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 2021年度 第2回検定問題より]

 

 

A Simple Solution

 

　In the town of Burnham-On-Sea in England, police officer Ashley Jones noticed that there were a number of lonely people. He wanted to find a way to make it easier for these people to (　1　). After thinking about the problem, he came up with the idea of turning some of the benches in local parks into “chat benches.” He put a sign on each chat bench which says that if someone sits on the bench, that person does not mind having a conversation with a stranger.

　Only a few days after he set up the chat benches, Jones was happy to discover that his idea was working. People who had never met before were sitting on the benches and talking to each other. The benches are making a big difference, especially to (　2　). Many of them live on their own and find it difficult to travel to visit family or friends. In fact, some seniors do not have the chance to have a conversation for days or even weeks.

　A recent survey found that over 9 million people in the United Kingdom often feel lonely. Many of them find it difficult to make friends because they are scared of speaking to people they do not know. Jones's simple idea provides an easy and attractive way to solve the problem of loneliness. (　3　), chat benches are becoming very popular. More than 40 benches have been set up across the United Kingdom, and the idea is spreading to other countries, such as Australia and the United States.

 

 

（1）

 

1. understand technology
2. find new homes
3. start talking to others
4. begin doing exercise

 

 

（2）

 

1. the lives of elderly people
2. the local school students
3. people with pets
4. young parents in the town

 

 

（3）

 

1. Indeed
2. Equally
3. On the contrary
4. For one thing

 

 

学習アドバイス

 

対策として、まずヒントとなる接続表現（文と文、段落と段落をつなぎ、前後関係を示す言葉）を覚えましょう。順序(First of all)、対比 (on the other hand)、具体化 (for example)、理由 (because)、結果 (as a result)、列挙 (in addition)、順接 (therefore)、逆接 (however)、言い換え (in other words) など、英文の流れを明確にするヒントとなる表現を覚えておくと、効率的にしかも正確に解くことができます。

 

また、長文の語句空所補充問題はたいてい空所の前後にヒントがありますが、2級レベルになると、直前直後の文ではなく空所のある段落全体、もしくは英文全体にヒントがあることもあります。空所の前後だけではなく、問題文のはじめから正確に内容を捉えながら読んだ方が正解につながります。一度解いた過去問題集の英文を、内容を理解できるペースで読み切る練習をしましょう。声を出して何度も読むことをお勧めします。

 

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