英検対策講座【2級】大問2: 長文の語句空所補充問題

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大問2　長文の語句空所補充問題

 

「大問2　長文の語句空所補充問題」について学習します。

問題を解いたら、次ページの解答・解説を読み、きちんと理解するようにしましょう。

 

 

 

Questions ～問題～

 

次の英文を読み、その文意にそって(1)から(3)までの（　　　）に入れるのに最も適切なものを1, 2, 3, 4の中から一つ選びなさい。

[英検 2019年度 第1回検定問題より]

 

 

The Mysteries of Amber

 

　Amber is a beautiful, shiny, yellow stone, which has been used to make jewelry since ancient times. It is made of a substance called resin that comes from trees and has hardened over millions of years. In the 19th century, people began to (　1　). When they did so, they found that amber often contains fossils―the remains of ancient plants and animals. However, unlike normal fossils, which are hard and usually found in rock, amber is able to preserve soft materials, too.

 

　Millions of years ago, leaves, insects, and small animals sometimes got trapped in resin. After the resin became hard, the object inside would be protected as a fossil. By examining these objects, scientists are able to study the blood and DNA of insects, frogs, and lizards that are now extinct. (　2　), small details, such as feathers and hair, are preserved in fossils in amber. This means that the colors and shapes of the actual animals can be observed in the fossils.

 

　In 2015, Lida Xing, a Chinese scientist, found the tail of a small, 99-million-year-old dinosaur in amber. Small details, such as the bone structure, were kept in perfect condition. Besides this, Xing noticed that the tail had feathers. This animal had dark brown feathers on top of the tail and lighter feathers underneath. Based on the shape and size of these, Xing believes that this dinosaur (　3　). Instead, its feathers were for warmth and decoration. This is the first time this kind of information on ancient life has ever been found, proving how special amber really is.

 

 

（1）

 

1. buy fossils with amber
2. create their own amber
3. make amber jewelry
4. study amber closely

 

 

（2）

 

1. Nevertheless
2. Unfortunately
3. Moreover
4. Immediately

 

 

（3）

 

1. had many feathers
2. was always cold
3. was not pretty
4. could not fly

 

 

学習アドバイス

 

長文の語句空所補充問題では、問題を解く際に、空所の文とその前後の文が重要なことが多いのですが、段落の最初から読んでいった方が、結局は正解を速く見つけることができるようです（空所の文だけを見るという方法は、問題が解けないか、間違いやすいので、お勧めできません）。

 

「つなぎ言葉」（文と文、段落と段落をつなぎ、前後関係を示す言葉）が問題を解くカギとなることが多いです。

 

「つなぎ言葉」の例： in addition「さらに」（追加）、for example「例えば」（具体例）、however「しかしながら」（逆接）、on the other hand「他方では、これに対して」（対照）、first of all「まず第一に」（順序）、as a result「その結果」（結果）、in short「要するに」（まとめ）など。

 

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