日本テクニカルコミュニケーション協会

TEP TEST® （テクニカルライティング英語検定試験）

主催：日本テクニカルコミュニケーション協会
後援：アメリカ大使館／日本商工会議所／ジャパンタイムズ

1級問題試験時間120分:SUMMARY（20分)、EDITING（30分)、COMPOSITION（70分）
《第61回出題》　

（辞書使用可）

1.SUMMARY(20 minutes)

　　Summarize the following English text into Japanese.

(200文字以内)

Hydraulic Fracturing in Michigan
Michigan is one of only twenty-nine states in the United States having extensive deep shale formations in which large quantities of trapped natural gas have been discovered. As a result, Michigan now has many wells designed to obtain natural gas using a controversial technique called Hydraulic Fracturing or “Fracking.” In the past 3 years, numerous wells have already been drilled using this technique, and many more are expected.

“Fracking” involves drilling down more than a mile to a type of shale called Marcellus shale. In Michigan Marcellus shale is found approximately 4,500 feet below the level at which water is typically found. Once the Marcellus layer is reached, the drill is turned to continue horizontally into the shale, often to a distance of more than a mile. Next, holes are opened in the horizontal section of the drill pipe. Into the pipe “Fracking fluid” is pumped at very high pressures–approximately 8,500 to 9,000 pounds per square inch. The pressure causes the shale to fracture, thereby releasing the natural gas trapped in microscopic cavities within the shale. The Fracking fluid used today is made up of five to seven million gallons of water, sand, or ceramic beads, and small amounts of approximately 12 chemicals. Some of these chemicals are safe, but others are regulated hazardous substances. After the shale has been fractured, the natural gas is captured in large storage tanks. Finally, pipelines move the gas to separation facilities, where it is cleaned.

The controversy over “Fracking” focuses on two issues: possible harm to the aquifers that supply drinking water; and possible environmental pollution caused by the chemicals involved in the “Fracking” process. Both the benefits of “Fracking” and the controversy that surrounds it are expected to continue in the near future.

2. EDITING (30 minutes)

Revise and edit the following material so that it incorporates effective content, structure, and style. Do not limit yourself to mere stylistic revision; rethink the content and arrangement as well.

Shipping Magnets Internationally by Air
If you want to ship magnets internationally by air to or from the United State, you must know the regulations of the US Federal Aviation Administration and the International Air Transport Association. This is because magnets are covered by DGR regulations.
Any package containing magnets must carry the following Dangerous Goods Regulation label.

Flux measurements of all packages containing magnets must measure less than 0.00525 Gauss at a distance of 7 feet from the package. If flux measurements are less than 0.002 Gauss, the package is not considered to contain magnetic material and is not considered to be covered by DGR. A sensitive magnetometer can be used to determine the field strength at different distances.

Packaging materials for air shipment of magnets must be designed to contain the magnetic field produced by the magnets. Powerful magnet components and assemblies must generally be completely enclosed in steel-lined boxes.

Both the IATA and the FAA classify magnets as “Dangerous Goods” under the specific conditions described above. This is because a magnetic field could interfere with an airplane’s magnetic compass. Even with GPS navigation, the basic “wet” compass is still an important part of aircraft navigation.

3. COMPOSITION (70 minutes)

Situation:
You are an Engineer in the Testing Department of the Winter Tire Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Your company produces unique types of automobile and truck tires. These tires are designed specifically for winter use in areas where extreme winter conditions are typical. Such areas often have heavy snow accumulations and ice-covered roads for as many as five months per year. (Minnesota, Alaska, North Dakota and Montana are all such areas.)

To cope with these extreme winter conditions, your company produces two specialized types of tires that are to be used only during winter months. These are: (1) “Vulcan tires, ” which are studded with metal studs that can grip the ice, and (2) “Hercules tires,” which have extremely deep and rugged tread designs to grip snow. Unfortunately, the market for these specialized tires has gradually declined as other tire manufactures have shifted production to so-called “All Weather” tires that can be left o a vehicle year around.

The decline in sales has concerned your company’s President, James Lott. To complete successfully with “All Weather” tire manufacturers, President Lott would like to be able to develop research that would document the fact that Vulcan and Hercules tires significantly out-perform “All Weather” tires produced by the three major competitive companies (Akron Tire, Good-Day Tires, and Suzuki Tires.) At present, no such performance comparisons exist.

At President Lott’s request, your Department Manager, Mr. Lewis Boyken, has called you into his office and instructed you to design a small-scale pilot test to determine if it would be practical for the company to invest in a large-scale comparison test of the sort that President Lott would like to have.

The meeting was brief, and there were no written instructions. So immediately after the meeting with Mr. Boyken, you quickly wrote down topics that you remember Mr. Boyken mentioning. (Your notes are attached. )

Instructions:
Using whatever information you wish from the attached notes, and adding any useful information you would like to invent, write a proposal for a small-scale test of Winter Tires against “All Weather” tires.

Your notes of issues mentioned by with Mr. Boyken:
(Here listed in alphabetical order.)
Budget?
Drivers?
Ice conditions?
Location?
Results: recording, presentation?
Snow conditions?
Schedule?
Tires to be tested?
Temperature ranges?
Test design? ( e.g., Acceleration, Braking, Skid, Hill Climb. Others? )
Time required?
Vehicles?

＜解答ページへ＞

日本テクニカルコミュニケーション協会(JATEC)
〒150-0002 東京都渋谷区渋谷 1-20-1　TEL:(03) 3406-3731/FAX:(03) 3486-7634