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↓　以下の長文は分かりやすくするため、つながっている部分は１文ごとに改行、段落は２個分改行を行います。

問

Native American and Canadian Indian tribes have passed down stories going back thousands of years about giant ape-men, or Bigfoot, living in the forest of the western United States and Canada.
They called these creature Sasquatch, Yerin, or Mountain Devils.
Regardless of the name, the descriptions of these animals are usually the same.
The Bigfoot is usually described as being very tall, well over two meters.
It is covered in thick, dark hair and usually gives off a bad odor.
The Bigfoot's body is usually very muscular and ape-like, yet it walks upright and has a face more similar to that of humans than of apes.
For the most part, these creatures appear not to be violent or aggressive.
Big foot sightings are usually of lone, or single, creatures, but there have been reports of people seeing groups, or families, of Bigfoot.

People in other countries also tell stories of similar ape-men.
In the Himalayas, a mountain range in Nepal, people call these creatures Yeti, or Abominable Snowmen.
The Africans call them Ngoloko, and the Chinese tell stories of Gin-sung, or Bearman.

Though sightings have been reported for centuries, is there any scientific evidence for the existence of these creatures?
Some say yes, and others say no.
Dr. Grover Krantz, a physical anthropologist at the University of Oregon, believes that Bigfoot may be a type of creature known as a Gigantopithecus.
A Gigantopithecus is an animal that lived in Asia over 300,000 years ago and looked like a mix between an ape and a very large man.
Dr. Krantz believes that these animals, which lived long before humans, may have migrated from Asia and decided to settle in the heavily wooded area of the Pacific Northwest, where food was plentiful.

Is it possible that creatures like these could have survived for so many years unknown to humans?
Cryptozoologists compare the case of Bigfoot to that of the coelacanth.
The coelacanth is a type of fish that was believed to have gone extinct over 70 million years ago, but this fish has been discovered to be still living off the coast of South Africa.
Cryptozoologists believe that the animals that we now call Bigfoot have been able to survive by living in an area that people, until recently, have seldom gone.

There are, however, some questions that science has been unable to answer.
For example, why have no dead Bigfoot bodies ever been discovered?
And where is the physical proof of their existence?
Bigfoot researchers point out that it is unusual to find the dead remains of any animal in the forest.
Most of the time, they say, other animals eat the remains soon after death; this may be the case for Bigfoot, too.
Many skeptics, people who do not believe in Bigfoot, say that the videos and photographs of Bigfoot are really pictures of people wearing ape costumes.
They also believe that the Bigfoot footprints are really the footprints of bears, or footprints made by tricksters trying to fool scientists.

It is possible that we may never know the truth about these animals.
If they have avoided being seen for the last several thousand years, then maybe they will stay hidden for another several thousand.
Or it may be that as we humans go deeper and deeper into the forest of Northwest America and Canada, we may finally come face to face with the elusive Bigfoot.





今回はこの文章を解説、数回に分けて解説し、以降に設問を解いていこうと思います。

第６段落

〇It is（＝V） possible（＝C） ［≪that≫ we（＝S） may never know（＝V） the truth（＝O） ［about these animals］（＝truthの内容）］（＝S）.

ここも倒置法の文章ですね。あまり難しい単語もないので、簡単に訳すと、
「私たちはこれらの動物についての真実を永遠に知ることがない」的な意味ですね。

〇［≪If≫ they（＝S） have avoided（＝V） being seen（＝O） ［for the last several thousand years］（＝seenの内容）］, then maybe they（＝S） will stay（＝V） hidden（＝C）［ for another several thousand］.

※「avoid」：避ける、回避する、「then maybe」：その後、おそらく

ここも意訳すると、「もし彼らが過去数千年見られることを回避していたら、おそらく、彼らはこのまま隠れていた」というような感じですね。
ここでいう彼らは「Bigfoot」とかになります。

〇［Or it may be ［that as we humans go deeper and deeper into the forest of Northwest America and Canada］（＝S）］, we（＝S） may ≪finally≫ come（＝V） ［face to face］ ［with the elusive Bigfoot］.

※「come face to face with」：（慣用句）直接対面する、「elusive」：うまく逃げる
ここもそんな難しい言葉はありません。
訳：私たち人間が「Northwest America」や「Canada」の森の奥深くまで行くとしたら、逃げるのが上手い「Bigfoot」を対面できたかもしれない

と、こんな感じです。

これで長文の大体の意味を理解できたかと思いますので、問題を解いていこうと思います。





問　次の文章に続くものとして正しいものを選べ
［１］　In stories about giant ape-men in the United Sates and Canada, we can see that

�@Native American and Canadian Indian tribes have feared theese giant creatures and stayed away from them.
⇒「feared」恐れていたという文言はなかったので「☓」

�Apeople have given different names to giant creatures that have the same physical characteristics.
⇒「Sasquatch」「Yerin」「Mountain Devils」といった名前を付けていたのはホント

�Bthe description of giant ape-men have changed, indicating that the creatures have evolved over time.
⇒「very tall」という「description」は「changed」していないため「☓」

�Cmost giant ape-men appear to be gentle, but they become aggressive when trying to protect their families.
⇒そもそも、これらの動物は「姿を見せない」ので、こういった記述がないため「☓」

［２］　Dr. Grover Krantz, a physical anthropologist at the University of Oregon,

�@points out the possibility of Bigfoot being an animal that is known to have existed on earth.
⇒「Giantopithecus」がそうであると信じていたので、地球に居る可能性については述べられている

�Aargues that Bigfoot could be the name of an imaginary creature that looked like a mix between ape and a man.
⇒「imaginary creature」とは思っていなかったので「☓」

�Bclaims that the Bigfoot and the Gigantopithecus are different in their appearances and migration patterns.
⇒「Bigfoot」と「Gigantopithecus」は似ていると述べているのに、逆のことが書いてあるので「☓」

�Cbelieves that humans forced the Gigantopithecus to migrate from Asia to Pacific Northwest.
⇒「Gigantopithecus」に「forced」したという記述はないため、「☓」





思ったよりも記事が長くなってしまったので、今回はここまでとします。

次回はこの続きと、新しい長文を扱っていきたいと思います。

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2023年受験用 全国大学入試問題正解 英語（私立大編） [ 旺文社 ] 価格:7260円 (2024/5/6 14:43時点) 感想(0件)