英作文コンテスト入賞者発表

今年度の課題は下記の通り。

２・３年	Computers and Our Society

3-9 南　絵梨香 （Erika Minami）

石戸谷　さやか (Sayaka Ishitoya)

高野　志津子 (Shizuko Takano)

前原　妙子 (Taeko Maehara)

3-9 南　絵梨香（Erika Minami） 　　　　　Nowadays, computers are popular in the office, school and family. We call them 'computers', but there are many kinds. Some are used for information processing and others are used by children for play. But computers do not always profit people. A typical instance is the family computer, what we call the 'famicon'. Recently a lot of children don't want to play outside because of computer games. They play the computer game in the play room with an air conditioner. They seldom go outside to bask in the light of the sun, so they have little resistance to disease. Then again, this is not only children but also office workers. Small type and moving things are bad for the eyes. Though I don't know the details very well, there is a big difference between the number of people who wore glasses or contact lenses before and after computers were invented. People get headaches and stiff shoulders. Computers really do cause trouble in our society. But this is not a point that I want to insist on. Nothing has just disadvantages, and there ought to be some advantages too. Children play computer games to enjoy themselves. In the office, computers are introduced to deal with a lot of information. If we take comfort or convenience seriously, it cannot be helped if sacrifices are brought about. We can say the same thing about the natural world. Human beings have developed at the sacrifice of many animals and plants. It is impossible to live with modern technology without making sacrifices. Development and sacrifice are closely related to each other, and these days there is much of both. 　　　　　Probably a lot of people think the present situation is no good. So do I. We have to invent new computers, as good as possible. And I think the best way is for the computer to manage all living creatures- human beings, animals and plants. The computer gets control of our society, our world. All we have to do is operate it. We use the computer not to deal with information but to make it put forward the right answer. Someday we won't even operate the computer. The computer will do in the future what human beings are doing in the present day. We will be protected or killed by computers. You may feel it is horrible, but we do the same thing now. Needless to say , we cannot say any objections. 　　　　　Nowadays computers are more overbearing in our society than they were a long time ago. These computers might begin to have their own will. The computer which children play with might come to ignore their control, and the floppy disk in the office might move as it pleases. At that time the relationship between the ruler and the ruled will be exchanged, and human beings will join the latter. But for the reasons mentioned above, I think that this relationship is not bad for us. Besides it is natural that the weak yields himself to the strong. This is 'society'. I am sure that computers are already stronger than us. 　　　　　Someday the computer will be perfected by human beings to lead us. Those computers will not just be for games for children or processing information in the office. I have only one anxiety about that computer society. What if the computer breaks down? I wonder what will replace the computer? Who will be the next ruler? I wonder if an English composition subject like this will make senior high students of the future worry.

石戸谷　さやか(Sayaka Ishitoya) 　　　　　First of all, when people are questioned about computers, what do they think of? Originally electronic calculators and others were called computers, too. But most people would answer personal computers, because that is the image in the present age. Well, what do computers give us? We have duplicating machines in our offices which can make copies without having to write a letter over and over again, cordless phones in our homes which enable us to talk to a person without being connected by a wire. Computers make our work more efficient, and make our lives more productive than before. However, in recent years the minus side has been conversely more conspicuous than the plus side in our society of computers. There are problems such as 'techno-stress' representative of the minus side. These cause us pain in our eyes and shoulders. In modern offices that have introduced computers many people can't accustom themselves to operating them easily. It is a fact that they feel stress, and suffer from what are called neuroses. These are producing techno-stress workers day by day. When we turn our eyes to this reality, will we be able to say that technology has accomplished a true leap of evolution? 　　　　I think the answer is no. 　　　　Computers are tools that produce new things and bring them to us. Originally they were to become constructive tools that assist us in imagining things and dealing with complicated tasks. But the reality was that we had to learn difficult operations before they produce something. Moreover, the situation has changed computers from our tools to tools of social competition that we have to be able to use. 　　　　And also, we have lost the original purpose. These things have changed into tools of competition, and can we remember the technology we once hoped for? At this stage, we haven't achieved an ideal relationship to such an extent that we can think, and suggest, and develop things jointly with computers. As things stand, we can also grasp that computers are devices which produce stress, and that they are very far from a leap of evolution. Although computers carry with them so many risks, our society is no longer realized without computers. On the big plus side, they improve our standard of living and maintain it. The big plus side is that computers support our common everyday lives. We cross at traffic lights, for example, then buy tickets at the station and go to our school or office by way of automatic ticket gates. Pacemakers act to save our lives if we have heart disease. There are vending machines at our schools and offices. When we are tired from operating computers in our offices we often go to a vending machine to buy a packet of cigarettes or a drink. Computers are extremely near to us. Do you ever wonder if you are being used by these computers which give us comfort, even when you are operating one? 　　　　Computers shouldn't make us conscious of their existence, and I think that they can be people's new partner, in a relationship of coexistence. I think that computers in our society should exist in a relationship of coexistence with very 'human' tools. We all have a purpose which is to produce something in our lives, and moreover we have the power to do so. But in an information society we are apt to be overawed before we know it. I think the time has come to recognize once more the connection between us and computers as tools, and not to be buried in information.

高野　志津子(Shizuko Takano) 　　　　　For some years, computers have met many companies' needs, and at present they are meeting the needs of our daily lives. Why have we been making such a close relationship with computers? As a first answer, it is thought that people always demand 'convenience'. It is not too much to say that this is mankind's culture. In fact people have demanded convenience and have had many things. For example, cars, planes, portable telephones, televisions, refrigerators and other things. Man has become a prisoner of these, and today computers have been made as the newest convenience of our society. It can grant many kinds of desire, and it doesn't stick to any genre, such as politics, work, hobby, entertainment and so on. In short, as computers replace our hands, legs and brain, we can live without inconvenience if we have a computer. Naturally, mankind jumped at such a wonderful thing, and as a result our society has started to coexist with computers. 　　　　But I am not able to be obediently happy. Certainly, computers are very attractive, and it is because they are too attractive that I feel fear. I think there must be a pitfall hiding in computers. I don't know what it is, but I am sure that mankind will bury itself in the 'convenience' of computers before long. In the end, people will not be able to think for themselves, except some thinkers who plan 'convenience'. If our brains don't work, what will happen to our bodies? I always feel uneasy about this. In addition a more worrying thing is the children who use computers. It is natural for them to be interested in computers, and want to use them, because their parents have them in their houses. If people are used to them from their childhood, they lose the abilities which they have by nature, such as imagination, thinking, action and so forth. When children have grown, they will only move like robots. It is terrible, and it shows us that even though computers were produced for our society, they damage our society as a result. This must not take place. Grownups have to teach children the joy of playing, the necessity of studying, the beauty of nature and the importance of human relations, because it is not possible to learn these after we have grown up and they are important for us to learn to live in society. In short, grownups should make children realize that convenience is not so important to us. It is enough to use computers after this. 　　　　On the other hand, grownups who are used to convenience need to be more careful, too. Because they are absorbed in convenient things that are produced one after another, they gradually fail in health, and it is possible that they will not be able to get better when they find the abnormality. In short, the way to be safe is never to be secure. 　　　　How, then, do we keep company with the many conveniences, with computers? There are some answers to this problem. First grownups should have time to think for themselves. If they do so, they will not lose their imagination and their power of thinking. If they take exercise on occaision, they won't lose action and health. If people pay attention to these things, they can have a good relationship with computers. 　　　　Today, computers have become another word for 'convenience'. But from now on, how should our society keep company with computers? We need to be clear about real values, and the real use of the convenience of computers.

前原　妙子(Taeko Maehara) 　　　　　Today, one of the greatest advances in modern technology in our society has been the invention of computers. They are in most houses and are already widely used in enterprises and in universities, and the time has come when it is possible even for ordinary people to use them as well. But the computer is not almighty. There are good points and also bad points. Computers are capable of doing difficult work in all branches of learning. Also they work accurately and at high speeds. They save people from researching years of hard work. The matter may enable human beings to enjoy far more leisure than we do today, and this is convenient to develop our society. Another good point to say is that global communication has made remarkable progress in recent years. Until now, we have had to go to another country to negotiate, but now we can send data and exchange information faster than before, and we don't have to get on a plane every time. Also ordinary people there is the internet. You can open your own page easily and you can introduce your page to many people at the same time. Communicating with foreign people using the computer, we are able to know about culture and other things by deeper exchange among nations. This will make our society develop more in the future. There are other ways to use the internet. You are enabled to get things you want, or find out information that you wanted to know about just from one computer. For example, if you have something that you want, input the word and the computer will find it and come up with a lot of information in a moment. It is possible now to buy food, cars, and even daily necessities like almost all things from the computer. There are also computers that enable you to listen to music and play games. 　　　　But the computer also has bad points, as it has good points. For example the internet is definitely very convenient. However, it enables people to spend so much time in their house, because they can buy things at their house. This will make humans' health very bad; besides it is very difficult to choose things just from the computer screen. I think that I need to look with my eyes and touch things, so that I can know what material was used for clothes, for example. 　　　　The use of characters is decreasing. Now most people use computers and printers. In Japanese, there are kanji characters. Some kanji are difficult to write and hard to remember. Japanese people are forgetting these kanji in recent years, because if you use a computer you just press a button and it will change the input to kanji. If we have to write letters or documents by hand it may take a long time to write down. 　　　　These machines have varied uses. However, a sort of mystery surrounds computers. This mystery is partly a belief that computers are all-powerful, always faultless and always accurate. Actually, the computer only uses the data it receives as input and carries out operations it is ordered to perform. Even people who use computers are often unaware about it. Criminals use this mystery to commit crimes. We must not have blind faith in computers. From now on the computer will develop together with our society, but these wonderful computers are made by human beings. We must not forget that those operating the machines are human beings, too.