Questions for Oral Response Practices in English Gate-1 (Fall 2020-2021)

2021 年度法学部設置英語春学期秋学期
English Theme 33 (Tuesday 13:00-14:30 online) English Theme 33 (Tuesday 13:00-14:30 online)
English Theme 60 (Tuesday 14:45-16:15 online) English Theme 60 (Thursday 14:45-16:15 online)
English Advanced 04 (Tuesday 16:30-18:00 online) English Advanced 04 (Tuesday 16:30-18:00 online)
English Bridge-1 6C-1 (Thursday 13:00-14:30 online) English Gate 6C-1 (Thursday 13:00-14:30 online)
English Bridge-1 7C-1 (Thursday 14:45-16:15 online) English Gate 7C-1 (Thursday 14:45-16:15 online)
English Gate 7S-1 (Thursday 16:30-18:00 online)
原田康也

table of contents

What-if (Bridge)
Summer Holidays (Bridge)
End-of-Semester (Bridge)
Summer Holidays (Gate)
Learning English (Gate)
Transportation and Communication (Gate)
Experience or books (Gate)
What-if (Gate)
Young People Teaching Old (Gate)
Global Issues (Gate)
End of School Year (Gate)
Self Introduction (Theme / Advanced)
Self Introduction Continued (Theme / Advanced)
ICT and the World (Theme)
ICT and the World Continued (Theme)
Self Introduction (Theme / Advanced)
Science and Technology (Theme)
Science and Technology (continued) (Theme)
End-of-Semester (Theme)
本 web page 使用に関する注意事項

Questions for Oral Response Practices (Bridge)

What-if (Bridge)
1. Half an hour before the class, you realize that you had forgotten your homework. In such a case, would you decide to go home to get it even if you will be late for the class, or would you attend the class from the beginning and apologize? Explain why you would do so.
2. When you are taking an examination, you find someone cheating. Would you ignore this student or would you report this incident to the proctor or assistants? Why would you decide to do so?
3. Just before the deadline, one of your friends asks you to let him/her copy a draft of your term paper. Would you let him/her or would you decline? What are the reasons for your decisions?
4. You are living in downtown Tokyo. You need electricity for the air-conditioning in summer. TEPCO has decided to build yet another nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture. Would you support TEPCO's decision? Give specific reasons.
5. You are living in Fukushima Prefecture. TEPCO decided to build yet another nuclear power plant near where you live, which would mean more employment in your neighborhood but a greater possibility of nuclear contamination in case of accidents. Would you support TEPCO's decision? Give specific reasons.
6. What do you think would happen if all gasoline and other petroleum supply to Japan from abroad suddenly stopped for one month? Describe a probable course of events with some specific details.
7. What would you do if all electricity supply stopped for one day? In what areas of your daily life would you be most seriously affected?
8. What would you do if all the subways and trains and busses stopped for one week? In what areas of your daily life would you be most seriously affected?
9. What would you do if your smartphones suddenly stopped functioning for half day? What areas of your daily life do you think you would be most seriously affected?
10. What do you think would happen if the sea level went up one meter due to global warming and melting of arctic ice? Describe a probable course of events with some specific details.
Summer Holidays (Bridge)
1. How are you generally going to spend your time during the summer holidays? Do you plan to study or work part-time or just take it easy doing nothing? Explain how and why.
2. Where are you going to stay during most of the summer holidays? Are you going to stay in Tokyo or are you going back to your home town?
3. Are you going to a foreign country during the summer holidays? If you are, which country or region are you visiting and for what purposes? If not, do you have particular reasons not to?
4. - 6C and 7C
    During the summer holidays, are you going to study English? How about Chinese? How? Why?
  - 9S
    During the summer holidays, are you going to study English? How about Spanish? How? Why?
5. Are you going to study law during the summer holidays? Why, or why not?
6. Are you going to read many books during the summer holidays? What are some of the books that you might want to read and why?
7. During the summer holidays, are you meeting with your new friends in the university? Are you meeting your high school friends?
8. Do you have plans to go somewhere with your friends during the summer holidays? Are you planning to go to the mountains? Are you going to the sea? For how long?
9. Do you have plans to go somewhere with your family during the summer holidays? Are you planning to go to the mountains? Are you going to the sea? For how long?
10. What is the ideal way for you to spend the first summer holidays in your college life?
End-of-Semester (Bridge)
1. When you are given a topic and asked to give a short and informal presentation in English, can you start preparing your slides immediately? Do you think you can give understandable or reasonable presentation to your classmates?
2. Do you now feel more comfortable when you express and exchange ideas with your classmates in spoken English than when you did so at the beginning of this semester? Give some specific examples and/or reasons for your answers.
3. Do you now feel more confident when you use computers in writing essays prepareing your presentation slides than at the beginning of this semester? Give some specific examples and/or reasons for your answers.
4. Do you think you can write in English longer, faster and more coherently than at the beginning of this semester? Give some specific examples and/or reasons for your answers.
5. Do you feel confident when you are asked to write an essay of about 400 words on a particular topic? How long did it take at the beginning of this semester and how long does it take now to complete such an essay?
6. Do you think your reading fluency improved? Do you think you can read a relatively short essay of about 400 words written by your friends in English and give feedbacks on their formats and contents in 10 or 15 minuts without too much effort? Do you think you would have felt the same way at the beginning of this semester?
7. Among the various activities that you did during class or as homework, what was the most difficult or time-consuming for you? Be as specific as you can and give some concrete examples and reasons for your answers.
8. Among the various activities that you did during class or as homework, what was the most interesting or enjoyable for you? Be as specific as you can and give some concrete examples and reasons for your answers.
9. Overall, did you enjoy this English class? Why, or why not? On a scale of 1 to 10, what point would you give to yourself and what you achieved in this class during this semester?
10. What is the ONE most important thing that you learned or that you acquired during the course of this English class? Why do you think it is so important?

Questions for Oral Response Practices (Bridge)

Summer Holidays (Gate)
1. How did you spend your summer holidays? Did you study or did you work part-time or were you taking it easy doing nothing?
2. Where were you most of the summer? Did you stay in Tokyo or did you go back to your home town? What were the reasons?
3. The person who reads the question should choose one from below depending on the class:
  - 6C and 7C:
    Did you study during the summer holidays? What did you study, English or Chinese, or did you study law?
  - 9S:
    Did you study during the summer holidays? What did you study, English or Spanish, or did you study law?
4. During the summer holidays, did you have a chance to go to the mountains? Did you go to the beach? Did you get to know some new people? Did you meet your old friends?
5. Were you hoping to go to a foreign country during the summer holidays? Which country or region did you consider visiting and what were your plans there? Otherwise, did you have some plans to go somewhere in Japan where you have never visited before?
6. Did you see films on the net during the summer holidays? What was the title of the film you saw? What did you like about the film and what did you think of it?
7. How many books did you read during the summer holidays? What was the title of the most interesting or impressive book that you read? Who was the author and what was discussed in the book?
8. Did you make new friends during the summer holidays? Did you get to know someone new? Or did you learn new facts and truths about your old friends and acquaintances. Did you meet someone special?
9. When the summer holidays were almost over, were you well prepared for the new semester? Are you ready to study for another three or four months' period? What are you most interested in studying at the moment?
10. Overall, how were your summer holidays, good, bad, or mediocre? (Just in case, 'mediocre' means 'not too good and not too bad'.) On a scale of 1 to 10, what point would you give to what you did and what happened to you during the summer holidays, and why?
Global Issues (Gate)
1. Some people believe that the world has become a better place to live in through advancement of science and technology. Others feel that it has become a more difficult place to live in. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
2. Do you think the Internet and smartphones have changed the way people live? How do they influence people's behavior? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.
3. Some famous people in high-tech industry earn millions of dollars every year when there are many young people without any jobs. Do you think these people deserve such high salaries? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
4. Some people believe that success in business comes from taking risks or chances. Others believe that success results from careful planning. In your opinion, what does success come from? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
5. You are working for a Japanese company. One day, it was bought by some international corporation and all your business transactions have to be conducted in English. Do you think you can survive in such a situation? Use specific details and examples to support your answer.
6. Some people believe that Japan should open up its job market to international workforce, allowing more workers from abroad into Japan. Others believe that bringing in workforce with different cultural and religious background might increase social instability. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
7. What do you think would happen if nuclear power plants in Korea or in Russia or in China had major accidents or malfunctions and started emitting radio active wastes into the atomosphere and into the ocean? What would be your first reactions and how do you plan to survive possible nuclear contaminations?
8. Some people claim that Japanese companies should keep their technology to themselves. Others believe that Japan should help other countries in improving their construction and manufacturing technology. What do you think is the best approach for Japanese government and Japanese companies?
9. Some people claim that we should help starving children in Africa survive and get educated. Others believe that we should use our money to improve our own child care, living standards and work conditions. What do you think? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
10. Which among the following do you think is the most urgent issue to be addressed for our sustained existence on this planet? Give specific reasons why you think so.
  - global warming
  - nuclear (non-)proliferation
  - deforestation and desertification
Learning English (Gate)
1. Do you think it is going to be important for you in the future to be able to communicate in English? Do you think your English proficiency is good enough? If not, what are you doing to improve it?
2. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were severely disadvantaged because you were not able to express yourself in English properly? Please explain how. What did you do to deal with the situation?
3. Do you think you will need to be able to speak English when you graduate and start to work in the real world? Do you think you are ready to work in a company where most of your bosses and co-workers are native speakers of English? Are you ready to work in a situation where you have to conduct everyday work in English?
4. When you read something in English, do you go back and forth trying to understand what is written in the text? Do you do this even when you are reading very easy books?
5. How many English words do you think you need to know to be an effective speaker of English? How many words do you think you know at the moment? Do you think you can learn as many words as you might need before you graduate from university?
6. What is your best TOEIC score so far? What score are you aiming to get by the time you graduate from university? What are you doing every day to achieve that goal?
7. Do you think the way you have been studying English until you entered School of Law was very effective? Do you think what you are doing now is working out for you?
8. What do you think are the greatest problems or shortcomings in the Japanese educational system for the English language? What do you think needs to be changed right now?
9. How do you feel about having to speak with your classmate in English? How difficult is it for you to answer questions in English?
10. Do you know that next year, you are going to give a formal presentation in English to the entire class for five or ten minutes based on research you have conducted with two or three students in your class? Do you think you are ready for such activities?
End of School Year (Gate)
1. When you are asked a question in English, can you start responding immediately? Do you think you can give coherent and reasonable answers?
2. Do you now feel more confident when you use computers in writing essays, preparing your PowerPoint slides and submitting your homework than you did in April? Give some specific examples and/or reasons for your answer.
3. Do you now feel more confident when you give an informal presentation in English to a small group of your classmates than when you did so for the first time? Give some specific examples and/or reasons for your answer.
4. Do you now think you can write in English longer, faster and more coherently than you did in April? Give specific examples and/or reasons for your answer.
5. Among the various activities that you did in class or as homework during this semester, what was the most difficult, time-consuming or too easy and boring for you?
6. Among the various activities that you did in class or as homework during this semester, what was the most interesting or enjoyable for you? Be as specific as you can and give some concrete examples and reasons for your answer.
7. Do you now know most of your classmates? Did you make new friends among the members in this class? Did you enjoy working in groups of three or in small groups for informal presentations?
8. Did you find this English class either too easy or too difficult for you? If you did, do you think you should have taken some other English class or do you think you enjoyed this English class anyway.
9. Would you like to continue what you did in this class in the next semester or in the next school year? Why, or why not?
10. Overall, did you enjoy this English class? On a scale of 1 to 10, what point would you give to yourself and what you achieved in this class during this semester?
Transportation and Communication (Gate)
1. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
  Face-to-face communication is better than other types of communication, such as letters, email, or telephone calls.
  Use specific reasons and details to support your answer.
2. How do smartphones influence people's behavior? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.
3. Choose one of the following transportation vehicles and explain why you think they have changed people's lives.
  automobiles / bicycles / airplanes
  Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
4. Some people think that automobile has improved modern life. Others think that automobile has caused serious problems. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
5. Should governments spend more money on improving roads and highways, or should governments reduce taxes or spend more money on improving public health and social support for elderly or handicapped people? Why do you think so? Use specific reasons and details to develop your answer.
6. Nowadays, food has become easier to prepare. Has this change improved the way people live? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
7. In general, most people in Japan spend long hours to commute between their homes and their offices. Discuss the causes and influences of this phenomenon. Use specific reasons and details to develop your answer.
8. Some people think that television has improved modern life. Others think that television has caused serious problems. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
9. Some people believe that the Earth is being harmed (damaged) by modern means of transportation such as cars and jet planes. Others feel that faster means of transportation make the world a better place to live. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
10. Choose one of the following and explain why you think it has changed people's lives.
  - personal computers
  - the Internet
  - smartphones
  Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Experience or books (Gate)
1. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
  With the help of technology, students nowadays can learn more information and learn it more quickly.
  Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
2. People learn in different ways. Some people learn by doing things; other people learn by reading about things; others learn by listening to people talk about things. Which of these methods of learning is best for you? Use specific examples to support your choice.
3. Some people believe that the best way of learning about life is by listening to the advice of family and friends. Other people believe that the best way of learning about life is through personal experience. Compare the advantages of these two different ways of learning about life. Which do you think is preferable? Use specific examples to support your preference.
4. Today, students have the choice of studying at home by using technology such as computers and the Internet or of studying at traditional schools. Which would you prefer? Use reasons and specific details to explain your choice.
5. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
  Attending a live performance (for example, a play, concert, or sporting event) is more enjoyable than watching the same event on television.
  Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
6. Some students like classes where teachers lecture (do all of the talking) in class. Other students prefer classes where the students do some of the talking. Which type of class do you prefer? Give specific reasons and details to support your choice.
7. Some movies are serious, designed to make the audience think. Other movies are designed primarily to amuse and entertain. Which type of movie do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
8. Films can tell us a lot about the country where they were made. What have you learned about a country from watching its movies? Use specific examples and details to support your response.
9. Learning about the past has no value for those of us living in the present.
  Do you agree or disagree? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
10. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
  Children should begin learning a foreign language as soon as they start school.
  Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.
What-if (Gate)
1. Half an hour before the class, you realize that you had forgotten your homework. In such a case, would you decide to go home to get it even if you will be late for the class, or would you attend the class from the beginning and apologize? Explain why you would do so.
2. When you are taking an examination, you find someone cheating. Would you ignore this student or would you report this incident to the proctor or assistants? Why would you decide to do so?
3. Just before the deadline, one of your friends asks you to let him/her copy a draft of your term paper. Would you let him/her or would you decline? What are the reasons for your decisions?
4. One of your friends asks you if he/she could duplicate one of your favorite music CDs. Would you agree? Why or why not? Do you think this is legally allowed?
5. One of your friends asks you if he/she could duplicate one of your favorite movie DVDs. Would you agree? Why or why not? Do you think this is legally allowed?
6. One of your friends asks you if he/she could duplicate a piece of proprietary computer software in your computer. Would you agree? Why or why not? Do you think this is legally allowed?
7. If some of your friends asks you to go out for dinner and drinks the day before your final examinations, would you turn down the invitation or would you go out anyway? Why?
8. You are under age and cannot legally drink. You attend a class party and everyone starts to drink beer. Would you drink some or would you decline? Why would you do so?
9. You go out for drinks with a group of your friends, and one of them gets drunk and cannot go home alone. In such a case, would you take him/her home or would you leave him/her on the street or at the station? What would you do?
10. You are at Waseda subway station. It is 23:55 and you have to get to Takadanobaba station immediately to catch your last train home. There's an accident and all Tozai Line subway trains stop indefinitely. What would you do?
Young People Teaching Old (Gate)
1. Do you talk with your parents on a daily basis? If you have a problem, would you rather talk with your parents or with your friends? Why?
2. How did you interact with your teachers in elementary school, junior high school and senior high school? Did you discuss anything with them or did you either avoid or ignore them?
3. Are you teaching high school students part-time? If so, is it interesting? Are you enjoying teaching? If not, is there any particular reason why you are not teaching?
4. Every generation of people is said to be different in important ways. In what aspect do you think your generation is different from your parents'? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your answer.
5. Some people think that they can learn better by themselves than with a teacher. Others think that it is always better to have a teacher. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons to develop your answer.
6. People recognize a difference between children and adults. What events (experiences or ceremonies) make a person an adult? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your answer.
7. Some students prefer to study alone. Others prefer to study with a group of students. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
8. Some students like classes where teachers lecture (do all of the talking) in class. Other students prefer classes where the students do some of the talking. Which type of class do you prefer? Give specific reasons and details to support your choice.
9. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
  Parents are the best teachers.
  Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
10. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
  Parents or other adult relatives should make important decisions for their older (15 to 18 year-old) teenage children.
  Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

Questions for Oral Response Practices (Theme / Advanced)

Self Introduction (Theme / Advanced)
1. Why did you decide to enroll in this English class? Do you think this is going to be an easy class or a difficult one? What English classes did you take last year? Which ones were interesting and which ones were not?
2. Do you think it is going to be important for you in the future to be able to communicate in English? Why, or why not? Do you think your English proficiency is good enough? If not, what are you doing to improve it?
3. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had great difficulty or you were severely disadvantaged because you were not able to express yourself in English properly? Please explain how. What did you do to deal with the situation?
4. What do you think are some of the good characteristics about yourself? What are you proud of about yourself? What do you think you can do better than most other people?
5. What do you think are some of the bad characteristics about yourself? Why do you think they are "bad"? Is there something you have difficulty doing that most other people seem to do easily?
6. What is your most preferred mode of communication? Do you send email a lot? Do you talk over your smartphone regularly? Do you prefer to meet people in person? Please explain why.
7. Do you read books regularly? What kinds of books do you read, novels, history or current affairs? How many books do you read in a month? What is the title of the book that you read most recently? Was it interesting?
8. What topic or topics do you want to discuss in this class? What kinds of issues are you interested in right now? Please explain why you are interested in these topics or issues.
9. Do you think understanding of legal systems is going to be important in your life? Do you think cultivating a "legal mind" is what you are here for? What is your definition of a "legal mind"?
10. After you graduate from the undergraduate School of Law, what are you going to do? Do you want to go on to a graduate law school, take the bar exam and practice law? Do you think you will get a job in one of the major Japanese companies? Would you rather work for an international organization? What are your plans for the future?
Self Introduction continued (Theme / Advanced)
1. Do you prefer to work in a small group or do you prefer to work alone? Please explain why.
2. Which is more important to you in your daily school life, getting good grades or having fun with your friends? Please explain why.
3. Last year, did you attend your classes every week or were you absent rather often? Did you always submit your homework in time or were you sometimes late?
4. When you work in a small group, do you want to be the leader and decision maker or do you prefer to follow decisions other people have made?
5. When you have to prepare for group work and get ready for an examination at the same time, which is your first priority? Do you think preparations for your examination is more important than spending time for your group work or the other way around?
6. When you work in a small group, are you a reliable person to work with, always on time, responding quickly to questions and requests, helping others, or are you an unreliable person?
7. When you work in a small group, are you a nice person to work with, never getting angry if others come late or do not show up, always helping others, or are you a rather nasty person?
8. When you work in a small group, are you a dependable person to work with, always coming up with interesting ideas and reasonable solutions, doing all the hard work and sharing the results, or are you a quite selfish person?
9. You had some misunderstandings with a member in your group. Would you try to talk directly with this person and solve the problem, or would you rather ask someone else to work things out for you and your friend? Please explain why?
10. If you go out for drinks with a group of your friends, and one of them got drunk and cannot go home alone, would you take him/her home or would you leave him/her on the street or at the station? What would you do in such a situation?
End-of-Semester (Theme)
1. Do you now feel more comfortable when you exchange ideas informally with your classmates in spoken English than when you did so at the beginning of the semester? Give some specific examples and/or reasons for your answer.
2. When you prepare PowerPoint slides for a presentation in English, do you now feel more confident or at ease than when you did so for the first time at the beginning of the semester?
3. Do you now feel more confident when you give an informal presentation in English to a small group of your classmates than when you did so for the fist at the beginning of the semester? Give some specific examples and/or reasons for your answer.
4. Do you now feel more confident when you give a group presentation in English to the entire class than when you did so for the first time? Give some specific examples and/or reasons for your answer.
5. Do you think you can write in English much more coherently than you did when you entered Waseda University? Do you think you have some idea of how to organize a research summary or are you still at a loss? Give some specific examples and/or reasons for your answer.
6. Do you now feel more confident when you use computers in writing essays, preparing your PowerPoint slides and submitting your homework than at the beginning of the semester? Give some specific examples and/or reasons for your answer.
7. Among the various activities that you did in class or as homework during this semester, what was the most interesting or enjoyable for you? Be as specific as you can and give some concrete examples and reasons for your answer.
8. Do you now know most of your classmates? Did you make new friends among the members in this class? Did you enjoy working in small groups preparing for your group presentations and working on your research summaries? Why or why not?
9. Did you find this English class either too easy or too difficult for you? If you did, do you think you should have taken some other English class or do you think you enjoyed this English class anyway.
10. On a scale of 1 to 10, what point would you give to yourself and what you achieved in this class during this semester? Would you like to continue what you did in this class in the next semester or in the next school year? Overall, did you enjoy this English class? Why, or why not?

Questions for Oral Response Practices (Theme: ICT)

ICT and the World (Theme)
1. In the future and even today in Japan, students may have the choice of studying at home by using technology such as computers or television or of studying at traditional schools. Which would you prefer? Use reasons and specific details to explain your choice.
2. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
  With the help of technology, students nowadays can obtain more information and learn it more quickly.
  Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
3. Some people believe that the world has become a better place to live in through advancement of information communications technology. Others feel that it has become a more difficult place to live in. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
4. One of your friends asked you if he/she could make a copy of your favorite music CD. Would you let him/her do it? Why or why not? Do you think this is legally allowed?
5. One of your friends asked you if he/she could make a copy of your favorite DVD movie. Do you think this is technologically possible? Do you think this is legally allowed? Would you let him/her do it? Why or why not?
6. One of your friends asked you if he/she could make a copy of your computer software for his/her own personal use. Would you let him/her do it? Why or why not?
7. Do you think the Internet has changed the way people behave? How does it influence people's behavior? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.
8. Do you think smartphones have changed the way people behave? How do they influence people's behavior? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.
9. Should governments spend more money on improving roads and public transportation, or should governments spend more money on improving public Internet access for citizens? Why? Use specific reasons and details to develop your answer.
10. What are some of the interesting issues regarding ICT and the world you are living in? What do you know about them? How would you go about doing research on those issues?
ICT and the World (Theme)
1. Some people think that television has improved modern life. Others think that television is causing serious problems. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
2. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
  With the help of technology, students nowadays can obtain more information and learn it more quickly.
  Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
3. Some people believe that the world has become a better place to live in through advancement of information and communications technology. Others feel that it has become a more difficult place to live in. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
4. Do you think the Internet has changed the way people behave, especially in case of emergency or during disaster situations? How does it influence people's behavior? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
5. Do you think smartphones have changed the way people behave, especially in case of emergency or during disaster situations? How do they influence people's behavior? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
6. Should governments spend more money on improving roads and public transportation, or should governments spend more money on improving public wireless access for citizens? Why? Use specific reasons and details to develop your answer.
7. Choose one of the following and explain why you think it has changed people's lives.
  - personal computers
  - the Internet
  - smartphones
  Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
8. Choose one of the following and explain why you think it has changed people's lives.
  - Wikipedia
  - YouTube
  - Amazon.com
  Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
9. Some famous people in high-tech industry earn millions of dollars every year. Do you think these people deserve such high salaries? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
10. What are some of the most important issues regarding ICT and the world you are living in? What do you know about them? How would you go about doing research on those issues?
ICT and the World continued (Theme)
1. Name one thing that you think of when you think of Information Communications Technology.
2. Choose one of the following and explain why you think it has changed people's lives.
  - personal computers
  - the Internet
  - smartphones
  Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
3. Some people think that television has improved modern life. Others think that television has caused serious problems. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
4. If you could make one important change in the world, what would you change? Why? Give reasons and specific examples to support your answer.
5. Some people believe that success in business comes from taking risks or chances. Others believe that success results from careful planning. In your opinion, what does success come from? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
6. You are living in downtown Tokyo. You need electricity for the air-conditioning in the summer. TEPCO has decided to build yet another nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture. Would you support TEPCO's decision? Give specific reasons.
7. You are living in Fukushima Prefecture. TEPCO decided to build yet another nuclear power plant near where you live, which would mean more employment in your neighborhood but a greater possibility of nuclear contamination in case of accidents. Would you support TEPCO's decision? Give specific reasons.
8. Some famous people in high-tech industry earn millions of dollars every year. Do you think these people deserve such high salaries? Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.
9. Imagine that when you graduate, you wanted to get a job at a high-tech company but none offered you an opening. Would you wait for another year or would you try to find a different job opportunity? Tell us your choice and its reasons.
10. What are some of the most important issues regarding ICT and the world you are living in? What do you know about them? How would you go about doing research on those issues?

Questions for Oral Response Practices

Self Introduction (Theme / Advanced)
1. Why did you decide to enroll in this particular English class? Do you think this is going to be an easy class or a difficult one?
2. What English classes did you take last year? Which ones were interesting for you and which ones were not?
3. Do you think it is going to be important for you in the future to be able to communicate in English? Why, or why not? Do you think your English proficiency is good enough? If not, what are you doing to improve it?
4. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had great difficulty or you were severely disadvantaged because you were not able to express yourself in English properly?
5. When you work in a small group, are you a reliable person to work with, always on time, responding quickly to questions and requests, helping others, or are you an unreliable person?
6. When you work in a small group, are you a nice person to work with, never getting angry if others come late or do not show up, always helping others, or are you a nasty and unreasonable person, getting angry and never helping others?
7. When you work in a small group, are you a dependable person to work with, always coming up with interesting ideas and reasonable solutions, doing all the hard work and sharing the results, or are you a quite selfish person?
8. What topic or topics do you want to discuss in this class? What kinds of issues are you interested in right now? Please explain why you are interested in these topics or issues.
9. Do you think understanding of legal systems is going to be important in your life? Do you think cultivating a "legal mind" is what you are here for? What is your definition of a "legal mind"?
10. After you graduate from the undergraduate School of Law, what are you going to do? Do you want to go on to a graduate law school, take the bar exam and practice law? Do you think you will get a job in one of the major Japanese companies? Would you rather work for an international organization? What are your plans for the future?
Science and Technology (Theme)
1. What would you do if there is a major accident in one of the power plants and all electricity supply stops for one day? In what areas of your daily life would you be most seriously affected?
2. What would you do if all the subways and trains and busses stopped for one week? In what areas of your daily life would you be most seriously affected?
3. What happens if all computers stopped for one day? What would you do if your smartphones suddenly stopped functioning for half day? What would you do in such cases?
4. What happens if all paper in the world suddenly disintegrated? What would you do in such a case? What areas of your daily life do you think you would be most seriously affected?
5. What would you do if the government decided we should prohibit use of robots of all kinds? What areas of your daily life do you think you would be most seriously affected?
6. What would you do if the government decided we are not allowed to use plastic bags of any kind in Japan? What areas of your daily life do you think you would be most seriously affected?
7. What would you do if we found that vaccination for various illnesses including the new corona virus is more dangerous for our health than original expected and the government banned their use in Japan? Describe a probable course of events with some specific details.
8. What would you do if all radio and television programs stopped for a week? Describe a probable course of events with some specific details.
9. What do you think would happen if all gasoline and other petroleum supply to Japan from abroad suddenly stopped for one month? Describe a probable course of events with some specific details.
10. What do you think would happen if the sea level went up one meter due to global warming and melting of arctic ice? Describe a probable course of events with some specific details.
Science and Technology (continued) (Theme)
1. Think of a day in your daily life. What technology makes it possible for you to live the life you lead? For instance, if you commute by subway, think of how the tunnels were dug. What makes it possible for the trains to run on time? How is it possible for you to use your smartphones to pay for the fares?
2. What kind of technology do you think you can live without? For example, do you think you would need atomic power plants? Or, do you think you would need genetically engineered farm products? Think of one specific technology that you think you don’t need and give reasons why you think so.
3. What scientific theory do you think has affected human thinking the most? Choose one from the following and explain why.
  - Newton's theory of universal gravitation
  - Darwin's theory of evolution
  - Pasteur's study on microbiology and bacteriology
  - Einstein's theory of relativity
  - Big Bang Theory of expanding universe
4. What technological development do you think has affected human life the most? Choose one from the following and explain why.
  - internal combustion engine
  - atomic bombs and nuclear power
  - biochemistry and genetic engineering
  - personal computers and the Internet
  - machine translation, speech recognition and artificial intelligence
5. Which among the following do you think is going to affect human life in the 21st century the most? Choose one and explain why.
  - nanotechnology
  - robotics
  - space exploration
  - blockchain and crypto-currency
  - solar and alternative energy
6. Which among the following do you think is the most urgent issue to be addressed for our sustained existence on this planet? Give specific reasons why you think so.
  - global warming
  - nuclear (non-)proliferation
  - earthquakes and other natural disasters
  - China and human rights
7. How do legal systems and new developments in science and technology interact? Name one specific area of such interactions and explain your position. Some examples:
  - ethics of genetic research such as stem cells
  - patent, copyright and other intellectual property rights
  - R&D and CSR
8. Some people think that the world has become a better place to live in through advancement of science and technology. Others feel that it has become a more difficult place to live in. What is your opinion about science and technology? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
9. What are some of the most interesting issues regarding science and technology that you are currently aware of? What do you know about them? Why do you think it is interesting?
10. What specific topic would you choose for your next group presentation in class? What do you know about it and how do you go about conducting research on that particular topic?
End-of-Semester (Theme)
1. Do you now feel more comfortable when you exchange ideas informally with your classmates in spoken English than when you did so at the beginning of the semester? Give some specific examples and/or reasons for your answer.
2. When you prepare PowerPoint slides for a presentation in English, do you now feel more confident or at ease than when you did so for the first time at the beginning of the semester?
3. Do you now feel more confident when you give an informal presentation in English to a small group of your classmates than when you did so for the fist at the beginning of the semester? Give some specific examples and/or reasons for your answer.
4. Do you now feel more confident when you give a group presentation in English to the entire class than when you did so for the first time? Give some specific examples and/or reasons for your answer.
5. Do you think you can write in English much more coherently than you did when you entered Waseda University? Do you think you have some idea of how to organize a research summary or are you still at a loss? Give some specific examples and/or reasons for your answer.
6. Do you now feel more confident when you use computers in writing essays, preparing your PowerPoint slides and submitting your homework than at the beginning of the semester? Give some specific examples and/or reasons for your answer.
7. Among the various activities that you did in class or as homework during this semester, what was the most interesting or enjoyable for you? Be as specific as you can and give some concrete examples and reasons for your answer.
8. Do you now know most of your classmates? Did you make new friends among the members in this class? Did you enjoy working in small groups preparing for your group presentations and working on your research summaries? Why or why not?
9. Did you find this English class either too easy or too difficult for you? If you did, do you think you should have taken some other English class or do you think you enjoyed this English class anyway.
10. On a scale of 1 to 10, what point would you give to yourself and what you achieved in this class during this semester? Would you like to continue what you did in this class in the next semester or in the next school year? Overall, did you enjoy this English class? Why, or why not?

This web page is compiled for the students enrolled in English Theme 33 (Tuesday 13:00-14:30), English Theme 60 (Tuesday 14:45-16:15), English Gate 6C-1 (Thursday 13:00-14:30), English Gate 7C-1 (Thursday 14:45-16:15) and English Gate 7S-1 (Thursday 16:30-18:00) at the undergraduate School of Law, Waseda University. It is not intended for use by outside parties.