Writing for Academic Discussion Do you prefer to try new things regularly, or do you prefer a stable lifestyle?

Do you prefer to try new things regularly, or do you prefer a stable lifestyle? (psychology)

 

 

☆ Let’s Think

1.       Do you often try foods you have never eaten, or do you always eat what you already know? Why?

2.       Do you enjoy meeting new people or stick to very few close friends? Why?

3.       What are the disadvantages of each of the two approaches to life the professor mentions?

 

 

☆Hints for points

Adventurous lifestyle

varieties of experiences, large network of a variety of friends and acquaintances, strong interest in new things, life full of excitement and surprise, introduction of new things into society, unexpected discoveries, flexible and tolerant toward different ideas and tastes, progressive, often misunderstood by others, full of danger and loss

“A rolling stone gathers no moss.” (A proverb)

 

Safety-oriented lifestyle

safe and peaceful life, focused on protecting the status quo, deep understanding of one thing/person, skeptical and afraid of new things, possibility to miss opportunities, old-fashioned, often considered boring, fail to adapt to inevitable changes, You cannot say that you are really living if you keep avoiding new things

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” (Neale Donald Walsch)

 

Decisive reasons for your preference

way of life (offensive/defensive), character (active/passive), role model (family member, the person you admire, famous people, etc.)

 

 

☆ Sample for Ideas and Expressions

【Thesis】While I think Samantha is right in that the predictability of routine leads to peace of mind and indeed it is a factor of happiness, I prefer to keep trying something new because nothing stays the same forever.

【Supporting Details】There is always an end or a point of completion of a phase in anything, beyond which development is barely expected other than enhancement through repetition of routines. Therefore, when I feel I have experienced something well enough or when a project gets on track and the work is almost done, my mind becomes less activated. I find it hard to keep the same degree of passion in the present as before, and naturally, I start seeking for a novelty for growth.

【Counterargument-treatment】This does not mean that completion and sophistication are psychologically less important than launch and endeavor to establish a pattern, but it is natural for a mind to look for a new experience. It is also true that continuation of monotonous daily life and steady practice of routines can be the matrix of evolution, and thus I don’t take light of conventional lifestyle. but my preference for changes won’t change.

【Conclusion】It is instinctive for us humans to try to expand ourselves, and I think I’m just following the rule in this sense. (208 words)

 

 

 

 

 

Write your response in 10 minutes. Show each other your responses. Write down questions or suggestions to each other’s response.

 

 

                                                   DRAFT

 

 

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

 

早稲田国際教養AO 補助教材 Cities and Agricultural Productivity - revised -

産業革命に伴う都市の発展(技術革新)が農業の発展(技術革新)も促していることを戦後日本の経済成長期（７０年代まで）の自給率上昇によって証明している文章です。

 

主な注意点

問１  繰り返しになりますが記号問題は全問正解を目指しましょう。本文中に根拠になる箇所は必ずあります。確認しながら丁寧に正誤を判断しましょう。

問２  本文のポイントを理解していることを採点者に分かってもらえるように書きましょう。要約と要約を基にした推測を書く問題なので、本文と関係ない根拠を使って独自の意見のみを書いてしまわないようにしましょう。

問３  本文の主張を基にするだけでなく、現在の日本の農業の問題点を考慮した答案が期待されていると思います。農業政策やグローバル化と関連付けて答えましょう。

 

 

解答のポイント

主題: 農業の発展は都市の発展に伴って起こる。戦前の日本の自給率は低かったが戦後の都市の急成長と共に100％の自給率を達成し、農業の多様化が起こった。これらは農業に対する大きな需要を抱える都市の技術革新の適用によるものである。

本文該当箇所 第1段落 It can readily be seen in the world today that agriculture is not even tolerably productive unless it incorporates many goods and services produced in cities or transplanted from cities. 都市で生産されるか都市から移植された多くの商品やサービスを取り込まない限り、農業はほとんど生産的とさえ言えないという事が今日の世界ではよくある。 第6段落 It created rural productivity upon a foundation of city productivity. 日本は都市の生産性の基盤の上に田舎の生産性を生み出した。 第8段落It is in cities that new goods and services are first created. 新しい商品やサービスが最初に生みだされるのは都市においてである。第8段落 The industrial revolution occurred first in cities and later in agriculture. 産業革命はまず都市で起こり、その後、農業で起こった。

 

 

問１　別プリント参照

 

問２　カロリー計算では日本の自給率（日本が消費する食品に対する国内生産食品の比率）は現在約40％です。上記の文章に基づくと100％近くにならない理由を筆者はどう説明するでしょうか？なぜ第2次世界大戦に至るまで日本の国土は食料が時給できていなかったのですか？解答用紙に与えられた箇所に自分の言葉で英語で答えて下さい。

考え方  「上記の文章に基づくと」「筆者はどう説明するでしょうか」とあるので本文の主張を使って答える。まず二つ目の質問「なぜ第2次世界大戦に至るまで日本の国土は食料が時給できていなかったのですか？」の該当箇所を見つけて要約し、それを基に推測できることを述べる。注意点として、本文第2段落最後のIt was the custom to ascribe this severe food deficit to Japan’s small supply of farmable land. （このひどい食糧不足は、日本の耕作可能な土地の供給不足のためだとするのか常であった）は当時の通説を述べているので筆者の主張する原因ではない。また、戦後の食の多様化は一時（肉以外は）自給できていたことが第5段落後半に書かれている。筆者の考え方に従うと問題はその後の食の多様化と輸入品に国産品が押される状態に技術革新が対応できていないということになる。

本文該当箇所　第4段落What happened in Japan was, although wonderfully effective, commonplace. Their rural world began receiving, in vast amounts, for the first time, fertilizers, machines, electric power, refrigeration equipment, the results of plant and animal research, and a host of other goods and services developed in cities ― the same cities where the richest food markets already lay. 日本で起こったのは、素晴らしく効果的ではあったが、ありきたりのことだった。日本の田舎は、大量の肥料や機械、電力、冷蔵用機器、動植物研究の成果、そして多くの都市―最大の食品市場が既に存在した同じ都市―で開発された他の商品やサービスを始めて受け取り始めたのだ。　第5段落The farmers in addition to supplying more rice, were producing so much more milk and other dairy products, chickens, eggs, meat, fruits and vegetables that the Japanese were not only eating more than before, they were also eating better, Nowadays when Japan imports food and pays for it with industrial products, it imports meats, not rice. 農家はより多くの米を供給するのに加えて、以前よりずっと多くの牛乳や他の酪農製品、鶏肉、卵、肉、果物そして野菜を生産していたので、日本人は以前より多く食べていただけではなく食の内容が良くなっていた。現在日本が食品を輸入し工業製品で支払う時、米ではなく肉を輸入する。

解答のポイント例  According to the text, Japanese achieved self-sufficiency only after WWII, when development of cities caused increased demand for food and provision of technology and skills for agriculture. Therefore, the low self-sufficiency before WWII can be attributed to the insufficient development of cities. Their urban development was not powerful enough to make an agricultural revolution, The current low self-sufficiency in Japan can be explained, following the author’s theory, by lack of innovation. Although concentration of the population in large cities is still going on, significant innovation in technology and skills to produce new goods and services has not happened for a long time. This intellectual stagnation has affected the low productivity in the rural area, making it unable to meet the demand for diversified diet and vulnerable to cheap imports, although there are some political and economic factors relevant to this situation.

 

 

問3 日本の農村部の将来の経済的展望を改善するために何ができるでしょうか？解答用紙に提供された場所に英語で答えてください。

考え方 本文の内容を基にした答えは「都市部で開発された新しい技術革新やノウハウの導入」になる。そのための政府による支援も必要だ。この点で、安倍政権以来の研究分野の縮小は間違った政策だと言える。更に、日本の農業の問題（減反政策や高齢化による農家の減少とグローバル化による安い輸入品との競争激化）を基に答えることもできる。また、気候変動対策も重要なポイントになる。

解答のポイント例

◍新しい技術革新とそのための政府の支援  As written in the text, new ideas and products in the urban areas should be actively applied to the countryside to raise its productivity. Machines and robots will make farming easier and make up for the declining farming population. High-tech farming such as factory farming, which is less affected by climate change and disasters, and drones for pinpoint application of insecticide are examples of recent innovations. Government subsidies for fundamental research and development in all areas is also necessary to nurture the environment for innovation. In this sense, downsizing of the academic field since Abe administration has been a wrong move that has gravely influenced not only the Japanese agriculture but also the whole economy and society.

◍安い輸入品の制限 (農業の保護、自給率維持(食糧危機対策)及び環境対策のための限定的な保護主義）The government should limit imports of some produce to protect Japanese agriculture. Free trade agreements have promoted imports of cheap produce from other countries. This eliminated some local produce from the market and impoverished the countryside. Therefore, selective protectionism is necessary even under the free trade pressure so that Japan can maintain and develop its agriculture. It is also important to raise self-sufficiency for fear of emergency such as food crisis. Trading foreign agricultural products is also bad for the environment and our health. It increases usage of fossil fuels and chemicals such as mildew-proofing agent. The former accelerates global warming and the latter can be the cause of diseases.

◍小規模農家の保護  Ensuring the living income of small famers is necessary. The government must support farmers so that they can make a living regardless of famine or competition with imports.

◍グローバル化への適応 = 競争力の高い作物の輸出（市場調査と宣伝）と国際特許取得 To adapt to globalization, it is necessary to export crops that are competitive in the world market. Researching demands for certain crops, especially those with added values and local specialties and marketing them would help exports. Making sure to get international patents for commercial hybrid crops is vital to prevent results of years of efforts from being copied in other countries.

◍農協による大規模集団農業化  If possible, organizations like the Agricultural Cooperative Society should collectively practice large scale farming. It allows farmers to spend money on research and development, prepare materials at low prices by bulk buying, grow and sell produce efficiently. They can also easily practice sustainable farming by recycling. For instance, waste product from crop farming or unsold crops can be used to grow cattle or as fertilizer.

◍気候変動対策  Growing the same crops in the same way as before is becoming impossible due to the climate change. To adapt to the change, research and development of species that are resistant to temperature rise, new diseases, drought, or flood is necessary. Also, to protect farmlands, to reduce the impact of typhoons and floods, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions must be made.

◍農業や農村部の生活を魅力的にして若者の参加を促す The agriculture should make the environment in which the young people are happy to work. Agriculture should be made more attractive to the young. and the media should report improved working conditions and lifestyles in the rural areas.

 

Writing for Academic Discussion Are people less satisfied with their lives compared to previous generations? - revised -

Are people less satisfied with their lives compared to previous generations? (psychology)

 

 

☆ Let’s Think

1.       Do you agree with that social media make people constantly compare themselves to others?

2.       Give examples of consumerism making people buy unnecessary things like a new iPhone model. What psyche do the industry take advantage of to make people buy more than necessary?

3.       Share your experience in which social pressures made you try to achieve more.

4.       Do you think your generation is less satisfied than your parents’?

5.       Do you agree with Mitchel’s idea that fulfillment of life with family and friends is the basic source of satisfaction that is not affected by changing times?

 

 

☆ Hints for Points

Agree

1.       Studies indicate the relation between social media and dissatisfaction.

2.       Consumerism starts the vicious cycle of short period of satisfaction and desire for more and better that follows it. It also leads to materialism, where one’s value is based on the amount one owns.

3.       Trying to live up to social expectation is stressful.

4.       Results-based society makes people focused on numbers, making themselves alienated from internal fulfillment.

5.       Desire for the better is in our instinct.

Humans have evolved by constantly challenging new goals. We instinctively keep improving ourselves or our environment, because to stop trying means stop moving forward, which is dangerous.

 

Disagree

1.       Education teaches people to thank for what we already have.

Most people around the world are religious, so they are not affected by changes of times. Major religions teach the importance of gratitude for happiness and tell people to give up desire for what is not yours to be free from pains of greed. Secular also learn moderation through cultures.

2.       What most people want is very modest

This world is made up of a few extremely greedy people who have amassed the wealth which equals to the total wealth of the bottom half of the population. However, most people do not care, as long as they can lead a decent life.

 

 

☆ Sample for Ideas and Expressions

【Thesis】Although I basically agree with Emily in that social media make people less satisfied than before, I think people are intrinsically greedy and capitalism, makes them greedier overtly and covertly.

【Supporting Details】Capitalism needs people who are constantly unsatisfied to keep consumerism going. It manages to manipulate people’s minds to be focused on others’ business and make them feel sense of scarcity. The phenomena that a new product gets popular and everybody has one overnight were often seen during the television era. Today, consumer psyche is manipulated in more sophisticated ways through social media. Pop-up banners and commercial posts according to the online user’s past purchase history and taste constantly stimulate their appetite for shopping. Moreover, results-based business culture incessantly demands workers to show the result, making them obsessed with the notion that they must keep making achievements. These structural pressures in capitalist society make us miss appreciation to what we already have.

【Counterargument-treatment】Mitchel’s argument that people’s lives are centered around fundamental values such as happiness with family and friends could be true to some extent, but we have seen urbanization and new technology change untainted society into another hell of greed and envy, like what happened to Bhutan, the country that was once famous as a poor but happy kingdom, after it started importing television sets.

【Conclusion】The glass has always been greener somewhere else, and capitalism exacerbates it even more.  (229 words)

Write your response in 10 minutes. Show each other your responses. Write down questions or suggestions to each other’s response.

 

 

                                                   DRAFT