高校英語（レベルC<大学入試2回目>）

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No2 文章読解 英検準1級・TOEIC800点
次の英文を読み，質問に対する答えとして最も適切なものを４つの中から選びなさい。

　Evolution: Fast or Slow?

　How long does it take for an evolutionary change to occur?
　In the case of the green anole, a lizard native to the southeastern United States,
　it only took 20 generations, or about 15 years.
　Certain populations of green anoles in Florida have adapted to the recent invasion of the brown anole,
　which is native to Cuba and the Bahamas and may have arrived on cargo ships.
　At first, the two species competed for food and living space,
　and the brown anoles sometimes preyed on the green anoles' young.
　The green anoles soon began living high in trees, where the heavier brown lizards could not go,
　and developed large toe pads and sticky scales on their feet in order to be better able to grip the smooth,
　narrow branches as they walk.

　Josef Uyeda, a zoologist at Oregon State University,
　believes that although rapid changes such as those in the green anoles are remarkable,
　they are unlikely to last for a significantly long time.
　After completing a survey of a broad range of fossil records and living species,
　Uyeda's team found that such changes “do not always persist and may be confined to small populations.”
　In fact, as a general rule, a million years of gradual evolution is required
　for a change to become permanent and spread across a wide area.

　Uyeda believes that for lasting evolutionary changes to take place,
　the factors causing them must “continue and become widespread” for example,
　the permanent disappearance of a major food source from a species' entire habitat
　could bring about an evolutionary change that allows them to eat something else.
　One question Uyeda explored was whether climate change is a significant force in evolution.
　He believes that, while it may be one contributing cause,
　it is unlikely to lead to evolutionary shifts on its own,
　as many species have remained largely unchanged over periods of greatly differing climate.
問1
（１）What happened to the green anoles in Florida?

(ア) They became able to eat different kinds of food in order to compete with brown anoles.
(イ) They adapted to living in a different type of tree whose branches were easier to move around on.
(ウ) Their body weight decreased to enable them to catch prey on thin tree branches.
(エ) The structure of their feet changed so that they could move more effectively on certain surfaces.

問2
（２）What does Josef Uyeda suggest about species evolution?

(ア) While smaller animals may evolve more rapidly, larger species take about a million years to change.
(イ) The fossil record shows that evolution in a number of species has sped up in the past million years.
(ウ) Rapid evolutionary changes are possible for local populations, but they are unlikely to affect species over a broad area.
(エ) Nature is so unpredictable that it is impossible to know how fast evolution will occur in any animal population.

問3
（３）Uyeda believes that climate change

(ア) has led to many evolutionary changes since it affects things like the types of food that are available to a species.
(イ) is likely to have a significant effect on species whose populations are restricted to one specific area.
(ウ) has probably never been the main factor that shaped the evolution of a species.
(エ) is likely to lead to permanent changes in species when it results in great temperature differences within a short time.

 
次の英文を読み，質問に対する答えとして最も適切なものを４つの中から選びなさい。 

　Biting Back

　Today, because of a rapidly expanding global population and growing doubts about
　how much food can be produced through livestock-based agriculture,
　many people are concerned about the sustainability of food supplies.
　As a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) points out,
　insects are a possible solution. They are high in protein,
　and they require far less space than mammals or birds do,
　so farming them would produce much more food on a relatively small area of land.

　Furthermore, many insects eat plants and other sources of nutrition that humans and animals cannot.
　According to the FAO, this is an important point, because at present, human and livestock diets overlap.
　This means crops that could be used to feed the growing number of people are instead being used to feed animals.

　While insects have been consumed by people in many African and Asian countries for millennia,
　Western societies generally have a negative view toward eating them.

　Western agricultural practices originated in a region known as the Fertile Crescent,
　an area covering parts of western Asia and the Nile Valley.
　Although edible insects were available there,
　the early farmers found it more useful to raise large land mammals such as sheep and cattle,
　as they provided not only plenty of meat but also leather, wool, and transportation.
　As early agricultural practices became widely established and food supplies became more stable,
　the Fertile Crescent farmers had no need to use insects as a source of food.
　Apparently, over time, lack of interest turned into a cultural prejudice.
　This presents a significant barrier to introducing insects into Western diets.

　Insects are often associated with disease and contamination in the West, although most species are, in fact, harmless.
　People's disgust with regard to eating insects also comes from a strong association with poverty,
　since for many societies in developing countries, insects are one of only a few affordable protein sources.
　Psychology professor Paul Rozin of the University of Pennsylvania,
　however, says that although many people find the idea of eating insects unappetizing,
　such attitudes are not necessarily set in stone.

　He points out that social and cultural factors in people's environment
　can change their preferences for certain foods.
　For example, shrimp and lobster now associated with luxury and gourmet dining
　were once regarded with disgust because they were eaten only by those who could not afford anything else.
　If prejudices against eating insects can be similarly reversed, Western diets may one day include them.
問4
（４）What does the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations say about using insects as a food source?

(ア) Eating insects could help deal with an increasing population as it would make food production more efficient.
(イ) Although humans can eat insects, it would be more beneficial to use them as a food source for agricultural animals.
(ウ) Insects have the potential to replace not only agricultural animals but many agricultural crops eaten by humans as well.
(エ) The fact that many mammals and birds eat insects shows that they are a suitable food source for humans.

問5
（５）Agricultural practices in the Fertile Crescent

(ア) helped protect the ecosystem by maintaining a healthy balance between utilizing land mammals and insects.
(イ) were affected by insects that destroyed crops, making it difficult for humans and animals to get enough food.
(ウ) failed to include insects because not enough edible types could survive in the hot, dry climate there.
(エ) were designed to allow farmers to address both food production and other needs.

問6
（６）Which of the following statements would Paul Rozin likely agree with?

(ア) It is possible that Western people's attitudes toward eating insects will change in the future.
(イ) The reason that shrimp and lobster are not eaten in certain countries is that they look similar to insects.
(ウ) People in developing countries only eat insects when their main food sources become difficult to obtain.
(エ) The fact that eating insects was common early in human history suggests it will remain a custom in certain countries.