Recycling Waste

One town's efforts point the way to a cleaner future.

The business card handed out by Kazuichi Kasamatsu, the mayor of rural Kamikatsu, a town in Tokushima Prefecture, was unusual. The back of the card was covered in orange patterns. "I had my cards printed on a used calendar," he explained.

Tayoko Nakayama, a 74-year-old resident of Kamikatsu and a member of a recycling ¬promotion group (1) 50 or so homemakers, is committed to a goal of zero waste and 100-percent recycling, if any. Her garbage disposal unit is slightly smaller than her washing machine. Using the machine, she recycles her kitchen garbage into compost for (2) her field and garden. All the town's 860 households have garbage disposal units, courtesy of a subsidy program operated by the municipal government. Kitchen garbage is not considered trash but a precious resource.

Residents who have items they can't dispose of themselves can go to the town's only garbage collection site. With no vehicles for refuse collection public services coming, waste from households of elderly people and those who can't drive is picked up by neighbors or members of the recycling group.

Recycling waste into resources requires (3) sorting. Upon proposal of Kamikatsu residents, the number of trash categories steadily has increased and has stood at 34 since two years ago.

The categories include batteries, fluorescent tubes, (4) chopsticks, caps from plastic bottles, and oil waste. Glass bottles are separated by color.

Old futon are refashioned into zabuton floor cushions by oldsters who are proud of their skills. Late last year, cushions made of recycled futon were delivered to all 152 houses with senior residents.
Currently, roughly 150 kilograms of garbage per person per year is (5) in the town. That is one third of national average. Eighty percent of the waste is recycled.

The volume of waste trucked out of the town for incineration has been cut by half in just four years.

In the 1990s, burning garbage in fields or dumping waste illegally was not uncommon in Kamikatsu. The municipal office started receiving complaints from residents about air and soil pollution, and officials (6) the current attempt of thoroughly reducing waste as their last-ditch (7).

Initially, town officials were worried about a (8) from residents because of the increased (9) imposed on them. But it was needless worry.

"We want to leave a good environment to our children and grandchildren," says Nakayama.

For a long time, the central government focused on the incineration of garbage to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

This thinking was at the heart of the public cleansing law enacted in 1954. But years of heady economic growth had not only created illegal dumping but also a badly contaminated environment around garbage incineration plants. With (10) of the waste disposal law in 1970 and its revision in 1991 the government's main concern is now to reduce waste itself.

The overall amount of waste in Japan has not decreased. But the city of Nagoya, confronted by serious dumping (11) shortage, halved the amount of landfill waste in five years after starting a determined collection drive of separated waste.

Nagoya's experience shows it is possible to reduce waste in large cities.
A series of laws has been enacted to impose a legal (12) on manufactures to recycle products, from packages to home electrical appliances. The new law for automobile recycling came into (13) at the beginning of the year. The Toyota Motor Corp. group's cutting-edge plants (14) an 88 percent reuse rate. The next goal is 95 percent recycling.

Kamikatsu has declared it will reduce waste to zero by 2020. This is not hot air. The town's waste reduction crusade points the way which should be followed by Japan as a whole which looks as if it were going to be burried in piles of waste.

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Q 1: What impresses you the most in this passage? And why?

Q 2: We are facing several environmental problems. Give as many problems as possible.

Q 3: What is your proposal to make the situation around us better and leave a better environment to the next generation? Answer this question in your essay.

The tendency to look for some outside group to blame for our misfortunes is certainly common and it is often sustained by social pressures. (1)There seems to be little doubt that one of the principal causes of prejudice is fear: in particular the fear that the interests of our own group are going to be endangered by the actions of another. This is less likely to be the case in a stable, relatively unchanging society in which the members of different social and occupational groups know what to expect of each other, and know what to expect for themselves. In times of rapid social and economic change, however, new occupations and new social roles appear, and people start looking jealously at each other to see whether their own group is being left behind.
When a community begins to feel unsure of its future, it becomes especially liable to turn in upon itself, to imagine that surrounding groups are threatening and hostile. At a time like this, distorted ideas about the other community are readily believed and are passed on as statements of fact. One of the tragic things about intercommunal strife is that both parties quickly find themselves behaving the worst about each other. And, at the same time, by a process which we might call ¡Æmoral rationalisation¡Ç, each of the antagonists insists ----- and believes ----- that its own actions are inspired by lofty ideals, even when they are really acting out of pure self-interest. (2)To a third party, neutral to the dispute, it may seem obvious that both are behaving unreasonably; but when one's emotions are involved, and especially the emotion of fear, it is extremely difficult to remain rational.
Once prejudice develops, it is hard to stop, because there are often social forces at work which actively encourage unfounded attitudes of hostility and fear towards other groups. One such force is education: we all know that children can be taught history in such a way as to perpetuate old feuds and old prejudices between racial and political groups. Another social influence that has to be reckoned with is the pressure of public opinion. People often think and act differently in groups from the way they would do as individuals. It takes a considerable effort of will, and often calls for great courage, to stand out against one's fellows and insist that they are wrong.

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During my 27 years as director of the Michigan Department of Corrections, I have learned more than I care to know about murder. I have reviewed the grisly details of many homicides. I have come to know well many murderers who were serving out their adult lives in prisons.
Some of these people, (a)(1. for example 2. in my opinion 3. as a whole), may deserve to die for their crimes. But I have come to the conclusion that we, (b)(1. for 2. like 3. as) a civilized society, should not kill them.
We should not because the death penalty fails the two tests (c)(1. against 2. in 3. for) which any just sanction must be measured.
The first test is that the sanction must be in our public self–interest, which in this instance means that we protect our own lives by taking the life of another. In my profession, public protection is my primary responsibility. (d)(1. However 2. Therefore 3 For instance), if I had (1) for believing that the execution of convicted murderers saved the lives of innocent people, I would be obligated to (2) capital punishment.
But capital punishment does not protect. Few issues in criminal justice have seen as much research over the last 40 years as the (3) impact of executions, and there is no issue I am aware of in which the balance of evidence weighs so heavily on the negative side. There is even the possibility that some murderers see execution as a martyrdom which will provide a dramatic end to a life of (4) for themselves and others.
It is sometimes said that even though an execution may not deter others, it (e)(1. at least 2. at last 3. at most) prevents the (5) of the murderer in a few years to kill again. In Michigan, which has not executed anyone in nearly a century and a half, we have no record of any person commuted from a sentence of first-degree murder, who repeated that crime. First-degree murderers who do not die in prison serve an average of 25 years before release, and their record thereafter is (6). To argue that we need capital punishment for our own safety will not (7) scrutiny; life imprisonment is adequate for that purpose.
The second proper test of any penalty (8) by a civilized society is that it can be applied (f)(1. for 2. with 3. on) assurance of justice and fairness. Capital punishment clearly fails this test as well.
It fails a test of social justice (g)(1. in spite of the fact that 2. in that 3. because of) it has been disproportionately applied to minorities. This (9) aspect of the death penalty application remains a problem even today. A recent study in our own state shows that both the race of the offender and the victim are factors in determining whether a person will be convicted of a first-degree murder or of a lesser crime. Research in other states has (h)(1.consistently 2. negatively 3. barely) shown a similar pattern of racial discrimination in (10) the death penalty.
There also is the ever–present possibility––and over time the certainty––of the (i)(1. probable injustice 2. imminent injustice 3.ultimate injustice): the socially approved execution of a person who happens to be innocent. (j)(1. Despite 2. Even 3. But for) all judicial safeguards, some persons serving prison terms for murder in the first degree have been subsequently found to have been wrongfully convicted. At that point a prison term can at least be abridged, but a life cannot be (11).
I am convinced capital punishment fails all proper (k)(1.criteria 2. instruction 3. judges) of an effective and just response to homicide. But there is yet a strong reason why we, as civilized people, should not kill even the most hateful and undeserving of criminals. That is the brutalizing effect which the death penalty has on the public which (12) it. (13), unnecessary killing cheapens the value of human life.
(l)(1. Even 2. Now 3. Once) we recognize that the death penalty is neither a just nor effective response to murder, then only vengeance is left. Several years ago, Canada¡Çs Pierre Trudeau asked this question: ¡ÈAre we so (14) as a society, so lacking in respect for ourselves, so lacking in hope for human betterment, so socially (14) that we are ready to accept vengeance as a penal philosophy?¡É
I am proud that Michigan continues to answer no to that question.

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(1) What is the occupation of the writer?
1. He is a reporter for a Michigan newspaper.
2. He is director of a state prison system in America.
3. He is a Protestant minister.
4. He is a spokesman for a human rights group.

(2) Which of the following is not true of the author?
1. He is in favor of restoring capital punishment in Michigan.
2. He has met many people convicted of first-degree murder.
3. He believes that some people confined in prison for murder may really be innocent.
4. He believes that some murderers deserve to die for their crimes.
(3) Some people believe that the execution of convicted murderers can save the lives of innocent people. The author claims that
1. research proves that idea to be false.
2. murderes released from prison often kill again.
3. the balance of evidence weighs heavily in favor of that idea.
4. the record of murderers released from prison in Michigan supports the idea.

(4) The article says that one factor in determining whether a person is convicted of first-degree murder is
1. the presence of witness.
2. the race of the people involved.
3. whether or not the person is insane.
4. whether a weapon was found at the scene of the crime.

(5) What does the author feel is the most unforgivable human action?
1. The conviction for murder of innocent people.
2. Life imprisonment of innocent people.
3. Discrimination against people on the basis of race or creed.
4. The socially sanctioned execution of an innocent person.

(6) Which word is not a synonym for ¡Èvengeance¡É?
1. Reprisal.
2. Revenge.
3. Retaliation.
4. Verification.

(7) In the passage, quoted, when Pierre Trudeau asks if society is bankrupt, he is referring to
1. the budget deficit.
2. social morality
3. banking practices.
4. social welfare.

¬Every generation has its illusions. One of ours is that ¡Èglobalization" ––the internationalization of trade, services, and information-sharing––will change humankind for the better. Yet while globalization itself is real enough, the visions of it (1) by its proponents only make it harder to (2) what's now happening and what isn't.
Among the many (3) surrounding globalization, two stand out: the notion that this phenomenon is new and, more dangerously, that it will lead to an age of utopian peace. Those who see globalization as (4) simply don't know history. Those who imagine that globalization (courtesy of the Internet) will deliver greater understanding and worldwide peace don¡Çt know human nature.
Globalization today may proceed at a swifter pace, (5) greater wealth and touch more lives, but its essence is at least 2,500 years old. Previous cultures have also believed that their moment in history was unique, but trade between nations has always affected customs, commerce, and values across borders. Greek culture in the age of Alexander influenced India's hairstyles, while eastern silks were sold in Caesar's Rome. Chinese porcelain and coins more than a thousand years old routinely turn up in East Africa. Meanwhile, in the Indian Ocean where Portuguese warships once controlled the spice trade, U.S. Navy destroyers and aircraft carriers now enable the oil trade. The commodities have changed, but not the strategic geography.
The second myth––that globalization will bring about peace––also has ancient roots. The human desire to believe in a worldly paradise is as old as recorded history. And for just as long it has proven (6), especially given the sometimes deadly combination of our good intentions and our basic selfishness. Historical eras of relative peace never came about because competing cultures agreed to cooperate, but because both sides were exhausted by war, or less often, because a domineering power (7) the rules. No peace has lasted. Predictions that humankind has finally learned the lessons of war (8) in every age. Not long after the idealistic League of Nations was founded, World War II broke out. Following the well-intentioned establishment of the U.N., the Cold War set in, (9) countless regional wars. Then again, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, optimists claimed that globalization and democracy would (10) the world and put an end to conflict. Instead, there were bloodbaths in the Balkans, genocide in Africa, civil strife in Central America, and the pouring out of destructive passions that the Cold War had long kept dammed up.
Far from uniting humanity, globalization has made billions of people more aware and more (11) of economic disparities and injustice. And since globalization inherently threatens (12) values and traditional societies, it has led to a surge in fundamentalism of every kind: Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Jewish, and nationalistic. As for the Internet, for all its practical utility, its ability to unite violent groups and recruit them new members has made it the greatest tool for spreading (13) since the invention of the printing press.
This is an age of new possibilities for the most talented humans. Yet it is also an age of (14) rekindled with digital propaganda, the source of the fuel. The future is rich with new possibilities, but it will take a firm (2) of reality to maximize those opportunities, such as the good sense to realize that globalization may well stoke rather than (15) conflict, and to realize that paradise on earth will always be an impossible dream.

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Question 1: Choose the most appropriate of the following words to fill the blank spaces (1 ¡½ 15). Each word can only be used once.

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Question 2: What do the two myths of globalization have in common?

Question 3: According to the writer, under what conditions does peace usually occur?

Question 4: Why does the writer mention the League of Nations and the U.N.?

Question 5: What is the writer¡Çs principal view of the Internet?

Question 6: What does the writer think of peace on earth and why?

Question 7: It seems that the world will continue to be globalizing, which means that we cannot avoid being affected by globalization. Not only for people in wealthy countries but also for people in developing countries to benefit more from globalization, what should be done? Develop your own ideas in your essay.

¢£Read the letter below.
¢£Imagine that you are Hiroki, and write an appropriate response to Linda in the space provided on your answer sheet.
¢£Your letter should be around 100 words in length.

Dear Hiroki,

I hope this message finds you well. The reason I¡Çm writing is to ask you some questions. I have to write a report about changes in the Japanese diet. In your experience, how do the eating habits of you and your friends differ from your parents¡Ç generation? What do you think is causing those changes? How do you feel about them?
Please write back as soon as you can.

Your friend,
Linda.

¢£Write an essay on the given TOPIC covering at least three of the POINTS below.
Use the space provided on your answer sheet.
¢£Structure: three or more paragraphs, including an introduction and conclusion
¢£Length: around 200 words

TOPIC
The Advantages and/or Disadvantages of Studying Abroad

POINTS
¢£Homesickness ¢£Career prospects
¢£Independence ¢£Language barrier
¢£International understanding
¢£Culture shock

1 He gave a sigh of ______ , turned over and went to sleep.
2 She seemed ______ to join in the discussion.
3 The fireplace was the only thing that remained ______ after the tornado.
4 Meg was ______ from her work by the noise outside.
5 A blood ______ saved his life.
6 Leonora was ______ about her looks.
7 Don¡Çt ______ your father!
8 We must ______ our woodlands for future generations.
9 Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize for his ______ to Quantum Theory.
10 She is more than a ______ for him in tennis.
11 She¡Çs on ______ for her heart.
12 We must act in ______ with the local regulations.
13 She ______ her husband by twenty years.
14 They are living in temporary accommodation while their apartment is being ______ .

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1 She ______ them to rise against the mayor.
2 Our teacher told us to ______ the exam until next week.
3 The soldiers ______ ahead.
4 The soldiers ______ the rebellion.
5 Truth will ______ over falsehood in the end.
6 We ______ a task to him.
7 The police ______ him to drive more slowly.
8 The flood soon ______ .
9 The government should take an adequate measure to improve the ______ of homeless children.
10 I don¡Çt ______ your going there alone.
11 Storms at sea ______ our progress.
12 Richard listened, ______ by the Captain¡Çs stories.

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1 It is absolutely ______¡¡that these safety measures are implemented immediately.
2 She led a ______ existence in the drab suburbs of Paris.
3 It would be wrong to ______ that people who are overweight are just greedy.
4 The government delayed ______ the treaty.
5 Window locks are an effective ______ to potential burglars.
6 Judges have been accused of being far too ______ in this case.
7 Toxic chemicals may ______ the soil, threatening the environment.
8 Nothing would ______ me to vote for him again.
9 I was struck by the ______ contrast between his lively mind and his old frail body.
10 We sent five ______ to the conference.
11 We will expel any member found to be in ______ of the rules.
12 The government has been weakened by internal ______ .

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Some people prefer work or activities that mainly involve working with people. Others choose work or activities that mainly involve working with objects or machines. Compare these types of activities. Which one of them do you prefer? Give reasons to support your answer.