TOEFL iBT Independent Writing Technology can bring us more leisure time. - revised -

 

Writing Topic

Consider the following statement. Technology can bring us more leisure time. Do you agree or disagree with this idea? Support your response including specific reasons and examples.

 

 

☆Let’s Think

1         Let’s compare the following two sentences. What is the difference between their meanings?

1) Technology has brought us more leisure time.

2) Technology can bring us more leisure time.

 

Hint: Which sentence is about a fact? Which one is about possibility?

 

2         Which of the following technologies do you think can increase leisure time? Why do you think so?

electric appliances (washing machine, electric drill, robot vacuum cleaner, etc.)

kitchen appliances (rice cooker, bread maker, blender, coffee maker, etc.)

technology for work/study (computer, the Internet, smartphone, electric dictionary, etc.)

modern transportation (car, motorcycle, bus, train, plane, etc.)

others (industrial robot, AI, escalator, elevator, etc.)

 

3         Discuss the following statement.

According to Yuval Noah Harari, humans lost freedom when we acquired irrigation technology because farming confines us in the same place and demand us to take care of the crops all around the year.

 

☆Hints for Points

Agree

Technology has already freed us from most manual labor. It is possible for it to increase leisure time.

技術はすでにほとんどの肉体労働から人を開放している。技術が余暇を増やすことは可能だ。

 

Disagree

No matter how developed technology people may have, they use it to work more. Thus, technology has no power to increase our free time.

どんなに発達した技術があろうがそれを使ってもっと働く。従って技術は自由時間を増やす力がない。

                                                     

☆Sample Essay Structure

A        【Introduction】Although it is not always the case in reality, it can be said that technology can increase our leisure time.

【Point 1】Electronic appliances shorten the time we spend on household work.

【Point 2】Thanks to advanced means of transportation, we can go home early.

【Counterargument-treatment】Some claim that technology can even cause less leisure time, citing such cases as developed transportation network makes it possible for students to go to cram schools after school and smartphones make it easier to contact a worker who is off-duty. However, the problem is not in the technology itself but in the society or our values. If we learn to be satisfied with what we already have, we will have more free time by using technology.

【Conclusion】It is our lifestyle that keeps us busy. It is possible for technology to help us make spare time if we intend to do it.

【導入】実際には必ずしも当てはまらないが技術は余暇を増やすことができると言える。

【要点1】電化製品は家事に費やす時間を短縮する。

【要点2】進んだ交通手段のおかげで早く家に帰ることができる。

【反論処理】発達した交通網により学生が放課後塾に行くのが可能になったりスマホにより非番の労働者と連絡を取る事が容易になるといった例を挙げて技術により余暇は減少する可能性さえあると主張する人もいる。しかし問題は技術自体にあるのではなく社会或いは私達の価値観にある。既に持っているものに満足することを学習すれば、技術を使うことによってより多くの自由時間ができるだろう。

【結論】忙しくさせるのはライフスタイルだ。その気になれば技術の助けで余分な時間を作ることは可能だ。

 

B        【Main Idea】There has been talks that robots will do all our jobs and humans will be liberated from daily routines, but it seems that the future has not been realized yet. Technology has the potential to bring us more free time, but I think that most people feel that they have seen better days.

【Everyday Life】Technology can allow us to finish work much earlier than before in many cases, but we are doing more tasks in the same amount of time as before.

【Business】Robots are replacing humans in many areas of business, and there is a concern about job loss in many areas. However, in other areas, technological innovation expands areas of its application and increases workload and working hours.

【Historical Evidence】Most workers have less leisure time than before, especially after the IT revolution. Businesses have come to operate 24 hours year-round. Also, in some industries like distributors, humans are failing to keep up with the rate of the transaction done by machines.

【Conclusion】Technology can bring us more leisure time but it has not and will not. It raises productivity, brings some people unwelcome leisure time, and makes the rest work harder.

【主張】ロボットが私達の仕事を全てしてくれ人間は日々の決まり切った仕事から解放されるという話があるがその未来は今のところ実現していないようだ。技術は私達により多くのを暇もたらす潜在的可能性は有するが前の方が良かったと思っている人がほとんどだと思う。

【日常】多くの場合技術によって以前より仕事を早く終える事は可能だが以前と同じ時間内により多くの課題をしている。

【仕事】仕事の多くの分野でロボットが人間にとって代わりつつあり特定の分野では失業の心配がある。しかし他の分野では技術革新により応用範囲が広がり仕事量と仕事時間が増える。

【歴史的証拠】特にIT革命以降以前より余暇が少ない労働者がほとんどだ。会社は年中24時間業務を行うようになった。また流通のように機械による取引の速さに人間がついてゆけなくなりつつある業種がある。

【結論】技術はより多くの余暇をもたらすことは可能だがまだもたらしていないしもたらさないだろう。生産性を上げ、望まぬ暇な時間をいくらかの人にもたらし、そして残りの者はもっと一生懸命働かされる。

 

 

Your Sample Essay Structure

【Main Idea】

【Point 1】

【Point 2】

【Point 3】

【Conclusion】

 

 

☆Sample Paragraph Development

【Main Idea】Advanced means of transportation provides possibility for leisure activities.

【Supporting Details】 Technology enables us to arrive at the destination faster than before and brings time for other activities. For example, the public transportation allows people to move around town more quickly and get their business done a few hours earlier than they would without it. This especially benefits frail people. If an old person who has difficulty in walking needs to go to a hospital, they can take a bus or train to get there, come back by the time it gets dark, and rest or enjoy chatting with friends for a while in the coffee shop near the station before they go home. In the old times, visiting a doctor must have been the only event for the day for those who were physically disadvantaged.

【Follow-up】It is true that in many cases, shorter transition time does not mean more leisure time as few people in modern society seem to enjoy plenty of spare time. However, this is because it is difficult for most of us to learn to be leisurely. Being assigned or self-assigning more tasks in proportion to the increase of spare time makes it seem that we still cannot go home early.

【Wrap-up】Potential effect of the development of transportation on the increase of leisure time cannot be denied.

【主張】進歩した交通手段は余暇活動の可能性を提供する。

【詳細】技術により以前より速く目的地に着くことが可能になり他の活動のための時間をもたらす。例えば公共交通機関はそれがない場合よりも素早く街を動き回り数時間早く仕事を早く終わらせることを可能にする。これは特に体が弱い人にとって有益だ。歩くのが困難なお年寄りが病院に行く必要がある場合、電車かバスに乗ってそこに行き、暗くなるまでに帰ってきて駅近くの喫茶店でしばらく休むか友達とおしゃべりを楽しんでから帰ることができる。昔は体の不自由な人にとって病院に行くのはその日の唯一の出来事だったに違いない。

【補足】確かに現代社会のほとんどの人が十分な余暇を楽しんでいるようには思えないので、多くの場合移動時間が短くなったからと言って余暇が増えるという事にはならない。しかしこれは私達のほとんどがのんびりすることを習得するのが困難だからだ。余暇の増加に比例してより多くの課題を割り当てられたり自分で作ったりすることにより未だに早く家に帰れない様に思えるのだ。

【まとめ】交通機関の発展の余暇の増加に対する潜在的影響は否定できない。

 

Your Sample Essay Structure

【Main Idea】

 

【Supporting Details】

 

 

 

【Follow-up】

 

【Wrap-up】