【設問】
次の文を読んで，「動物実験」についての筆者の考えを80字程度の日本語でまとめなさい。
Since chimpanzees are thought to be physiologically close to humans, researchers use them as test subjects for new drugs and vaccines. In the labs, these very sociable creatures often live isolated from one another in 5-by-5-foot cages, where they grow surly, and sometimes violent. Dogs, cats and rats are also kept in poor conditions and subjected to painful procedures. Many people would find it hard to sympathize with rats, but dogs and cats are part of our lives. Ten or 15 years ago, when the use of animals in medical testing was first brought to my attention, I decided to visit the labs myself. Many people working there had forced themselves to believe that animal testing is the only way forward for medical research.
Once we accept that animals are sentient beings, is it ethical to use them in research? From the point of view of the animals, it is quite simply wrong. From our standpoint, it seems ridiculous to equate a rat with a human being. If we clearly and honestly believe that using animals in research will, in the end, reduce massive human suffering, it would be difficult to argue that doing so is unethical. How do we find a way out of this dilemma?
One thing we can do is change out mind-set. We can begin by questioning the assumption that animals are essential medical research. Scientists have concluded that chimpanzees are not useful for AIDS research because, even though their genetic makeup differ from ours by about 1 percent, their immune systems deal much differently with the AIDS virus. Many scientists test drugs and vaccines on animals simply because they are required to by law rather than out of scientific merit. This is a shame, because our medical technology is beginning to provide alternatives. We can perform many tests on cell and tissue cultures without recourse to systemic testing on animals. Computer simulations can also cut down on the number of animal tests we need to run. We aren’t exploring these alternatives vigorously enough.
Ten or 15 years ago animal-rights activists resorted to violence against humans in their efforts to break through the public’s terrible apathy and lack of imagination on this issue. This extremism is counterproductive. I believe that more and more people are becoming aware that to use animals thoughtlessly, without any anguish or making an effort to find another way, diminishes us as human beings.
【解答例】
動物実験は人間の医学を進歩させる唯一の方法であり，倫理にもかなうと考えられてきたが，これからは別の実験方法を模索するべきであり，またそう信じる人も増えている。 (79字)
【解説】
要約問題においては，各段落中の「具体例」や「譲歩」の部分は原則として，解答には書かないようにする。ただし，一つの段落全体が丸ごと「具体例」や「譲歩」になっている場合は，解答に含める。なぜなら，必ず段落ごとにそれぞれのトピックがあり，それらのトピックを無視してはいけないからである。例えば，今回のように段落が４つある文章であれば，必ず解答に４つのポイントを含めて要旨をまとめるようにする。具体的に言うと，第1段落は「動物実験は人間の医学を進歩させる唯一の方法であると考えられてきた」，第2段落は「動物実験は倫理にもかなうことであると考えられてきた」，第3段落は「動物を使わない別の実験方法を模索するべきである」，そして第4段落は「そのように信じる人が増えてきている」であり，これら４つのポイントをつなげてまとめると解答例のようになる。
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