13 Lucy is a British schoolgirl who lives in Oxford. She is talking to her father, Fred, in the kitchen of
their home. Read the conversation below and answer the following questions.
Lucy: (a) Good morning, Dad. Oh, sorry for yawning. What are you doing with that microwave oven? It
looks heavy. Do you need a hand with moving it?
Fred: I think I'll be OK, Lucy. I'm just going to put it in the car and take it to the city dump.
Lucy: Couldn't you send it away to be repaired?
Fred: It's ten years old and well out of warranty now, so I very much doubt that the manufacturer would
do it. They probably don't even carry the spare parts anymore.
Lucy: That's a shame. Oh, I know what! Why not take it to the Repair Café near my school?
Fred: What's that? I've never heard of it.
Lucy: It's brilliant! We visited it as part of our environmental science course recently. It's a meeting
place where people can get together to mend broken items cooperatively. And have a chat and a
cup of coffee!
Fred: I'm all ears. Tell me more.
Lucy: Well, the first Repair Café was started by a Dutch woman called Martine Postma in Amsterdam in
2009. (1) 彼女は,使い捨て文化で環境が破壊されて, ゴミの量が地球規模で増えることを心配してたん
. She wanted to find a local solution to this global problem.
Fred: That's what they call "thinking globally, acting locally," isn't it?
Lucy: Exactly. She also wanted to address the decline in community spirit amongst urban dwellers and
do something about people's loss of practical skills and ingenuity.
Fred: And the idea (2) caught on?
Lucy: Very much so. The concept has grown into a global movement. The one in Oxford started about
four years ago.
Fred: Impressive! What kind of things do they repair?
Lucy: Oh, all sorts. Electrical appliances, clothes, furniture, crockery, bicycles, and even toys.
Fred: How successful are they at repairing things?
Lucy: Well, of course, they cannot guarantee to fix every item brought to them, but they have a fairly
good success rate. One study found that on average 60 to 70 percent of items were repaired. The
rate is higher for some items such as bicycles and clothes but lower for things like laptop
computers.
Fred: I can understand that. Just between you and me, I think some electronics manufacturers
deliberately make products in such a way that you cannot disassemble them and repair them
unless you have specialized tools and equipment.
Lucy: Yes, and that's where Repair Cafés can help. But these cafés are not just about repairing things for
people. They are places where we can meet others, share ideas, and be inspired. The volunteer
repairers are very keen to involve the visitors in thinking about the repair and actually carrying
out the repair themselves. They also encourage people to think about living together in more
sustainable communities.
Fred: I suppose you could say they are about repairing our minds, not just our things.
Lucy: Quite so, although often the two are very closely related. Many people attach (3)sentimental value
to old things that might, for example, be part of their family history.
Fred: I see what you mean. It almost sounds too good to be true. (a)Is there a catch? For example, how
much does it cost?
Lucy: Advice and help from the repairers is free, but people who use the café are invited to make a
donation. That money is used to cover the costs involved in running the café. If specific spare
parts are needed, the repairers will advise you on how to obtain them.
Fred: Well, that's marvelous! (e)Then I'll take this old microwave there. Are they open today?
Lucy: Yes, and I'll come with you. I've got a pair of jeans that are badly in need of some attention.
QUESTIONS
1. Translate the underlined part after (1) into English.
2. What does the underlined phrase after (2) mean? Select the most appropriate expression from the
list below.
(A) became popular
(B) hit a dead end
(C) occurred to you
(D) played a significant role (E) worked in practice
3. The underlined phrase after (3) means the value of an object which is derived from personal or
emotional association rather than its material worth. Give ONE object that has "sentimental value"
for you and explain why it has such value. Your answer should be between 15 and 20 English words
in length.
(Indicate the number of words you have written at the end of your answer.)
