2007年(平成19年)センター試験英語第6問「長文読解」問3

問題

次の文章を読み、下の問いに答えよ。

 The white-haired old man was sitting in his favorite chair, holding a thick book and rubbing his tired eyes. When his nineteen-year-old granddaughter, Valerie, came into the room, he looked up and smiled. His eyes instantly brightened with happiness to see her.
 "Hi, Grandpa. What are you reading?" she asked, pulling up a chair beside him.
 "Oh, it's a book on the architecture of Spain. But I'm not really reading. Mostly I am just falling asleep over the pictures," he said, laughing. "Are you finished packing your bags yet?" he asked. The following morning Valerie and two of her friends were flying to Europe for a two-week holiday.
 "Almost. I need to travel light, you see, so I can buy lots of new dresses and shoes in Paris and Barcelona." They both laughed because Valerie was not actually interested in fashion at all. She loved foreign languages, music, art, good food, and many other things―but not shopping for clothes.
 "Have the three of you finally decided what you want to do on your trip?"
 Valerie thought for a moment and then replied, "Well, Naomi really wants to see the Eiffel Tower and we all want to visit the Louvre Museum. Mika and I want to see the wonderful buildings in Barcelona, too. But, basically, we still don't have much of a plan. Do you have any suggestions? You've been to Europe so many times."
 Valerie's grandfather paused, and then replied slowly, "You know, sometimes it may be best not to have a detailed plan. I remember when your grandmother and I first went to Barcelona. We went to museums or concerts every day. We saw bullfights and soccer matches. We ate wonderful food and met many interesting people. But one of my greatest memories from that trip was completely unexpected." Grandpa paused again, and then said, "We had come especially to see the famous works of art, but one day just for a change we went to the zoo. And there I met someone who had a great effect on me."
 
"His name was Snowflake," he continued, "and he was a gorilla, a very special albino gorilla, with white fur and pink skin. When only three years old, Snowflake was captured in the forests of Africa and then brought to the zoo. Because of his rare color he had become quite famous. Many people lined up to see him behind a glass wall in the exhibit hall."
 "In fact," Grandpa said, "I did not think he was real when I first saw him. When I moved closer, though, he turned slowly toward me and calmly looked directly into my eyes. For the first time ever, I felt intelligence and awareness in the eyes of another species. It made an impression on me that I will never forget."
 "So, what did you do?" Valerie asked.
 "Actually, Snowflake was the one who did something. As we gazed into each other's eyes, the 140-kilogram gorilla suddenly slapped his hand flat against the glass wall, making a loud, forceful sound that made all the people in the room cry out in surprise. Snowflake seemed rather pleased with our reaction, turning away casually and snacking on some leaves."
 "So, he surprised you. He had a sense of humor, it seems," Valerie said. "But isn't it sad for such a wonderful animal to live in a cage?"
 "Yes, maybe," Grandpa replied. "But in the wild so many gorillas are killed by hunters or disease that it is difficult to say which way of life is better. And Snowflake did live a ling life for a gorilla, about forty years, which is equivalent to eighty years for a human."
 "So, he's dead now?" Valerie asked.
 "Yes, he died of skin cancer in 2003. He had very pale skin, of course, so sunlight was very dangerous for him. It was a painful end, but I believe he had some happy memories, too. You know, he had three mates, several 'children,' and 22 'grandchildren,' so that must have been nice."
 Grandpa smiled at Valerie and said, "Anyway, maybe it's best not to plan everything. All kinds of wonderful, unexpected encounters may be waiting for you on your trip."
 A week or so later, Grandpa heard from Valerie and her friends. They were having a wonderful time, enjoying many new activities. They even made an unscheduled trip to the Barcelona Zoo, where they saw one of Snowflake's grandchildren. This baby gorilla didn't have white fur, but he did have bright, intelligent eyes which Valerie said would never forget.

A
次の問いに対する答えとして最も適当なものを、下の1〜4のうちから1つ選べ。

問3
What unexpected experience did Grandpa describe from his first trip to Barcelona?

1. Meeting many strange people.
2. Viewing various shocking works of art.
3. Enjoying very spicy Spanish food.
4. Encountering an unusual gorilla.

【解説】
設問の意味は、「おじいちゃんはバルセロナへの彼の最初の旅行での、予期していなかったどんな経験を説明しましたか?」設問の unexpected に注目して本文を読み進めていくと、まったく同じ単語があります。

選択肢は、
1. たくさんの変わった人々に会ったこと
2. さまざまなショッキングな芸術作品を見たこと
3. 非常にスパイシーなスペイン料理を楽しんだこと
4. 珍しいゴリラに遭遇したこと

本文の unexpected 以降を見ていくと、「有名な芸術作品を見に行く予定を変更して、動物園に行った」とありますね。そこですごい影響を与えられたものに出会ったとあります。その続きの文は

"His name was Snowflake," he continued, "and he was a gorilla, a very special albino gorilla
「彼の名前はスノーフレーク」彼は続けた「そして彼はとても特別なアルビノ(白色の)ゴリラだった」

と言うことで正解は4.ですね。キーワードからヒントの該当部分まで、少し長いので少し大変でしたね。

【正解】4

第6問「長文読解」A 問4へ進む
第6問「長文読解」A 問2へ戻る
センター試験英語解説トップへ

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  • ウサギ

    先生

    センター試験の英語は特に「目指すべき英語力」の指標ともなり得るので、他大学の入試問題にも影響を及ぼします。何が問われているのかをしっかり把握し、1つ1つ丁寧に確認し、真の実力(英語力)を身につけましょう。

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    センター試験の過去問見ていて思ったんだけど、なんか解説が雑じゃない?解説を読んで理解できる? おいらはできないよ。ちゃんとわかるように解説してよ。今まで英語の勉強をサボっていたのはあやまるからさぁ