【Unlocking Word Meanings】
今日の単語・フレーズ
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. stationery / ˈsteɪ ʃəˌnɛr i / (n.) – materials for writing or typing
Example: The bookstore sells cheap stationery items.
2. obsolete / ˌɒb səˈlit / (adj.) – referring to something that is no longer used after being replaced with a newer one
Example: Huge personal computers are now obsolete.
3. worrying / ˈwɜːriɪŋ / (adj.) – causing concern or worry
Example: The president’s worsening health is a worrying situation.
4. sincere / sɪnˈsɪər / (adj.) – showing real and honest feelings
Example: Please accept my sincere apology.
5. recall / rɪˈkɔl / (v.) – to remember
Example: I can’t recall what my teacher said earlier.
【Article】
ニュース記事
Read the text below.
Texting and typing is threatening the art of writing letters, a survey found.
BIC, a stationery manufacturer, surveyed 1,000 teenagers about their writing habits. Based on the survey results, letter-writing may soon be obsolete as majority of the teens no longer see the need to write.
Survey results showed that 50% of the 13 to 19-year-old teenagers have never created a handwritten thank-you letter. Among all surveyed teenagers, 58% have never written a love letter, while 25% have never created a handwritten birthday or Christmas card. What is even more worrying is that 10% of the teenagers do not own a pen, while 56% have no available letter paper in their homes. These results seem to have resulted from teenagers thinking that writing by hand is too slow and is already considered outdated as compared with texting and typing.
On another note, the survey also found that some teenagers think that typing in smartphones and computers instead of handwriting has negative effects on their spelling and grammar.
Surprisingly, the survey also found that most of the teenagers think that handwriting a letter is sincerer than just typing it, despite having a preference for the latter. In fact, over 65% of the teenagers said that receiving a letter written by hand has more meaning than a typed message.
Although more people nowadays prefer typing, a study found that handwriting still has more benefits. The study published in the journal Psychological Science found that writing by hand instead of typing helps improve a student’s performance in school. This is because writing helps students process information better. The study also found that handwriting also helps a person recall information better than typing.
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【Viewpoint Discussion】
ディスカッションテーマ
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
· What do you prefer, handwriting or typing? Why?
· Do you agree that handwriting may soon be obsolete? Why or why not?
Discussion B
· Why do you think people rely so much on technology nowadays?
· In your opinion, what can be the disadvantages of relying too much on technology? Discuss your answer.
