高校英語（レベルC<大学入試5回目>）

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No5 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。

　Endangered Barns

　Barns have long been a symbol of the American rural landscape.
　In years past, every farm had at least one wooden barn to house animals and store equipment and feed.
　But over the last century, as agriculture became industrialized, farms became larger and fewer.

　Many small, family-operated farms tore down their barns and sold their land.
　The family farms that remain have replaced working animals such as horses,
　which were once kept in barns, with machinery that can be stored in metal sheds.
　Livestock such as dairy cows and pigs are now kept in long, low buildings that can house far more animals.

　Thousands of barns collapse or are destroyed every year.
　The National Trust for Historic Preservation, an organization that works to save historic places in the United

　States, says this represents a significant loss to the nation's rural heritage.
　Alongside other groups, they are working to raise awareness of the number of endangered barns
　and how they can be protected. A few states offer financial incentives in the form of tax breaks
　and small state grants for preservation efforts.
　Federal officials have also agreed to provide grants for barn preservation,
　but funding has been slow to materialize,
　with critics saying such funds should rather be used to assist farmers facing low crop yields.

　Some people have been renovating barns for residential living rather than maintaining them as historic structures.
　Their huge beams and spacious interiors make for an attractive living space.
　Such conversions are costly, however, as old barns need significant structural work.
　Even if the framework is solid, installing electricity and plumbing can be difficult.
　And once converted to a home, a barn's large size and poor insulation make it difficult to heat in winter.
　Furthermore, although barn-to-home conversions do preserve the buildings, purists argue
　they do little to conserve their historical character or the agricultural tradition they represent.
問1
（１）What is one reason for the decline in the number of barns in the United States?

(ア) They are often located on land that is unable to be used in industrial agriculture.
(イ) They do not meet the practical needs of farmers as well as they did over a century ago.
(ウ) The livestock they were built to house are now raised mainly on small, family-operated farms.
(エ) The need for a large number of farms decreased when the government began importing more crops.

問2
（２）What is true of recent efforts to preserve U.S. barns?

(ア) State officials cannot provide funding to help organizations record the number of barns in each state.
(イ) Critics believe such efforts should not be a main target of federal financial aid.
(ウ) Organizations are largely dependent on volunteers to raise funds for barn preservation.
(エ) Such efforts are slowed by higher taxes on farms in states that do not rely on agriculture.

問3
（３）One criticism of converting barns into living spaces is that

(ア) the barns will be used for a different purpose than the one they were originally intended for.
(イ) the process makes use of too many natural resources and so does more harm than good.
(ウ) the repairs often made to barns actually result in their structure becoming weaker.
(エ) the level of craftsmanship with which the barns were built is difficult to match these days.

 
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。 

　The Inside Story

　In 2001, the then president of the United States proposed legislation
　that would assign public schools greater responsibility for student performance.
　The legislation went into effect in 2002, and since then,
　schools have been required to use standardized-test results to prove students
　are meeting academic targets.
　For school districts that are falling behind,
　the pressure to show improvement has led them to design curriculums
　that focus narrowly on tested subjects.
　In an effort to boost test scores, many schools are devoting a greater part of the school day
　to math and reading classes.
　In the process, they often cut back on physical education and unstructured playtime.
　One result of the legislation, therefore, is that children
　are spending more of the school day in the classroom and less on the playground.

　Meanwhile, children are spending less time after school in unsupervised physical activity.
　A 2008 survey found participation in outdoor activities by children aged 6 to 17
　had declined 11 percent since the previous year.
　Parents increasingly depend on television, computers, and video games to keep their children occupied at home.
　When they do spend time outside the house,
　children are usually taking part in structured, adultsupervised activities
　such as soccer practice or music lessons.
　According to psychotherapist Bob Livingstone,
　the combination of a test-focused school curriculum and an overly structured after-school life
　“prevents [children] from developing important survival skills
　like thinking on their feet and responding capably in unexpected circumstances.”

　Author Richard Louv sees these issues as part of a larger trend in
　which children are growing up disconnected from nature.
　Louv uses the term “Nature-Deficit Disorder” to describe a group of symptoms including depression,
　attention disorders, obesity, and anxiety that may be the result of being separated from nature,
　“particularly for children in their vulnerable developing years.”
　He is one of a group of environmentalists and educators who want to change the 2002 educational reforms
　so that schools allow students to spend more unstructured time developing a connection with the natural environment.
　According to Louv, being in touch with nature improves students' ability to reason about complex causes and effects,
　and is linked to higher achievement scores on math and reading tests.
　The movement scored a victory when President Barack Obama's 2010 education budget included funding for programs
　that increase students' connection with nature, identifying it as an important part of a well-rounded education.
問4
（４）What has been one result of the educational legislation passed in 2002?

(ア) Teachers are spending less time on subjects that are easy to test so that more time is left for physical education.
(イ) Students are taking a greater variety of classes so that they can meet stricter academic requirements.
(ウ) School districts are allowing students to change their class schedules based on their individual needs and interests.
(エ) Learning opportunities that are not directly linked to standardized testing are being limited.

問5
（５）Bob Livingstone suggests that children

(ア) should be encouraged to improve their athletic ability by joining organized sports programs.
(イ) should be able to enjoy electronic entertainment such as video games as a reward for doing well on tests.
(ウ) need the help of teachers if they are to gain the confidence necessary to perform well in extracurricular activities.
(エ) must be allowed to encounter unplanned situations so that they can learn how to handle them.

問6
（６）What is one thing Richard Louv believes is true of education?

(ア) Math and reading should be the core of education, but they do not help students improve their reasoning skills.
(イ) Contact with the natural world gives children intellectual skills that help them do better in certain academic subjects.
(ウ) Current school programs in environmental studies need to be changed to meet the needs of students with disabilities.
(エ) Using nature to teach math and reading may help students with psychological problems understand concepts more quickly.