英検準1級の要約の練習問題4題｜本番形式の英文と解答例・言いかえ・自己採点の観点

In recent years, a growing number of countries have introduced rules that ban students from using smartphones during the school day. Under these rules, students must turn off their phones and keep them in lockers or bags from the start of classes until the end of the day. Some governments have made such bans national policy.

Supporters argue that these bans create a better learning environment. Without phones, students are less distracted in class and can concentrate on what their teachers are saying. In addition, supporters claim that students talk with each other more during breaks instead of looking at screens, which helps them develop social skills and may reduce online bullying during school hours.

However, opponents point out several drawbacks. Many parents want to be able to contact their children in an emergency, and a ban makes this more difficult. Critics also say that smartphones can be useful learning tools for looking up information or using educational apps. They argue that schools should teach students how to use phones responsibly rather than simply removing them.

An increasing number of countries are prohibiting students from using smartphones during school hours. Supporters say this helps students focus in class and encourages face-to-face interaction, which can build social skills and may reduce bullying. Opponents, however, worry that parents cannot easily reach their children in emergencies, and they argue that phones can support learning, so schools should teach responsible use instead.

Several major cities, including London and Stockholm, have adopted congestion charges. Drivers who enter the city center during busy hours must pay a daily fee, which is usually collected automatically using cameras that read license plates. The money raised is often used to improve public transportation.

Supporters of congestion charges say the policy brings clear benefits to urban areas. Because driving into the center becomes more expensive, fewer people use their cars, which reduces traffic jams and shortens travel times for buses and delivery vehicles. Supporters also note that lower traffic levels lead to cleaner air, which benefits the health of people living and working in the city.

Critics, however, believe that the charges are unfair. The fee is the same for everyone, so it places a heavier burden on low-income workers who have no choice but to drive. Furthermore, some small shop owners in city centers fear that the charge will discourage customers from visiting, causing them to lose business to large shopping malls in the suburbs.

Some large cities now charge drivers a daily fee to enter central areas at peak times. Supporters claim the fee discourages car use, easing congestion and speeding up buses and deliveries while also improving air quality. Critics, however, argue that the flat fee is unfair to low-income people who must drive and that it may drive customers away from small downtown businesses.

Cultivated meat is meat that is grown from animal cells in a laboratory rather than obtained by raising and slaughtering animals. Scientists take a small number of cells from an animal and grow them in large tanks. In recent years, a few countries have approved the sale of cultivated meat products, and several companies are working to bring them to supermarkets.

Advocates believe that cultivated meat could solve serious problems linked to traditional farming. Raising livestock requires huge amounts of land and water and produces a large share of greenhouse gases. Producing meat from cells could greatly reduce this environmental impact. Advocates also point out that no animals need to be killed, which makes the product attractive to people concerned about animal welfare.

Nevertheless, there are doubts about whether cultivated meat will become widespread. At present, production costs are much higher than those of ordinary meat, so prices remain beyond the reach of most consumers. Moreover, some people are uncomfortable with eating food created in a laboratory, and it is still unclear whether long-term consumption has any effects on health.

Meat grown from animal cells, rather than taken from slaughtered animals, has recently been approved for sale in some countries. Advocates say it could greatly lower the land, water, and emissions required by livestock farming and would spare animals' lives. However, skeptics doubt it will spread because it remains too costly for ordinary shoppers, many people dislike lab-made food, and its long-term health effects are unknown.

Universal basic income, or UBI, is a policy under which a government regularly pays every adult citizen a fixed amount of money, regardless of whether they work. The idea has attracted attention as automation and artificial intelligence threaten to replace many jobs, and several countries and cities have carried out small-scale trials to examine its effects.

Proponents argue that UBI would provide people with financial security in an uncertain labor market. Because everyone receives the payment automatically, there is no need for complicated applications, and people who are too embarrassed to apply for welfare would not be left out. Proponents also suggest that a guaranteed income would allow workers to retrain for new careers or start businesses without fear of falling into poverty.

Opponents, on the other hand, raise concerns about cost and motivation. Paying every adult would require enormous government spending, which could only be funded through large tax increases or cuts to other public services. Opponents further warn that some people might choose not to work if their basic needs were met, which could lead to labor shortages and slower economic growth.

Universal basic income, a regular payment to all adults whether they work or not, is being tested as automation threatens jobs. Proponents believe it offers security without complex applications or stigma and lets people retrain or start businesses safely. Opponents, however, warn that its huge cost would demand higher taxes or service cuts and that it might reduce people's willingness to work.

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