大学入学共通テスト2023(R)⑧第５問

                                                                               Ben Carter    

     The ball flew at lightning speed to my backhand. It was completely
unexpected and I had no time to react. I lost the point and the match
Defeat … Again! This is how it was in the first few months when I started
playing table tennis. It was frustrating, but I now know that the sport taught
me more than simply how to be a better athlete.
    In middle school, I loved football. I was one of the top scorers, but I
didn’t get along with my teammates. The coach often said that I should be
more of a team player. I knew I should work on the problem, but
communication was just not my strong point.
   I had to leave the football club when my family moved to a new town. I
wasn’t upset as I had decided to stop playing football anyway. My new school
 had a table tennis club, coached by the PE teacher, Mr. Trent, and I joined
 that. To be honest, I chose table tennis because I thought it would be easier
for me to play individually.
    At first, I lost more games than I won. I was frustrated and often went
straight home after practice, not speaking to anyone. One day, however, Mr
Trent said to me, “You could be a good player, Ben, but you need to think more
about your game. What do you think you need to do?” “I don’t know,” I
replied, “focus on the ball any more?” “Yes,” Mr Trent continued, “but you also
need to study your opponent’s moves and adjust your play accordingly.
Remember, your opponent is a person, not a ball.” This made a deep
impression on me.
    I deliberately modified my style of play, paying closer attention to my 
opponent’s moves. It was not easy, and took a lot of concentration. My
efforts paid off, however, and my play improved. My confidence grew and I
 started staying behind more after practice. I was turning into a star player,
becoming popular, but our conversations seemed to end before they really got
started. Although my play might have improved, my communication skills
obviously hadn’t.
    My older brother Patrick was one of the few people I could communicate
with well. One day, I tried to explain my problems with communication to him,
but couldn’t make him understand. We switched to talking about table tennis.
“What do you actually enjoy about it?” he asked me curiously. I said I loved
analysing my opponent’s movements and making instant decisions about the
next move. Patrick looked thoughtful. “That sounds like the kind of skill we
use when we communicate,” he said.
    At that time, I didn’t understand, but soon after our conversation, I won a
silver medal in a table tennis tournament. My classmates seemed really
pleased. One of them, George, came running over. “Hey, Ben!” he said, “Let’s
have a party to celebrate!” Without thinking, I replied, “I can’t. I’ve got
 practice.” He looked a bit hurt and walked off without saying anything else.
    Why was he upset? I thought about this incident for a long time. Why did
he suggest a party? Should I have said something different? A lot of questions
came to my mind, but then I realised that he was just being kind. If I’d said,
“Great idea. Thank you! Let me talk to Mr Trent and see if I can get some
time off practice,” then maybe the outcome would have been better. At that
moment Patrick’s words made me sense. Without attempting to grasp
someone’s intention, I wouldn’t know how to respond.
    I’m still not the best communicator in the world, but I definitely feel more
confident in my communication skills now than before. Next year, my friends
and I are going to co-ordinate the table tennis league with other schools.