Unit12 Are people overusing their smartphones?
人々はスマートフォンを使いすぎているでしょうか？
主張A 賛成 スマホが健康に与える影響を無視してはならない
With smartphones, a gigantic experiment is being conducted and we are the guinea pigs? The full effects of holding these devices close to our bodies, staring at them all the time, and so on has not been adequately investigated. Does it increase our risk of cancer? We don’t know. Does it harm the brain development of children? We don’t know. Yet, in the absence of very rigorous studies, capitalism seems determined to get these products into the hands of everyone on Earth, the younger the better! I think we are taking foolish risks. The American Cancer Society has given recommendations for lowering potential risks, but nobody pays attention. We have become so hooked on them that we keep them close to our heads even when sleeping. We’re a society of people who would rather risk cancer than give up precious hours with their smartphones. To me, this is deeply troubling.
Gigantic:巨大な、膨大な
guinea pig:モルモット
stare:じっと見つめる
adequately:十分に
rigorous:厳しい
hooked on:夢中になって
troubling:悩ましい
主張B 反対 技術の進歩は必ず社会に利益を与える
I’m confident that fears about smartphone use are overblown and even a bit hysterical. With every new technology, a group of people feels like it is their duty to warn us of all the imagined dangers. This has been going on since the ‘Luddite Rebellion’ in the early days of the Industrial Revolution. The Last I looked, civilization is still here! I get it. Revolutionary technology is always frightening to some people. And certainly, science fiction stories don’t help when they always portray mysterious technology and ‘mad scientists’ as villains threatening humanity. I won’t argue that there haven't been risks and negative consequences alongside technological breakthroughs. However, upon sober analysis, society always benefits, on balance, from progress. People live longer, have more opportunities, and live more convenient lives with every breakthrough. The naysayers need to lighten up!
Overblown:大げさな
Rebellion:叛乱
The Last I looked:結局
on balance:結局
lighten up:楽に構える
出典: フリー百科事典『ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
ラッダイト運動では主に織機が破壊の対象とされた
ラッダイト運動（ラッダイトうんどう、イギリス英語: Luddite movement[1]）、または機械うちこわし運動（きかいうちこわしうんどう）[2]は、1811年から1817年頃、産業革命による生産の効率化によって低賃金、失職、技能職の地位低下などの影響を受けた労働者階級が使用者である資本家階級への抗議としてイギリス中・北部の織物工業地帯で起こした機械破壊運動である[3][4]。
主張C 中立 若者の依存は心配だが、彼らの適応力は高い
I have some concerns about excessive smartphone use, particularly how they are becoming indispensable at increasingly young ages. The brains of small children ana adolescents are still developing; these are the most crucial periods for developing the personality and the ability to live independently. The last thing we should be doing is creating technological addiction at such important life stages. On the other hand, when I look around, I see young people adapting surprisingly well. They are ‘digital natives’ who’ve grown up with smartphones and completely comfortable with them. They use them in original and creative way. They are developing new vocabulary, new ways to entertain each other, even lucrative new careers. I’m less worried about them I am about older folks like me falling behind. So, the bottom line for me is that the signs so far are reassuring.
Excessive:過剰な
Indispensable：不可欠な
Adolescents:思春期の若者
Addiction:依存
Lucrative:儲かる
bottom line:結論
reassuring:（人を）安心させる
