Many of us spend hours dreaming of getting away from it all – of getting far from the madding crowd. Two men from the Solomon Islands inadvertently did just that and spent 29 days escaping the rat race. They got lost at sea for over four weeks. Livae Nanjikana and Junior Qoloni set off from Mono Island on September the 3rd in a small motorboat to travel 200km to New Georgia Island. It was a trip they had embarked on several times before. Soon after they set out, they were hit by a storm which played havoc with their navigation system. They lost their ability to detect their location or find their bearings at sea. The storm blew them off course and they ended up off the coast of Papua New Guinea.
Most people associate the company Michelin with car tyres, guide books and stars for quality restaurants. However, the French tyre maker is now helping ships to be more environmentally friendly. The company has tested giant sails that it hopes will make shipping greener. Shipping currently produces a lot of carbon dioxide as oil tankers, container ships and giant cruise ships rely on fossil fuels to move around the world’s oceans. Experts say the industry produces around 940 million tons of CO2 annually, and that it is responsible for about 2.5 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gasses. Michelin’s engineers say their revolutionary new sails could reduce the amount of CO2 produced by the shipping industry by 20 per cent.
In the past decade, bugs have become a familiar sight on dinner tables. One reason for this is they are a great source of protein. Another reason is that people are concerned about the environment. Traditional livestock farming is detrimental to the environment as it is generally unsustainable. Raising insects is much more environmentally friendly. One kilogram of insect protein needs about 10 per cent of the feed, water and land used to produce the same amount of beef. Experts say farming insects is better for the environment than raising livestock. A final reason we may have to eat insects is because of the rise in the world’s population. By 2050 this is expected to be 9.8 billion, up from the current 7.7 billion.
STEP 1 | Reading | Read the following passage about a campus situation.
University Tutoring System
The new university tutoring system begins on August 22. Students will no longer have face-to-face tutoring sessions. Instead, an online tutoring system will be implemented. The computer-based r tutoring system will allow students to receive tutoring help twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, instead of only during regular school hours, Students will benefit from expanded access to tutors. Also, the computer-based system will relieve students of stress from the crowded tutoring centers. Students will no longer need to be present on campus for tutoring. They will be able to access the computer-based system from any computer with an Internet connection.
STEP 2 | Comprehending 読解力テスト | Answer the following questions to make sure you understand the reading
1 What is the notice about?
2 What is the first reason for the new tutoring system?
3 According to the notice, how will it benefit the students?
4 What is another reason for the new tutoring system?
5 According to the notice, how will it benefit the students?
1 Issue ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
2 First reason ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
3 Details ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
4 Second reason ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
5 Details ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
Comprehending 解答例
1 . The notice is about how the university will change from
face -to-face tutoring to a computer-based tutoring
system.
2. One reason for the changes is that only offering
tutoring services during regular school hours is not
enough for the students.
3. Students will have access to tutoring twenty-four
hours a day, seven days a week.
4. Another advantage for the change in the tutoring
system is that it will eliminate crowded, stressful
tutoring centers.
5. Students will be able to access the tutoring network
from any computer with the Internet connection.
▮ Listen
STEP 3 | Listening & Note Taking | Listen to a conversation on the same topic, and take notes.
スクリプト
M: This new tutoring system will be great.
W: I’m not so sure about that.
M: Really? What do you mean?
W: First of all, a lot of students don’t even know how to
type very fast. Some cannot even type at all. This will
make the tutoring sessions really slow.
M: Right. Ty ping skills will be really important.
W: Sure they will. When students are tutored face to
face, they don’t have to worry about typing though.
They can just focus all of their energy on what they’r
learning. I think that’s more efficient.
M: You may be right.
W: There’s something else, too. Students must have
a good computer at home in order to access the
computer-based system. Many students will have to
upgrade their current computer or even buy a new
one. I know a lot of students who don’t even have a
computer at home. It will be very expensive for a lot
of students to get access to tutoring now_
M: That’s a good point.
W: I think it might be better to stick with the old system.
Q The woman expresses her opinion of the new computer-based tutoring system. State her opinion and explain the reasons she gives for holding that opinion.
STEP 4 | Organizing 解答の組み立て | Ask yourself the following questions and organize your ideas.
1 What is the woman’s opinion of the new tutoring system?
2 What does the woman say about students’ typing skills?
3 Why is this important to the new tutoring system?
4 What does the woman say about computers?
5 Why does she think it will be difficult for some students to buy new computer?
STEP 6 | Compare 比較 | Listen to a sample response, and compare it with yours.
Sample Response 模範解答
The notice describes a new university tutoring system.The woman is against the university’s decision to replace face-to-face tutoring with a computer-based tutoring system. First, she believes that students will require excellent typing skills in order to take advantage of the new tutoring system. However, she states that many students lack the ability to type well enough, so the new tutoring system will be much slower than the face-to-face system. To her, the inability to type well will hinder the learning process for some students. Second of all, she believes many students will have to upgrade their computers or even buy new ones. According to the woman, this will be very expensive for many students. She believes the former face-to-face method of tutoring is better for students than the new computer-based tutoring system.
Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, 42, has said he will run for president in the 2022 elections. Mr Pacquiao has served as a senator of the Philippines since 2016. He said he wants to run for president because the Filipino people need a new government. He believes his career in boxing has helped him in politics and would give him the skills he needs to be a good president. He said in a speech: “I’m a fighter, and I will always be a fighter inside and outside the ring.” He added: “We need government to serve our people.” Other sporting heroes have become leaders of their country, like Pakistan’s cricketing hero Imran Khan and Liberia’s soccer icon George Weah.
Scientists are working on bringing back the woolly mammoth. The giant creature is an ancestor of the Asian elephant. It became extinct over 4,000 years ago, but scientists and entrepreneurs want to bring it back to life. The idea is like something from the movie Jurassic Park. Scientists will use the DNA from the bones of a mammoth found in Siberia to revive the mammoth. They will also use cloning techniques. It would be the first time since the Ice Age for a mammoth to walk on the earth. The lead scientist is professor George Church, a geneticist from Harvard Medical School. He is an expert in gene editing. An entrepreneur, Ben Lamm, said: “Our goal is to have our first calves in the next four to six years.”
STEP 1 | Reading | Read the following passage about a campus situation.
Additional Writing Course
Attention, science students. Starting next semester, the school will be offering two writing classes: Basic Writing for Science and Intermediate Writing for Science. These classes have been made in response to the recent complaints about the writing abilities of science students. Students who want to take either of these two classes should meet Professor Johnson first and get an application form.
STEP 2 | Note Taking | Take notes on the reading
① Topic: New writing courses for science students
② Reason: To increase science students’ writing abilities
STEP 3 |Organizing 解答の組み立て | Answer the following question using the above information.
Q : What is the school going to do?
A : The school will offer two writing classes to help improve its science students’ writing.
▮ Listen
STEP 4 | Listening & Note Taking | Listen to a conversation on the same topic, and take notes.
メモ取り
Woman
Opinion : Likes the classes
Reason ： The classes will teach him how to write and be more persuasive, and they may help him get into graduate school.
Man
Opinion: Dislikes the classes
Reason: These classes are a waste of time since she can already write.
スクリプト
M : Did you hear about the new writing class? I think this is a waste of time considering that all of us can already write. Why do we need to learn writing? We will become scientists,not writers!
W : Oh, do you think so? Well, I disagree with you. I think these new classes are great. I always hated English classes, so I never developed any writing skills. You know, these classes will not just be about writing but will also teach us how to be more persuasive. Hopefully, taking these classes can help me get into graduate school.
▮ Speak
STEP 5 | Response 解答| Make your response using the above information
Q The man expresses his opinion about the new classes the school will offer. State his opinion and explain the reasons he gives for having that opinion.
Your Response
The man thinks the new classes are great. Because he hated English class, he doesn’t have any skills. So he wants to take the class in order to go to graduate school.
STEP 6 | Compare 比較 | Listen to a sample response, and compare it with yours.
the man likes the classes because he wants to improve his writing skills to get into graduate school. He always hated English classes, so his skills have not improved.
Cars are becoming more and more technologically advanced. In the past decade, we have seen improvements in electric car technology and driverless cars. The latest advance comes from Mercedes-Benz. The luxury carmaker has unveiled a car that lets you use your mind to control certain things. The car giant unveiled its futuristic car at the IAA Mobility show in Munich earlier this week. The car is called Vision AVTR. The four capitalized letters at the end of its name are to make people think of the movie Avatar. This movie was about using the brain to connect with nature. A Mercedes spokesperson said the car would not be available for purchase any time soon. It is currently in the concept stage of production.
