2007年(平成19年)センター試験英語第6問「長文読解」問5
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5
According to Grandpa, what is one serious danger for gorillas in Africa?
1. There is a high risk of getting skin cancer.
2. Air pollution causes damage to their health.
3. They are threatened by human violence.
4. Lions and other animals commonly attack them.
【解説】
「おじいちゃんによると、アフリカのゴリラにとって何が危険ですか?」
in Africa に対応する部分を本文から探すのですが、少しわかりづらいですね。これは本文の
in the wild に対応していますので、この周辺に問5のヒントがありそうです。
選択肢は
1. 皮膚がんにかかるという高いリスクがあります。
スノーフレークが死んだ原因は皮膚がんで、皮膚がんにかかった原因はスノーフレークの肌が太陽に弱かったからですが、この設問は「スノーフレーク」のことではなく、「アフリカのゴリラ」のことです。取り違えた人もいたのかな?
2. 大気汚染は彼らの健康への損害をもたらします。
そんな話、ありませんでしたね。最近環境関係の問題が多いですが、何でもかんでもこれにつなげるのはいけませんね。
3. 彼らは人間の暴力に脅かされます。
本文の続きでは、「in the wild so many gorillas are killed by hunters or
disease / 野生では、たくさんのゴリラがハンターや病気によって死んでいる」とあります。
4. ライオンや他の動物は一般的に彼らを攻撃します。
それは確かにあるかもしれない (いやゴリラは強いのか?) が、そんなこと本文に書いていませんね。
【正解】3
第6問「長文読解」Bへ進む
第6問「長文読解」A 問4へ戻る
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