思います。まだまだ未熟者ですが、どうぞよろしくお願いいたします。また、最後になりましたが、２０１３年がみなさまにとって良い年になることを願っています。（Jakie）