G.B.C. 回答例 : カジノ解禁法制化

今回は、日本国内でホットな話題となっている、"a hot potato*（後記）" について見てみます。

取り扱うトピックは、: 日本でのカジノ解禁法制化についてあなたはどう考えるか？です。

Here is my sample answer:

This is a rather controversial issue at the moment. In the last few years, the legalization of gambling in Japan has been hotly debated. Betting on horse and cycle races is already legal, so the way I see it, there is no reason whatsoever why casinos should not be made legal. Obviously, casinos would bring in much-needed revenue to the Japanese state. This money could be put to good use in the creation and construction of socially-beneficial projects.

What is more, there is another very serious aspect to this issue. At the moment there are illegal casinos where people gamble heavily. If they lose, there can be serious consequences as these casinos are run by criminal underworld organizations. People can end up heavily in debt and in a lot of trouble. If casinos were made legal, this problem would no longer be an issue.

On balance, I think that the benefits of legalized casinos outweigh any possible drawbacks, so I am in favor of their legalization.

This is a good answer because:

• The respondent gives some necessary background information to the topic: "This is a rather controversial issue at the moment" and "in the last few years (it) has been hotly debated"
• The respondent presents his/her opinion strongly: "The way I see it, there is no reason whatsoever why casinos should not be made legal"
• The evidence that is provided and the reasoning that is used are very effective.
• There is a clear recap of the respondent's initial opinion: "On balance, I think that..."
• The language used shows some sophistication:
  • controversial
  • hotly debated
  • much-needed revenue
  • heavily in debt
  • the benefits... outweigh any possible drawbacks

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Vocabulary:
*a hot potato = a problem, situation etc. that is difficult to deal with and causes a lot of disagreement