TOEFL iBT Independent Writing Technology helps us understand ourselves. - revised -

Lesson 22  Writing Topic

Consider the following statement. Technology helps us understand ourselves. Do you agree or disagree with this idea? Support your response by including specific reasons and examples.

 

☆Let’s Think

1.       What does “to understand ourselves” mean?

Note: To understand ourselves may mean to understand what is a human as well as what kind of person you are. It could also mean what is life and what is important in life.

2.       What helps us to understand ourselves?

3.       Does technology help us understand ourselves?

 

☆Hints for Points

Agree

1.       Information about us is collected by technology. Thanks to the advancement of technology, we now have very accurate information about the history of the earth and life, including homo sapiens. Also, AI has shown us not only that we humans are not as smart as we used to think we were but also that we have heart originating from life, not from matter.

2.       Watching the world and people leads to understanding of ourselves. Media provide us with abundant information about the world and people. Through the information, you see the difference between you and others. You can also have insights about humans. For example, videos show us we humans can be both brave and cowardly, angelic and evil.

3.       Interaction with other people helps us understand ourselves, and technology increases the opportunity to interact with others. For example, by interacting with others through social media, you can learn what kind of person you are. You can also learn that you are not an anomaly by finding many people who share some tastes or ideas with you.

4.       Technology helps find individual characteristics. For example, DNA analysis shows you what kind of people you are related to, what kind of property your body has, and whether the risk of your having a particular disease is high or not.

 

Disagree

1.       Technology deals with matter, the physical side of the world, so it can tell us only about our physical aspect. For example, it does not tell why we feel lonely all the time.

2.       The smartphone does not tell you what kind of person you really are. There might be some apps that tell you what type of personality you have, but this categorization does not lead to real understanding of yourself. You have to interact with other people and see what you will do with them and how others will treat you to see who you are. Also, to understand what is human, you have to place yourself in nature.

3.       Information gained through technology might be distracting us from self-reflection. We think we have understood ourselves and do not think more deeply. For example, technology tells us that we have conquered nature, when we actually should know that we have just disrupted nature by technology and are now getting the backlash.

4.       Social media can distort our image of ourselves. It is easy to wear a persona online and we can believe it our real character. Also, when they should be satisfied with life just by being alive, many people suffer from the gap between that which they think they should be and that which they actually are by comparing themselves with “others,” even though those “others” might be making themselves look better than they really are.

 

☆Sample Essay Structure

【Main Idea】Technology helps us understand ourselves to some extent, but not to the full.

【Humanity Studies】Technology helps humanities studies.

【Media】Interaction with others through media leads to insights in ourselves.

【Reservation】However, it is important to remember that technology has limits in helping us know who we are because it is made by humans.

【Conclusion】Technology has helped us learn about ourselves a lot, but we cannot think that we can know ourselves completely through technology.

 

Your Sample Essay Structure

【Main Idea】

【Point 1】

【Point 2】

【Point 3】

【Conclusion】

TOEFL iBT Independent Writing Drill "so … that ～ " , and "～否定文, nor 倒置 …. "

 

Translate the Japanese into English, using the following sentence patterns A or B.

You can use words and expressions in parentheses if you like.

 

A.     so … that ～ 「とても（非常に）…なので～。」

Sample: Medicine is so advanced that now we know a lot about our body.

1.       AIが非常に進歩したので、私たちが人間特有だと思っていた行動を機械が学ぶことができるということが判明した。(turn out. behavior, used to think, uniquely human)

                                                                                         

 

                                                                                        

 

                                                                                        

 

2.       ゲノム解析は非常に多くの種に行われてきたので、今や私たちは私たちがネアンデルタール人のDNAを持っているのを知っている。(Genome analysis, species, Neanderthal DNA)

                                                                                        

 

                                                                                        

 

                                                                                        

 

 

B.     ～否定文, nor 倒置 …. 「～ではないし、また … でもない」

Sample: Most people are not indulged in social media, nor are they controlled by them.

3.       科学技術はあなたが誰なのかについて一番重要なことをあなたに教えてくれないし、また宇宙が正確には何なのかを私たちに教えもしない。(technology, who you are, exactly what the Universe is)

 

                                                                                        

 

                                                                                        

 

                                                                                         

 

4.       スマホ自体は直接あなたの本当の友達を見つけてくれることはできないし、あなたを本当の意味で孤独から解放することもできない。(The smartphone itself, directly, in a real sense)

 

                                                                                        

 

                                                                                        

 

                                                                                         

Pre-Reading 補助プリント Lesson 21

STEP 2 Extra Questions

 

正解ではなかった選択肢を使って文を完成させてください。

 

 

1.     Harassment is taken as something (                             ) by the harasser, but it leaves a deep scar in the mind of the harassed.

 

 

2.     A violent person is an (                             ) person.

 

 

3.     In business, being (                             )  is often considered as a key to success.

 

 

4.     (                             ) behavior by government officials such as corruption and falsification made headlines many times this year.

 

 

5.     Thanks Giving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve have many  (                             ) events that make everyone purely happy.

 

 

6.     Spiders, snakes, and cockroaches are (                             )  by most people.

 

 

7.     Showing off what you have, knowing that ethers do not have it, is  (                             )

 

Pre-Grammar & Writing 暗記例文 21

以下の和文を英訳してください。

覚え方のこつ:　１）先に下線部から覚える　２）言って覚えて書いて確認！

 

 

以下の和文を英訳してください。ただし、2文に分けないで一つの文にしてください。

1         ジェラードは西部劇を見て楽しむ。なぜなら西部劇と共に育ったから。(Gerald)

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

2         ストレスはみんなに影響を与える。世界に気にすることはないように思える若者にさえ。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

 

3         Libbyは週末は主婦業に専念する。その時、彼女は床に掃除機をかけ全ての物をきちんとした場所に置く。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

                                                                                                   

 

4         私の教授は小説家のジョン・ガードナーが好きだ。しかし、ジョン・アップダイクがより優れた職人だと信じている。(John Gardner, John Updike)

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　                  　　　　　　

                                                                                                    

 

TOEFL iBT Independent Writing Do you think watching television is a useful or enjoyable way of spending time?

Writing Topic

Some people think watching television is enjoyable and educational, while others think it is a complete waste of time to watch television. Do you think watching television is a useful or enjoyable way of spending time? Use specific details and examples in your answer.

 

☆Let’s think

1.       What is the difference between the following two sentences?

a.     Listening to music is the best way to release stress.

b.     Listening to music is a good way to release stress.

 

Note: “A” useful or enjoyable way of spending time means that, although it is not “the” best, it is as useful or enjoyable as activities that are considered good.

 

2.       What are useful and enjoyable ways of spending time? What do you usually do when you have some free time and try not to waste it? Do you read, listen to music, watch a movie, work out, do something creative like painting, or hang around with your family or friends?

 

3.       Is watching television as worth spending your precious time on as other choices?

 

 

☆Ideas and Expressions

Television watching is useful or enjoyable.

1.     Television shows you what you usually cannot see such as famous people, political debates, or wild animals. Some special programs such as live broadcasts of sporting events, documentaries, and foreign language programs are hardly available elsewhere.

 

2.     Through television shows, you can learn the norm, culture, language, or trend of the society.

 

3.     Popular television programs or ads provide conversation pieces, which are good icebreakers.

 

4.     One good thing about television watching is that it allows you to learn things that you did not intend to. By keeping television on or zapping channels, you can come across interesting people, useful information, or moving stories. It is like taking a walk in an unfamiliar neighborhood and finding a lovely garden or sitting among strangers and hearing an eye-opening story.

 

5.     As long as you keep an eye on how you use it, television can be an inexpensive, handy tool for fun or relaxation.

 

 

TELEVISION watching is a waste of time.

1.     Most of the time spent watching television is spent watching the advertisement, which are aimed to make you want needless goods or follow fashion trends obsessively.

 

2.     It is a passive activity. You just sit and watch, while you should be doing something more important.

 

3.     Television can make you narrow-minded or brainwashed. You will not aware of what is really going on in the world because it is sponsored by corporations, which can manipulate the content.

 

4.     It is not a good information source anymore. The quality and quantity of information provided by most of the television programs are inferior to those of other media. Also, television news is not really new as the information on the Internet is updated.

 

 

☆Essay Structure

Sample

【Main Idea = Outline】In moderation, watching television is useful and enjoyable.

【Good Point 1】Watching big events on television is enjoyable.

【Good Point 2】Television-watching is useful for spending time with others because it is inclusive.

【Counterargument-treatment】It is true that television is addictive and time-wasting, but if you can control yourself, TELEVISION poses no problem just as alcohol and gambling helps you enjoy life unless you indulge yourself in them too much.

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】There are many television programs that are good, educational, or only on television. Therefore, television can provide a good time if used wisely.

 

 

Your Essay Structure

【Main Idea = Outline】

【Good/Bad point 1】

【Good/Bad point 2】

【Counterargument-treatment】

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】

 

 

☆Paragraph development

Sample 1

【Main Idea】Watching television is useful for spending time with others because it is inclusive.

【Supporting Details】You can share the content of television with others. You can enjoy an evening with your family or friends watching programs everyone likes. Television is especially useful when you spend time with someone you do not know well. Popular television programs are often used to entertain guests. You just watch television together, and in time you can laugh together or pick up a conversation piece from the content of the program such as a singer or a succor game result.

【Follow-up】If your guest says that he watches only Fox News, you could just watch the ultra-right-wing news show with him and learn what the Right have to say.

【Conclusion】Television is a good medium for relationship-building.

 

Sample 2

【Main Idea】Television is addictive.

【Supporting Details】For many people, the act of watching television itself is the objective. Many just automatically turn on the set when they have some free time and keep it on, without selecting programs. Even when they select a program, in a few minutes, they get hypnotized and keep staring at the screen for hours while remembering little of the content.

【Follow-up】Conscious use can avoid such behavior but the problem is that television makes us believe that by sitting in front of the screen, we are doing something productive when in fact we could be doing something more creative or memorable such as listening to a good piece of music or talking with someone.

【Conclusion】Television-watching is detrimental to our life itself.

 

 

Now let’s practice paragraph development. Choose one of the reasons you have come up with, make it the main idea, and develop it using the following form.

 

【Main Idea】

 

【Supporting Details】

 

 

 

 

 

【Follow-up】

 

 

【Conclusion】

 

Pre-Grammar & Writing 暗記例文 20

Name                                

 

以下の和文を英訳してください。

覚え方のこつ:　１）先に下線部から覚える　２）言って覚えて書いて確認！

 

1         最も頼りになる人はだれでも、そして最初に終了する人は誰でもボーナスを受け取るでしょう。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

 

2         選択肢は沢山あったけれども、私は1,800ドルの価格の範囲内のものを選択した。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

 

3         レースに優勝するだろう人は継続的に練習しなくてはならない。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　                  　　　　　　

 

4         エッセイ「汚い言葉を使わない方法」の中で、作者は国境の街でスペイン語が取る形態を説明している。

(“How to Tame a Wild tone”)