제2회 시험 28일까지 접수
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오는 9월7일(토) 열릴 예정인 제2회 한경토씨(TOEWC) 영어 글쓰기 대회 접수가 28일 마감된다. 지난 4월에 이어 두 번째 열리는 이번 대회에도 그동안 갈고 닦은 영어 글쓰기 능력을 겨루기 위해 전국 초·중·고교생과 일반인들이 대거 도전장을 던졌다. 자신의 영어 글쓰기 능력을 검증받고자 하는 사람은 서둘러 토씨 홈페이지(www.toewc.or.kr)에 접속해 응시 신청을 해야 한다. 응시료는 5만원이며 성적 우수자 60여명에게 한국경제신문 사장상 등과 장학금을 준다.

 

다음은 지난 1회 대회 고교 1급 부문에서 대상을 차지한 최원진 군(충남외고 2년)의 글이다. ‘한국의 근대화 과정에서 나타난 성장과 갈등에 대해 쓰라’는 문제를 풀어낸 최군의 첨삭받지 않은 답안지다.

 

For the last 60 years Korea has been struggling to shake off the debris of sour history known to us as Korea n War and trying to escape the acidic reality of poverty that sank on its shoulders. However, with spirit that no country in the history of humanity has ever shown, Korea developed especially into one of the advanced nations in the world in such a short period of time. I attribute the confrontation of extremity in our society to such reason; the miracles, although significant, might have happened in such haste that our people were not able to catch up as quickly.

 

Confrontation of extremity is the conflict between the two ends of a worthless stick. It is the conflicts between two very opposite opinions that conquer the minds of people that will continue to exist like how the two ends of a stick never cease to exist even with full endeavor. With the help of such fast development in our nation, we have just poured oil on the fire of controversy in the confrontation of extremity. What will be the circumstances?

 

That is rather an abstruse question, but the answer would be gradual decline to destruction. Kim Jun-hyun from Chosun Daily brings up one of the cases of confrontation of extremity in his article that I believe to be the most detrimental in this society: confrontation between going against development vs. progress toward development. This does not necessarily mean the two political forces of liberalism and conventionalism, but rather the conflicting ideas within the minds of people.

If the confrontation of extremity continues to exist, such as the forces going against development and supporting development, the nation will lose its people. If the debate goes nowhere, people will eventually find no reason in making use of democracy for the development of the nation. If we do not find the equilibrium point of two opposing forces, then we certainly cannot surpass the level we are at now. We will eventually decline, and democracy, civil rights, freedom of the press will all have no meaning in this country, where the citizens have lost hope to continue on the path full of obstacles. What we need to do now is to extinguish the fire and move on to becoming a free “Developed Country,” in which we face each other with pride and humanity.