English Essay by Brian Southwick, Niigata City ALT

61 A New Computer ＲＥＡＤＩＮＧ (slow) (fast)

When I got to work this morning, I was surprised to see that my old computer was gone. On my desk was a new computer, one with a larger and brighter screen than the old one. The new computer is more powerful, and the keyboard is easier to use. Computer technology has changed quite a lot since I wrote the first essay, “An ALT in Niigata”, on the old machine six years ago. But it is easier to improve technology than it is to improve the quality of an essay.

I grew up in the 1970s and early 1980s. At that time only a few people had a personal computer. My family did not own one, so instead of using a computer to write essays for school or to do my homework, I usually wrote by hand. Sometimes I used my family’s manual typewriter, but I was a very slow typist, and correcting mistakes took a long time. In fact, I didn’t get my first computer until 1996, when I was 26 years old and out of college. I’m still a slow typist, even now, but correcting mistakes on a computer is much easier than on a typewriter, and a computer is more convenientin many other ways than writing by hand or using a typewriter.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ＲＥＡＤＩＮＧ (slow) (fast)

Another change in technology that I remember is the introduction of the compact disc, or CD. As a child I listened to classical records with my parents on their stereo system. When I was older I listened to rock music on the radio, and with money I got on my 12th birthday, I bought my first album. It was a record, not a CD. A few years after that, when I was about 18 and had a large collection of records, I bought my first CD and CD player. I learned that a CD has a clearer sound than a record does. But a Japanese friend of mine who is a big fan of rock and jazz music thinks that, in general, music sounds better on records than on CDs. My friend and I have sons who have been friends for many years. The two boys like music but rarely listen to CDs. They usually download music from the Internet.

New technology has made many things in our lives more eco-friendly and convenient, including the electronics we use at home, the equipment we use at schools to help us teach and learn, and the ways we communicate with each other. So I am happy to have a computer with a larger and brighter screen for writing essays. But if I want to improve the quality of the essays, the computer won’t help me much. I’ll have to work harder.

＜注＞
was surprised to see（～を見てビックリした）
On my desk was a new computer (英語の倒置法→内容を強調するためにon my desk とa new computerを入れ替えた)
was gone（なくなってしまった），Computer technology（コンピュータ技術）
quite a lot（本当に多く），improve（改良する），the quality of an essay（エッセイの質）
grew up（成長した），At that time（当時は，その時は），instead of using（使う代わりに）
manual typewriter（手動のタイプライター），correcting mistakes（間違いを修正すること）
In fact （実際），out of college（大学卒業），even now（今でさえ）
more convenient（より便利な），in many other ways（多くの他の点で）
the introduction of the compact disc（コンパクトディスクの導入），As a child（私が子どもの時）
a large collection（大きなコレクション），in general（たいてい，一般的に）
but rarely listen to CDs（でもほとんどCDを聞いたことがない）
download music（音楽をダウンロードする）
more eco-friendly and convenient（よりエコを重視したり便利な）
including（～を含みながら：分詞構文＜①the electronics②the equipment③and the waysの３つを含みながらの意＞）
equipment（設備，備品），each other（互いに），won’t help me much（私を全く助けない）





Questions and Answers: Answer the questions in a complete sentence in English.


Q1. What was the title of the first essay?
A1.

Q2. How long did Brian use the old computer?
A2.

Q3. When Brian was a student, how did he usually write essays for school?
A3.

Q4. Who thinks that records are better than CDs?
A4.

Q5. How has technology changed during your life? Please give an example.
A5.




＜解答例＞

A1　It was “An ALT in Niigata.”.

A2. He used it for six years.

A3. He wrote them by hand.

A4. A Japanese friend who is a big fan of rock and jazz music does.

A5. Ex: 　Cellular phones, Cars with automatic transmission, Liquid crystal TVs ・・