【１】外国人に日本語を教えているうちに一つの事実に気づきました。一般に欧米人は、質問に対して「いいえ」と言うときに、教師がビクッとするほど強い調子で答えることが多いのです。【２】もしや、質問しそこなったのではないかと、こちらが不安になるほどに――。しかし、よく見ていると、「はい」も「いいえ」も、同じように強くはっきりと答えようとしているだけです。わたくしの耳は、その「いいえ」を強すぎると感じたのでした。
　【３】それは、わたくしたちが、日ごろ「いいえ」をやや控え目に言う習慣が身についているためだと思います。肯定の場合は調子よく「はい！」という人が、否定になると、内容にもよりますが、無意識に声を落としてしまいます。
　【４】いつか米国人に英語を習っていた日本人が、弱々しく「ノー」と答えて、もっとハッキリ態度をあらわせと注意されていたのを思い出します。人格をもった一個の人間なら、責任ある態度をとれ、とその英語教師は言うのです。【５】彼に言わせれば、事実そうでないことをあいまいにノーと言うのは、質問者に対して失礼ではないかと。
　この違いは、否定している対象の違いにもとづくようです。英語の場合には、おたがいが客観的に「事実」を見て、その「事実」について語ります。【６】それが、イエスとノーに要約されているといえましょう。たとえば、「見ませんでしたか。」というような否定の質問には、日本語と英語とで答えが逆になることが一般に知られています。見なかった場合に、日本語では「はい」と言い、英語では「ノー」と答えます。【７】つまり日本語の場合、答え手は、まずその質問を受けた「聞き手」として、その質問文の「話し手」の視線に合わせて自分の行為を見、質問文と自分の行為との間に一致点を見いだして、「はい」と答えるわけです。【８】逆に、事実を見た場合には「いいえ」と答えることになります。すなわち、日本語の否定は「質問」の文型あるいは質問者の意向に向けられていますが、英語の否定は質問を受ける側の、現実の行為の有無に向けられています。【９】ですから英語では「ノー」とはっきり言うことができ、むしろ、事実を事実としてはっきりと否定することが、相手の尊重にもつながるわけです。
　しかし、日本語の返答では、否定が「質問」の方に向けられているために、微妙な心理がからんできます。【０】きっぱり否定したりすると、「いいえ」が事実の否定をとびこえて、相手の考え方や感じ∵方の批判にまで及ばないとも限りません。そこで「いいえ」は自然に控え目になります。その控え目な態度によって、否定が事実だけに限定されることを、無意識のうちに示唆しているといえましょう。こうして声をおさえることが、客観性にふみとどまる一つの手立てともなるわけです。
　それさえも不安になると、「いいえ」のかわりに小声で「はい」という人さえあります。これをウソつきだときめつけることも一概にはできません。こういう場合は、声の調子とか表情とかを総合して判断することが必要です。それはもう意味をもつ言葉というよりも、困惑をあらわすため息のようなものとして受けとめるべきものかもしれません。日本人は、いつしか読心術のようなものを身につけ、ことばのみせかけにまどわされることはありませんが、外国人にとっては解（かい）しがたいことが少なくないようです。

　（山下秀雄（）の文章による。京都府）

Many of us like to keep pets. Why do we like them? Perhaps because they depend on us, or because they give us love. But what do we do for them? Watching tropical fish or stroking a cat are pleasant things to do and they can help to relax us if we are tired. But is it all right to keep animals as pets? Yes, if we take care of them well. But some pet owners do not. In cities many dogs are given too much food and not enough exercise.
The pet dog is often called“man's best friend”. In old days dogs and humans took care of each other's lives. They protected people against enemies, like animals and other humans. They also hunted down food for their owners. Now we have shops, so we don't need dogs in the same way.
How kind are you to your pets? When you keep a pet, it needs a lot of care and attention. Hamsters are easier to keep than most pets. But they need enough space. Many pets feel pain in very small cages or because of bad care. Pets are not toys to be given as presents. They need regular feeding and care for many years.
Thousands of dogs and cats are abandoned each year because they are not wanted as pets any longer. Then they have to be destroyed by the police or animal welfare organizations.
Sometimes a pet has to be left with other people. The person taking care of your pet must always take care of it well.
Getting close to wild animals in a zoo is fun. We can learn a lot from animals. Small animals, like rabbits, can have all the space they need and are easy to keep. However, large animals, like elephants, become bored in a small space. Some of them need friends and a lot of space, but they sometimes cannot get them in a zoo.
Many wild animals have already died out because of human activity and many more are in danger. To keep living, they need to be alone in wild places. We need to try to balance our needs with wild animals' need. Zoos can help to save animals in danger. Good zoos can teach people how animals live in their natural homes, and how important it is to preserve the places they live in. This can help animals to live in the wild. Zoos can also help animals which have nearly died out. They can raise animals in zoos and then put them back in the wild.
Some wild animals, like elephants, need special protection because they are killed for their tusks. These are used as ornaments. All over the world wild birds and animals are in trouble because the places they live in are used by humans and they have no place to live in. Also we pollute the rivers and the seas. This damages and kills fish and the sea mammals that eat them.
Some people like to wear animal fur because they think it looks beautiful. In old days people wore animal fur because it was the only material they could get to keep warm. Today warm clothes made from plants or man-made materials, like polyester or nylon. But animals are still killed to make fur coats. Foxes, beavers, minks and wild cats are caught and shot.
People have eaten meat for thousands of years. Until recently animals were raised on small farms. Their owners knew that if they took care of them better, the food would be better. Today most meat is ”factory farmed” -- the largest number of animals are raised in the smallest possible space. This means everyone in cities can eat cheap meat, milk and eggs. Not everyone agrees that we should eat meat, though.
Animals are used by scientists to examine how bodies work and sometimes to make new medicines. If scientists don't test new medicines on animals, people may lose their lives or health. Some people say we shouldn't use animals to do things we don't want to do. But do animals feel the same way as we do? Animals can feel pain, but many people think they cannot feel so much pain as we do.
People have used animals for fun for thousands of years. They have stopped some cruel sports, like dog fighting. But animals are still hunted for fun. People pay money to shoot lions in Africa. Sometimes the numbers of one animal in an area become too large for its own survival and that of other animals. So hunters say that they are not damaging animals by killing some. Many people think this is cruel.
Our relationship with animals is changing. We need them less for protection and food gathering. But we want them more for other reasons, like giving enough meat to many city people, trying out medicines and making lonely people happy. People damage animals when they put human needs before animal needs. Animals, plants and humans all live in the same world and depend on each other. So we must respect animals' needs like our own needs.