Corporate Cops by Michael Moore

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzhqec_bj-4

早稲田国際教養学部AO入試 注意事項

 

本講座の授業形式と予定

Day 1～6　予習して授業中に解答します。　

Day 7　テストゼミ形式 予習無しで授業中に読んで解答します。　

どちらも解答を添削・採点し、1週間後に返却します。

                                                                                                       

予習復習の手順

Day ５まで：　

予習　１）所定時間で辞書無しで解く　２）できるだけの時間と辞書を使って本文の内容を理解し解き直す

復習　１）テキストの復習　２）添削されて返却された答案を見て書き直す

 

Day ６

予習　無し　

復習　１）テキストの復習　２）添削されて返却された答案を見て書き直す

 

テキスト以外の勉強のアドバイス

☆実践練習中心にする：　授業以外でも補助問題集の過去問や英検1級の読解問題を実際に解く（解答を実際に書いて見る）ことを中心に勉強しましょう。本番同様に時間を計って行いましょう。

☆筆記問題は最低3回解く：　1) 最初は１題40分で時間を計り本番と同じように解き、2) 次に（まだ解答を見ないで）使えるだけの時間を使って解き直します。3) その後解答をみて再度解きなおします。

☆推敲を重ねる：　添削済み答案・模範解答を読んだ後、1回以上書き直すことが大切です。推敲を重ねるほど次に一度でよい文章を書くことができるようになります。

☆設問は本文の内容に基づいて答案を書く：　一見知識を使って答える問題のようでも、ほとんどの問題が本文の内容理解を見ています。本文を資料として正確に読み、読み取った事実を元に解答しましょう。

☆英文読後日記をつける：　要約と感想を各１～２文にまとめて書く習慣をつけましょう。表現力がつくと共に書く材料集めにもなります。

☆答案の再解き直し：　不正解だったもののみ、時間がたってからもう一度解き直しましょう。

☆苦手分野の学習：　苦手分野の問題は解くたびに落ち込むので回避しがちですが、最も学習が必要です。今まで知らないでいた常識などを発見した場合、「こんなことも知らないのではだめだ」と思わず、「テスト前に知ることができてよかった」と考えるようにしましょう。やる気が出ないときは本番でその苦手分野が出題されて困っている自分を想像してみてください。その時のつらさを回避するために前もって苦手分野を学習するのです。

☆小手先の技術で切り抜けようとしない：　早稲田国際AO入試の筆記テストも基本的には英語のテストです。見られるのは英語の読解力と表現力及び一般教養と人格です。実力を見られるのであって要領のよさではありません。要領よく解こうとするよりも、本文と問題を正確に読み取り、筆者の一番言いたいことと質問のポイントを理解することに集中しましょう。良い解答の第一歩はそこからであり、それができれば7割とれたも同然です。（もちろん反論や具体例などで重要でないところは流し読みするなどの時間の節約は大切ですが、これも内容を理解することによってどこを流せばよいかが分かるのですからまずは内容理解です。）また、解答欄が余っても余計なことは書かないようにしましょう。減点されかねません。うまく最後をまとめる練習は普段からしておきましょう。解くときの優先順位は　１）本文・資料の理解　２）答案の内容　３）答案の量でよいと思います。

☆ポイントを先に書く：　筆記問題の解答ワード数はTOEFLエッセイの3分の１程度なのですから前置きは不要です。また論じ方の説明や問題文の内容の繰り返しも要りません。1行目でストレートに言いたいことを書いてください。詳細は後でいくらでも書き足すことができます。そのほうが時間配分もしやすくなります。最後はできればまとめの1文をつけましょう。

 

☆要約問題は簡単な言葉、個性を見せる問題は精一杯の語彙で解答する

内容を問う問題(要約問題)は内容を理解していることを示すことが大切です。簡単な言葉でよいので理解したことを自分の言葉で表現しましょう。自分の経験・知識を使って答える問題の場合、経験・知識＝語彙なのですから出せるものは全て出しましょう。【簡潔にまとめる／個性を発揮する】のメリハリをつけた答案にして下さい。

 

チェックすべきテーマ

記事等を読むとき、志望理由書のテーマ関連のものは必ずチェックしましょう。それ以外の記事の選択で大切なのは他者への共感や鋭い批判精神、正義感を持つことです。その意味では皆さんが親近感を持つ（あるいは気になる）国・人々の記事を追うことが大切です。これらを通して個性ある解答を書くもとになるものが確立されてゆきます。また、現代社会の重要課題や普遍的な問題の理解は問題文の理解に役立ちますので過去問関連の記事も読みましょう。以下は過去に出題され今後も出題されると考えられるテーマのキーワードです。

global warming  climate crisis  climate justice  environmental destruction   food shortage  water shortage

capitalism  globalization  free trade    wealth gap  fight against poverty democracy  socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor welfare state big/small government  class war  discrimination  human rights  genocide American diplomacy  global south  gender gap   violence   technology 

 

 

 

 

チェックしておくと参考になる人・本・雑誌・新聞・番組・ホームページ等

☆以下は全くの私の独断で選んだinformationやinspirationを得る役に立つと思われるものです。全て無料です。

 

♦michaelmoore.com: アカデミー賞、スタインベック賞などを受賞した映画監督マイケル・ムーアのホームページです。現代の重要な政治・社会問題をユーモアを交えて解説。映画は全て必見です。

♦Al Jazeera English: 中東の放送局。イスラエルによるパレスチナの民族浄化を始め西側の外交政策やアジア・アフリカ地域のレポートが大変参考になります。

♦Democracy Now!: インディペンデント放送局。主流メディアでは聞けない重要課題を毎日取り上げます。

♦NPR: アメリカのラジオ局。All Things Consideredでは興味深い話が多数聞けます。

♦Voice of America: 記事が音声で聞けます。ニュースが簡潔にまとめられています。

♦BBC のpodcast: “The Inquiry”は時事問題のまとめ番組で要チェックです。（最後をご覧ください） また、World Have Your Say”という視聴者参加討論番組はargumentの参考になります。

♦Newsweek/Time: 格調高い英語で時事問題を詳しく報じています。♦Daily Yomiuri: 日本国内のニュースを英文で読んで表現の仕方を学びましょう。早稲田大学の教授陣が英文で論文を投稿しています。

♦In These Times: かなり左寄り（革新思想寄り）ですが過激な内容ではありません。不正・不平等・人権問題等に関して一般の人々の視点からの取材を丁寧に行っています。

♦NatureとScience のpodcast: 科学雑誌NatureとScienceのpodcast では一般の人にも分かる形で科学関連ニュースを発表しています。温暖化、食料・水危機、公害、幹細胞研究、宇宙探査、米政府の科学研究援助方針など地球・人類にとって重要な問題を多数取り上げています。Transcriptもあります。

♦Progressive! Channel: 上智大教授による「基本的なところから政治について解説」簡潔かつ濃い内容。

♦Jeffery Sachs:　温暖化・人口増加と貧困対策専門の経済学者です。科学者・経済学者・政府・民間が力を合わせることにより危機を乗り越えることは可能だと主張しています。著作が早稲田国際AO筆記試験で過去２回出題されています。YouTubeにインタビュー等のビデオがあります。

 

 

☆以下はBBC Podcast “The Inquiry”のバックナンバーの抜粋です。

時事問題・一般教養のフォローに使えると思います。（Is Inequality About to Get Unimaginably Worse?はほぼ同じ内容のものが2017年度早稲田国際教養学部のAO入試で使用されました。但し、BBC以外にもCNNやThe Economist, The Guardian等様々なメディアから出題されますので毎日ニュースに目を通すようにして下さい。）アンダーラインのあるものは特に最近の話題や日本の問題、普遍的な問題に関連が大きいものですので優先的に聞いてみられると良いと思います。ひとつが20分ぐらいの長さです。Googleで検索すれば見つかります。スクリプトがあるものもあります。聞いている途中でlostになっても、区切りごとにナレーターのまとめが入っているので内容理解はしやすいです。要約かナレーター部分のディクテーションor書写をするとさらに良いです。

 

Can We Teach Robots Ethics?

How Do We Stop People Dying in Floods?

How Has Ku Klux Klan Lasted So Long?

How Do You Fix Someone Else’s Election?

Is Inequality About to Get Unimaginably Worse?

Should We Give Homeless People Homes?

What Kind of Person Becomes a Violent Jihadi?

Is Japan Abandoning Pacifism?

Why do Tax Havens Still Exist?

Is Opposition to GM Crops Irrational?

Is There a New Nuclear Arms Race?

Should We Fear Artificial Intelligence?

Why Aren’t More Dishonest Bankers in Jail?

What’s Killing Black American Babies?

What’s the Real Difference between Sexes?

How can we feed 11 billion people?

Are smart cities dumb?

Why can’t so many children read?

Are We Heading for another Mass Extinction?

How Did We Mess up Antibiotics?

Can Delhi Clean Up Its Air?

Why don’t we care about Yemen?

Why do we care about statues?

Can we make the super-rich pay more tax?

Are *killer robots* the future of warfare?

Is Antifa the threat it’s made out to be?

Is online censorship going too far?

Is recycling broken?

Why are boys academically underperforming?

How will Hollywood respond to the Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements?

Why are murder rates in Chicago so high?

Why aren’t countries doing more to stop climate change?

Can Putin be prosecuted for war crimes?

Has the war in Ukraine sparked the world food crisis?

How do pandemics end?

Is Africa’s Great Green Wall failing?

Why are there millions of empty houses in Japan?

Will hydrogen solve our energy needs?

Is the global nuclear threat rising?

How can we stop wildfires?

Can we stop Oil?

Why is life expectancy falling in America?

Why is the US Army struggling to recruit new soldiers?

What does Iran want?

Can anyone broker peace in the Middle East?

Do we need the International Criminal Court?

Do we need a new NATO?

What does Japan’s rice crisis say about its economy?

How crucial is the strait of Hormuz to the world oil supplies?

Is AI eroding our critical thinking?

How are drones changing the landscape of modern warfare?

Is the world ready for more climate migration?

Will ever be a single global language?

Is History Repeating Itself in Iran?

Is the World Cup 2026 an own goal?

How can rewilding help combat climate change?

 Why Is Basic Income Being Debated?

Will drones change the landscape of modern warfare?

Is Japan moving to the right?

TOEFL iBT Writing for an Academic Discussion Military or Sports Programs? (Revised)

Imagine your country has a certain budget that can be allocated either to the self-defense force or to sports programs. Which area should receive the funding, and why? Consider the potential impacts on national security, international prestige, and community well-being in your response.

 

 

☆Let’s Read and Think

Read the excerpt from An Appeal from the “Article Nine Association” and answer the following question:

…The use of force only results in robbing a country and its people of their livelihood and of their happiness. Since the 1990s, armed interventions by major nations into regional conflicts have also failed to result in effective resolutions. That is why, in such places as Europe and Southeast Asia, efforts are being strengthened to create regional frameworks that can help to resolve conflicts through diplomacy and dialogue. … Based on Article Nine, Japan needs to develop ties of friendship and cooperation with the peoples of Asia and other regions, and change a diplomatic stance that only prioritizes a military alliance with the United States. Japan must play an active role in the tide of world history by exercising its autonomy and acting in a pragmatic manner. It is precisely because of Article Nine that Japan can engage its partner nations in peaceful diplomacy while respecting their various positions, and collaborate with them in the fields of economy, culture, science and technology.  

 

Question: How would spending more money on each choice affect national security, international prestige, and community well-being?

 

 

☆Hints for Points

National Security

1.       Japan is already one of the largest military powers in the world. The Self-Defense Forces have been training with the U.S. military for almost 20 years. Constitutional amendment will finalize the process.

2.       Militarization of Japan will emphasize its geopolitical position as a buffer country for the United States against China and Russia, which facilitates the U.S. to keep its hegemony in the world.

 

International Prestige

1.        Shift from arms competition to business corporation promotes international security.

2.        Supporting sports rather than increasing military spending will improve the national image (soft power).

3.        Japan has a history of violent past: imperial Japan before and during WWII. Militarization would give a bad impression to other countries, especially countries that Japan invaded in the past. Also. Japan has a history of diplomatic solutions of international problems since the end of WWII. This has earned us a good reputation and has kept us free from terrorism. We must continue this diplomatic peace-building.

4.        Strengthening the military-industrial complex makes the economy dependent on weapons deal as in North Korea and Israel, whose images are extremely bad. 

5.        Self-defense forces are often dispatched to disaster-stricken countries for humanitarian-aids.

 

Community well-being

1.        Self-defense forces are indispensable in rescue efforts while disasters have been increasing recently.

2.        Weapons are much more expensive than sports promotion, while  government spending on sports has been tight as well as those on basic researches, art, education, and fundamental researches in science. To revitalize the economy, these areas must be funded.

3.       Sports are not free from problems. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is corrupt, prioritizing the profit-making through television broadcasting rights. The government of the host country often funnel tax to related industries, but the trickle-down effect has been proven wrong. The public suffer from the government debt. The environment is influenced.

 

☆Sample Response

【Thesis】Japan, where I live, should not spend more on defense than sports.

【Supporting Details】The defense budget has exponentially increased over the past 15 years. Now it is nearly 2% of its GDP and can be raised to 3.5 of its GDP soon. This sends a negative message to our neighbors like China, Korea, and South-East Asian countries because of the past invasion and war crimes of Imperial Japan. Moreover, most of our military spending goes to the purchase of outdated weapons from the U.S. or is used to make up for the deficit of the U.S. military. It is a waste of money and it makes Japan a potential battle ground.

【Counterargument-treatment】It is true that sports programs are hotbeds of corruption. However, it is within the sphere of who benefits the most, while military spending leads to wars and deaths.

【Conclusion】Instead of using money for fear, I would like my government to use it for peaceful purposes.

TOEFL iBT Writing for an Academic Discussion Teamsports or Individual Sports as Children's Education (Revised)

Some believe that individual sports foster independence and self-discipline, while others argue that team sports teach valuable social skills and teamwork. What is your perspective on this issue? Which type of sport do you think is more beneficial for children, and why?

 

 

 

☆Let’s Read and Think

Read the following excerpt from a homepage of kidsportcanada and follow the direction below.

 

The Challenges with Team Sports

Though it’s clear that team sports have many benefits, there are also some challenges. Managing potential disputes amongst teammates is one of the major obstacles, according to Active Kids. Different personalities and ability levels can occasionally result in clashes, which call for mediation and resolution from coaches and parents. In addition, when playing team sports, individual accomplishments may be eclipsed by the team’s performance, which can be upsetting for some kids who want to be recognized for their efforts.

 

The Challenges with Individual Sports

Like team sports, individual sports have unique challenges. The solitary nature of these sports may cause feelings of loneliness or isolation, particularly during demanding practice sessions or competitions. Children who play individual sports may also miss out on the teamwork and bonding that come with being part of a team. The self-driven character of individual athletics, according to Calgary’s Child, necessitates high levels of devotion and determination. Some kids can find it difficult to maintain their discipline and attention without the help and encouragement of teammates.

 

Direction: Share your experiences written above and other issues of each type of sports. Are these challenges serious enough to avoid the sports? Why/Why not?

 

 

☆Hints for Points

1.       Humans are social animals and need social skills to survive or live a good and happy life. Team sports help children acquire social skills more effectively than other activities, including individual sports.

 

2.       Social skills and teamwork are acquired by living in society with or without joining a team sports club. On the other hand, self-discipline and independence cannot be acquired easily just by living a daily life. Individual sports are ideal activities to enhance these properties. Children can practice them while having fun and witnessing the effects on their body and mind.

 

3.       Benefits of individual sports overlap with those of team sports. Team members need to train individually and lean self-discipline to be able to contribute to the team as a member.

 

4.       Team sports can trigger bullying when a non-athletic children join a team and fail to do the job that other children can do or miss the signals from their team mates.

 

5.       Individual aptitude and personal preference count in sports. It is important for the child to be able to enjoy the sport and grow mentally and physically by doing it. 

 

 

☆Sample Response

【Thesis】Though Maya makes a good point that team sports effectively socialize children. I am more aligned with Liam because all children can benefit from individual sports while not all of them can benefit from team sports.

【Supporting Details】Individual sports are holistic. Whether it is swimming, gymnastics, or short track, all the procedures are done by the solo player. This makes the child more focused on the play and the practice. The child voluntarily starts self-control and self-management to improve performances. This gives satisfaction to not only introverts and those who are not good with balls but also all children of any nature.

【Counterargument-treatment】Maya’s point that activities like strategizing in football or basketball effectively strengthens bonds is true, but that is only a fraction of the team-sport practice. Outfielders on a baseball team, for example, may just keep standing alone around his position during the game. They hardly ever move except for the time for basic workouts. While this might be effective in learning to be altruistic, which is an essential quality to be a good citizen, it can be learned in other scenes of life such as school project, and it could even produce an organization person that never thinks or moves proactively in collective activities.

【Conclusion】After all, sports must be fun in the first place, and for this matter too, individual sports are more beneficial to all children than team sports, which often make less active or clumsy children suffer.

 (240 words)

TOEFL iBT Writing for an Academic Discussion Is ability to read and write more important today than in the past? (Revised)

With the advent of digital technology and multimedia forms of communication some argue that the traditional skills of reading and writing are not as essential as they were in the past. Others believe that these foundational skills are even more critical now. Considering the changing ways in which we disseminate and consume information, do you think the ability to read and write is more important today than in the past? Why or why not?

 

 

☆Let’s Think

1. Ava believes that today’s information-saturated world requires higher literacy ever. Make an objection.

2. Jacob suggests that videos and podcasts are often more informative than reading materials. Make an objection.

 

 

☆Hints for Points

Agree (Ability to read and write is more important today than in the past in the past.)

1         Literacy is essential in deciding reliability of videos and podcasts, for intelligence depends on literacy. To be intelligent, you must read and write because knowledge of truth humans accumulated for millennia is in writing.

 

2         Unlike two centuries ago, most of our daily tasks involve reading and writing. There is written information everywhere such as signs and scripts on TV screens. Literacy is necessary in our daily lives. Using social media also involves reading and sending texts. People usually exchange information through scripts, e-mails and text messages. To learn the latest information and communicate exactly what you think or feel, you need to be literate.

 

3         Development of technology requires you to be involved in more intellectual tasks than physical tasks. For example, entrance examinations for university include more essays than before. In business, there are more need for research and presentation skills as automatization and robotization proceeds. Also, high-level language skills are crucial in successfully utilizing AI by giving proper commands to it.

 

4         To get the most out of our lives in this age of information, whose main medium is language, literacy is indispensable.

 

 Disagree

1.          Seeing is believing. Videos and podcasts help people understand issues more quickly, easily, and effectively than written media.

 

2.          There are few opportunities to read and write today as a result of technological development. Most tasks are done just by clicking icons. Many people can spell fewer words correctly than before due to predictive text and spell check functions, and they find few problems in their daily lives.

 

3.          Just as the ability to make fire is unnecessary anymore thanks to lighters and power plants, so is the ability to read and write now that we have developed technology for it. We can think and communicate more freely and creatively while machines deal with information effectively for us.

 

4.          There are CEOs who are dyslexic. Reading and writing is just a part of human intellectual activity.

 

 

☆Sample Answer Structure

【Thesis】I believe that the ability to read and write is much more important than before.

【Supporting Details】Development of the modern world won’t happen without written media. New ideas like gender equality and climate justice, for instance, cannot be disseminated without any written text, and our thoughts and ideas keep evolving, necessitating our efforts in reading and writing even more.

【Counterargument-treatment】Jacob is right that people don’t read as much as before, but it doesn’t make reading and writing less important. It is true that audio and visual media make up for drawbacks of written media. Seeing is believing, and narration liberates us, especially those with reading impairment, from the burden of reading. They also have their own attractiveness. However, reading text is one and only action that cannot be replaced by other actions as text directly stimulates our thoughts and feeling. Video, podcasts, or audiobooks interfere this connection between text and our brain. Also, high level of intelligence cannot be maintained without literacy as text mainly deals with abstract ideas.

【Conclusion】As human thoughts have evolved and reside in written media, the content of which relates to a large part of human society, ability to read and write becomes increasingly important unless our civilization is lost. (202 words)

 

 

☆Speech Time

Make a one-minute speech and have a debate on this topic.