We are in the midst of a crisis of massive proportions and a ① grave global significance. No, I do not mean the global economic crisis that began in 2008. At least then everyone knew that a crisis was at ( 1 ), and many world leaders worked quickly and desperately to find solutions. Indeed, consequences for governments were profound if they did not find solutions, and many were replaced in consequence. No, I mean a crisis that goes largely unnoticed, ( A ) a cancer; a crisis that is likely to be, in the long run, far more damaging to the future of democratic self-government: a worldwide crisis in education.
Radical changes are occurring in what democratic societies teach the young, and these changes have not been well thought through. Thirsty for national profit, nations, and their systems of education, are heedlessly discarding skills that are needed to keep democracies alive. If this trend continues, nations all over the world will soon be producing a (い) generations of useful machines, rather than complete citizens who can think for themselves, criticize tradition, and understand the significance of another person's sufferings and achievements. The future of the world's democracies ② hangs in the balance.
What are these radical (ろ) changes? The humanities and the arts are being cut away, in both primary/secondary and college/university education, in virtually every nation of the world. Seen by policy-makers as useless frills, at a time when nations must cut away all useless things in order to stay competitive in the global market, they are rapidly losing their place in curricula, and also in the minds and hearts of parents and children. Indeed, what we might call the humanistic aspects of science and social science – the imaginative, creative aspect, and the aspect of rigorous critical thought — are losing ground as nations prefer to pursue short-term profit by the ③ cultivation of the useful and highly applied skills suited to profit-making.
This crisis is facing us, but we have not yet faced it. We go on as if everything were business as usual, when in reality great changes of emphasis are evident all over. We haven't really thought hard ( B ) these changes, we have not really chosen them, and yet they increasingly limit our future.
( X ), especially at this time of crisis, too few questions have been ( 2 ) about the direction of education, and, with it, of the world's democratic societies. With the rush to profitability in the global market, values precious for the future of democracy, especially in an era of religious and economic anxiety, are in (は) danger of getting lost.
The profit motive suggests to many concerned leaders that science and technology are of crucial importance for the future (に) health of their nations. We should have no ( 3 ) to good scientific and technical education, and I shall not suggest that nations should stop trying to improve in this regard. My concern is that other abilities, equally crucial, are at risk of getting lost in ④ the competitive flurry, abilities crucial to the health of any democracy internally, and to the creation of a decent world (は) culture capable of constructively addressing the world's most ( 4 ) problems.
These abilities are associated with the humanities and the arts: the ability to think critically; the ability to transcend local loyalties and to approach world problems as a “citizen of the world”; and, finally, the ability to imagine sympathetically the predicaments of another person.
[ 1 ] 下線部① ~ ④の意味の説明として適切なものを選択肢1~4から選び、マークシートの解答欄( 23 )~( 26 )にマークしなさい。
①
1 serious
2 small
3 snappy
4 sneaky
②
1 is bright
2 is doomed
3 is hopeful
4 is uncertain
③
1 basement
2 development
3 judgment
4 payment
④
1 the race for military superiority
2 the race for money and power
3 the race to win students
4 the race to win votes
[ 2 ] 空所( 1 )~( 4 )に入る最も適切な語を選択肢1~4の中から選び、マークシートの解答欄( 27 ) ~ ( 30 )にマークしなさい。
(1)
1 hand
2 most
3 noon
4 once
(2)
1 ask
2 posed
3 replaced
4 voice
(3)
1 correction
2 objection
3 rejection
4 suggestion
(4)
1 negligible
2 pollution
3 pressing
4 trivial
[ 3 ] 次の1~7の語(句)を文法的・内容的に最も適切な順序に並べかえて( X )を完成させたとき、3番目にくるものの番号を解答欄 ( 31 ) に、 5番目にくるものを解答欄 ( 32 ) にマークしなさい。なお、 文頭にくる語の一文字目も小文字にしてある。
1. all
2. given
3. growth
4. is so eagerly5. nations
6. sought by
7. that economic
[ 4 ] ( A )と( B )に入る最も適切な語を選択肢1~8の中から選び、 それぞれ、 マークシートの解答欄 ( 33 )と解答欄 ( 34 )にマークしなさい。
1. about
2. at
3. besides
4. however
5. like
6. moreover
7. that
8. whereupon
[ 5 ] 本文の内容を最も適切に表現する表題をつけたい。選択肢1~4から選び、 マークシートの解答欄( 35 )にマークしなさい。
1. The Fake Crisis
2. The Financial Crisis
3. The Silent Crisis
4. The Visible Crisis
[ 6 ] 英文の内容に一致するものを選択肢1~8から3つ選び、 マークシートの解答欄 ( 36 )~( 38 ) にマークしなさい。
1. The radical changes occurring in educational systems around the world are a result of
thorough consideration.
2. We should cut away the sciences and devote more resources to the humanities and arts.
3. Cutting the humanities and arts from education is likely to have harmful consequences for
the health of democracies.
4. Being able to put your feet in other people's shoes is a key skill connected with the
humanities and arts.
5. The humanities and arts are being cut away, but students are fully aware of their
importance.
6. There was a worldwide economic crisis which started in 2008.
7. Local traditions are undesirable and should be transcended.
8. Nations today tend not to put enough emphasis on profitability.
[ 7 ] 単語( い )~( ほ )の太文字の音が、それぞれの語群1~5の太文字の音と同じものを選び、 マークシートの解答欄 ( 39 )~( 43 )にマークしなさい。
We are in the midst of a crisis of massive proportions and a ① grave global significance. No, I do not mean the global economic crisis that began in 2008. At least then everyone knew that a crisis was at ( 1 ), and many world leaders worked quickly and desperately to find solutions. Indeed, consequences for governments were profound if they did not find solutions, and many were replaced in consequence. No, I mean a crisis that goes largely unnoticed, ( A ) a cancer; a crisis that is likely to be, in the long run, far more damaging to the future of democratic self-government: a worldwide crisis in education.
Radical changes are occurring in what democratic societies teach the young, and these changes have not been well thought through. Thirsty for national profit, nations, and their systems of education, are heedlessly discarding skills that are needed to keep democracies alive. If this trend continues, nations all over the world will soon be producing a (い) generations of useful machines, rather than complete citizens who can think for themselves, criticize tradition, and understand the significance of another person's sufferings and achievements. The future of the world's democracies ② hangs in the balance.
What are these radical (ろ) changes? The humanities and the arts are being cut away, in both primary/secondary and college/university education, in virtually every nation of the world. Seen by policy-makers as useless frills, at a time when nations must cut away all useless things in order to stay competitive in the global market, they are rapidly losing their place in curricula, and also in the minds and hearts of parents and children. Indeed, what we might call the humanistic aspects of science and social science – the imaginative, creative aspect, and the aspect of rigorous critical thought — are losing ground as nations prefer to pursue short-term profit by the ③ cultivation of the useful and highly applied skills suited to profit-making.
This crisis is facing us, but we have not yet faced it. We go on as if everything were business as usual, when in reality great changes of emphasis are evident all over. We haven't really thought hard ( B ) these changes, we have not really chosen them, and yet they increasingly limit our future.
( X ), especially at this time of crisis, too few questions have been ( 2 ) about the direction of education, and, with it, of the world's democratic societies. With the rush to profitability in the global market, values precious for the future of democracy, especially in an era of religious and economic anxiety, are in (は) danger of getting lost.
The profit motive suggests to many concerned leaders that science and technology are of crucial importance for the future (に) health of their nations. We should have no ( 3 ) to good scientific and technical education, and I shall not suggest that nations should stop trying to improve in this regard. My concern is that other abilities, equally crucial, are at risk of getting lost in ④ the competitive flurry, abilities crucial to the health of any democracy internally, and to the creation of a decent world (ほ) culture capable of constructively addressing the world's most ( 4 ) problems.
These abilities are associated with the humanities and the arts: the ability to think critically; the ability to transcend local loyalties and to approach world problems as a “citizen of the world”; and, finally, the ability to imagine sympathetically the predicaments of another person.
[ 1 ] 下線部① ~ ④の意味の説明として適切なものを選択肢1~4から選び、マークシートの解答欄( 23 )~( 26 )にマークしなさい。
①
1 serious
2 small
3 snappy
4 sneaky
②
1 is bright
2 is doomed
3 is hopeful
4 is uncertain
③
1 basement
2 development
3 judgment
4 payment
④
1 the race for military superiority
2 the race for money and power
3 the race to win students
4 the race to win votes
[ 2 ] 空所( 1 )~( 4 )に入る最も適切な語を選択肢1~4の中から選び、マークシートの解答欄( 27 ) ~ ( 30 )にマークしなさい。
(1)
1 hand
2 most
3 noon
4 once
(2)
1 ask
2 posed
3 replaced
4 voice
(3)
1 correction
2 objection
3 rejection
4 suggestion
(4)
1 negligible
2 pollution
3 pressing
4 trivial
[ 3 ] 次の1~7の語(句)を文法的・内容的に最も適切な順序に並べかえて( X )を完成させたとき、3番目にくるものの番号を解答欄 ( 31 ) に、 5番目にくるものを解答欄 ( 32 ) にマークしなさい。なお、 文頭にくる語の一文字目も小文字にしてある。
1 all
2 given
3 growth
4 is so eagerly
5 nations
6 sought by
7 that economic
[ 4 ] ( A )と( B )に入る最も適切な語を選択肢1~8の中から選び、 それぞれ、 マークシートの解答欄 ( 33 )と解答欄 ( 34 )にマークしなさい。
1 about
2 at
3 besides
4 however
5 like
6 moreover
7 that
8 whereupon
[ 5 ] 本文の内容を最も適切に表現する表題をつけたい。選択肢1~4から選び、 マークシートの解答欄( 35 )にマークしなさい。
1 The Fake Crisis
2 The Financial Crisis
3 The Silent Crisis
4 The Visible Crisis
[ 6 ] 英文の内容に一致するものを選択肢1~8から3つ選び、 マークシートの解答欄 ( 36 )~( 38 ) にマークしなさい。
1 The radical changes occurring in educational systems around the world are a result of thorough consideration.
2 We should cut away the sciences and devote more resources to the humanities and arts.
3 Cutting the humanities and arts from education is likely to have harmful consequences for the health of democracies.
4 Being able to put your feet in other people's shoes is a key skill connected with the humanities and arts.
5 The humanities and arts are being cut away, but students are fully aware of their importance.
6 There was a worldwide economic crisis which started in 2008.
7 Local traditions are undesirable and should be transcended.
8 Nations today tend not to put enough emphasis on profitability.
[ 7 ] 単語( い )~( ほ )の太文字の音が、それぞれの語群1~5の太文字の音と同じものを選び、 マークシートの解答欄 ( 39 )~( 43 )にマークしなさい。
(い) generations
1 century
2 chestnut
3 patient
4 righteous
5 subtle
(ろ) changes
1 fatigue
2 fragile
3 gear
4 giggle
5 guess
(は) danger
1 false
2 many
3 stadium
4 tall
5 water
(に) health
1 breathe
2 creature
3 realm
4 steak
5 weak
(ほ) culture
1 brute
2 flute
3 fury
4 muscle
5 numerous
質問と回答