The topic discussed here is the investigation of the causes of the disappearance of the sea otter, which is a small mammal that lives in waters along the western coast of North America from California to Alaska. The woman in the lecture argues that the cause of their disappearance is the presence of the predators, especially areas, and not pollution as the reading says.
| Body １ パッセージ理由1への反論
Firstly, she argues that one of the proofs of their being attacked by the predators is the fact that no one can find any dead sea otters. If the cause was the pollution, many dead sea otters would be found along the shores. In addition, a predator will immediately eat its prey so this is why no dead sea otters were found.
| Body 2 パッセージ理由2への反論 Body
Secondly, the woman in the lecture argues there is another explanation than pollution why smaller sea mammals are all disappearing.She says that, since the whales tend to disappear because of the humans hunting them, the areas had to adapt their food habits to the sea conditions and as a result they have started eating the smaller sea animals available among them sea otters being included.
| Body ３ パッセージ理由3への反論 Body
Thirdly, she argues that the areas cannot access the shallow locations. This is why there are some areas where the sea otters are numerous. It’s not because of uneven concentrations of pollutants.
The lecturer discusses the points made in the text but reaches a different conclusion in each case. For one thing, she states that yes, people are reading less literature then they were in earlier times but this does not equal an immediate decline of culture. On the contrary, in her opinion our culture is simply evolving and changing. Although literature is one of the most obvious elements of culture, there are also lots of other forms of artistic expression in our ever-changing culture, e.g. music. And those elements are not less valuable and less creative than literature and they appeal to more modern concerns than literature.
Also the lecturer disputes the text that says we are going to lose interesting writers of literature. She says that today literature is not interesting enough for the reader! In the lecturers opinion this is mainly due to the fact that modern literature is often written with the intention of being difficult to understand, which does not make it very attractive for the modern reader.
And finally just because people are not reading literature anymore this does not mean they are not reading at all and losing their imagination and empathy; instead there are many other valuable types of books which people are reading, e.g. science textbooks and political analysis. These books can stimulate readers and provide satisfaction and learning.
The lecturer points out that there are other forms of writing that are of high quality and just as intellectually stimulating as literature.
ポイント（反論）2
The lecturer argues that people spend time on culturally valuable activities such as listening to good music or watching good movies. The definition of culture is changing.
ポイント（反論）3
The lecturer argues that maybe there is less readership of literature because the writers of literature nowadays are making their books/ works too hard to understand.
スクリプト
It is often said that people are reading less literature today than they used to. What should we make of this?
Well, first, a book doesn’t have to be literature to be intellectually stimulating. Science writing, history, political analysis, and so forth aren’t literature, perhaps, but they’re often of high quality. And these kinds of books can be just as creative and well-written as a novel or a play-they can stimulate the imagination. So don’t assume that someone who isn’t reading literature isn’t reading a good book.
But let’s say that people aren’t just spending less time with literature, they’re also spending less time with books in general. Does that mean that the culture is in decline? No. There’s plenty of culturally valuable material that isn’t written: music and movies, for example. Are people wasting their time when they listen to a brilliant song or watch a good movie? Do these non-literary activities lower cultural standards? Of course not. Culture has changed. In today’s culture there are many forms of expression available other than novels and poems, and some of these creative forms speak more directly to contemporary concerns than literature does.
Finally, it’s probably true that there’s less support for literature today than in earlier generations. But don’t be too quick to blame the readers. Sometimes it’s the author’s fault. Let’s be honest: a lot of modern literature is intended to be difficult to understand. There’s not much reason to suppose that earlier generations of readers would have read a lot of today’s literature either.
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.
Directions: Give yourself 3 minutes to read the passage
A recent study reveals that people, especially young people, are reading far less literature-novels, plays, and poems-than they used to. This is troubling because the trend has unfortunate effects for the reading public, for culture in general, and for the future of literature itself.While there has been a decline in book reading generally, the decline has been especially sharp for literature. This is unfortunate because nothing else provides the intellectual stimulation that literature does. Literature encourages us to exercise our imaginations, empathize with others, and expand our understanding of language. So by reading less literature, the reading public is missing out on important benefits. Unfortunately, missing out on the benefits of literature is not the only problem. What are people reading instead? Consider the prevalence of self-help books on lists of best sellers. These are usually superficial, poorly written, and intellectually undemanding. Additionally, instead of sitting down with a challenging novel, many persons are now more likely to turn on the television, watch a music video, or read a Web page. Clearly, diverting time previously spent in reading literature to trivial forms of entertainment has lowered the level of culture in general. The trend of reading less literature is all the more regrettable because it is taking place during a period when good literature is being written. There are many talented writers today, but they lack an audience. This fact is bound to lead publishers to invest less in literature and so support fewer serious writers. Thus, the writing as well as the reading of literature is likely to decline because of the poor standards of today’s readers.
パッセージのポイント
ポイント１
The passage argues that reading less literature means that readers are missing out on ways to stimulate their imagination and help with their mental development.
ポイント２
The passage argues that many of the kinds of reading that people currently spend time on instead of literature are just trivial entertainment and lead to lower cultural standards.
ポイント３
The passage says that another bad effect of the decline in reading literature is that talented writers of literature are not being supported.
The whole family gathered / around a warm stove. / lay down / and went to sleep.// Once a day / everyone got up / to eat a piece of hard bread.// Then they went back to sleep. // The members of the family took turns/ keeping the fire burning. //This was not “hibernating” / like what bears do in the winter.// But it was a sensible decision / by the members of the family.// Just stay in bed / for as long as possible. / and do not work.// To these French farmers / “working more to earn more”/ did not seem like a good idea. // Instead of working throughout the year,/ the people of one village on the Rhone River/ made enough money for one year / relaxing, hunting and sleeping. //Few people needed money / until the 20th century. //
読解力をつける4つの秘訣！
スラッシュ・リーディングの他にも速読を鍛える方法がありますので、併せて習得してください。
1. 読書に集中できる環境作り
まず、第一に、「読む」ことに集中してください。
TVやスマホ、iPadなどを周りに置かないでください。
そして、あなたがリラックスできて
パッセージを読むのに適した明るさの下で読むようにしましょう。
記事や本に書かれている情報を吸収しやすい脳にするためには、
脳をリラックス状態にさせ、さらに十分な酸素を送ることも大切です。
2. 読む目的を明確にする
2番目に、読む目的についてよく考えてください。
記事/本/雑誌/コラムなどの表紙を見れば、読み物の主題や
何について書かれているかはわかります。
そこで、あなたが、そこから何を学びたいのか、知りたいのかを明確にしましょう。
例えば、記事のタイトルが ”The Remedies of Migraine-片頭痛療法 ” だとします。
The whole family gathered / around a warm stove. / lay down / and went to sleep.// Once a day / everyone got up / to eat a piece of hard bread.// Then they went back to sleep. // The members of the family took turns/ keeping the fire burning. //This was not “hibernating” / like what bears do in the winter.// But it was a sensible decision / by the members of the family.// Just stay in bed / for as long as possible. / and do not work.// To these French farmers / “working more to earn more”/ did not seem like a good idea. // Instead of working throughout the year,/ the people of one village on the Rhone River/ made enough money for one year / relaxing, hunting and sleeping. //Few people needed money / until the 20th century. //
読解力をつける4つの秘訣！
それでは、読解力をパワーアップするための方法をガイダンスしていきましょう。
1. 読書に集中できる環境作り
まず、第一に、「読む」ことに集中してください。
TVやスマホ、iPadなどを周りに置かないでください。
そして、あなたがリラックスできて
パッセージを読むのに適した明るさの下で読むようにしましょう。
記事や本に書かれている情報を吸収しやすい脳にするためには、
脳をリラックス状態にさせ、さらに十分な酸素を送ることも大切です。
2. 読む目的を明確にする
2番目に、読む目的についてよく考えてください。
記事/本/雑誌/コラムなどの表紙を見れば、読み物の主題や
何について書かれているかはわかります。
そこで、あなたが、そこから何を学びたいのか、知りたいのかを明確にしましょう。
例えば、記事のタイトルが ”The Remedies of Migraine-片頭痛療法 ” だとします。
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.
