Unit 47 Do you think Japan should be involved in space exploration?
日本は宇宙開発に関わるべきだと思いますか？
主張Ａ 賛成 経済的にも技術的にもメリットがある
① First of all, Japan’s technology is among the best in
world. This gives us an opportunity to show the world what
we can do.
② I think that if we focus on space exploration, our
achievements will eventually surpass the United Staes.
③ Also, rival countries, such as China, are moving into space. Japan’s
economic strength will be further diminished if we allow China to
grow ahead of us technologically.
④ Some people might say
space exploration is a wase of money, but in fact space technology
has always created great economic benefits and innovative
products.
主張Ｂ 別視点 宇宙開発は国際チームで行うべき
① I think that outer space needs to be shared.
② It is the only place where we still have a chance to move beyond
national boundaries and rivalries.
③ Therefore, what I believe
it that all space exploration should be done by international
teams. That is the idea behind the international space station.
④ Of course, Japanese scientists can contribute, but I think the projects
should all be staffed by people of many countries working together.
⑤ Throughout human history, countries have competed over land,
water and resources. It will be a terrible tragedy if the same
thing happens to outer space.
主張C 反対 食料や教育、環境問題などを優先すべき
① It may sound like a cliché, but I think we have enough things to take care of on earth before we start exploring space.
② Space exploration is tremendously costly, and I just feel
that such large sums of money can be better spent on earth.
③ Millions of people don’t have enough to eat, so we should be working on improving food production and distribution. Deucattion is another thing that money needs to be spent on. And of course, the environmental problems we face will require lots of money and technology to solve.
④ I think space exploration should come after we have fixed things here!
