「日本人は英語の読み書きはできるが会話ができない」という迷信ほどタチの悪いものはありません。童話の会話文を読んで理解できない状態で英会話ばかりやっても、なかなか英語力は伸びないです。しかしリーディングなら自分のレベルにあったものを選ぶのが容易で、ある程度の精度を保って読み続ければ着実に英語力を伸ばせます。
そんなわけで、大人が読んでも面白い著作権の切れた童話「ドリトル先生航海記」に、シンプルで、大学入試にもTOEICにも英検にも有効な練習問題を組込んでみました。コロンで区切られているのが四語選択問題、スラッシュで区切られているのが四語整序問題です。＊印は難易度の目安で、＊印が多いほど難しい単語になっています。無印は語法・文法等の問題です。
※(85)の解答①(anything further about going)②(before we knew it)③(spare)④(notice his face grow)⑤(on)⑥(made no secret of)⑦(valuable)⑧(annoyed)⑨(never go back to)⑩(thought)⑪(since) ⑫(brains to think up)⑬(enough to get him)⑭(disgust)⑮(anxious)⑯(lulled me to sleep)⑰(awakened)⑱(notice)⑲(yawn)⑳(pointing out to sea)
(86)
Still only half awake, I stared before me with bleary, sleep-laden eyes. And in the ①*(rural : shallow : equivalent : upright) water, not more than thirty yards from shore I saw an enormous pale pink shell. Dome-shaped, it towered up in a ②**(pregnant : relevant : graceful : bold) rainbow curve to a tremendous height; and round its base the surf broke gently in little waves of white. It could have belonged to the wildest dream.
"What in the world is it?" I asked.
"That," whispered Polynesia, "is what sailors for hundreds of years have called the Sea-serpent. I've seen it myself more than once from the decks of ships, at long range, curving in and out of the water. But now that I see it close and still, I very strongly ③*(admire : confuse : suspect : convey ) that the Sea-serpent of history is no other than the Great Glass Sea-snail that the fidgit told us of. If that isn't the only fish of its kind in the seven seas, call me a carrion-crow—Tommy, we're in luck. Our job is to get the Doctor down here to look at that prize ④**(vigor : pedestrian : infrastructure : specimen) before it moves off to the Deep Hole. If we can, then trust me, we may leave this blessed island yet. You stay here and ⑤(take : keep : get : leave) an eye on it while I go after the Doctor. Don't move or speak—don't even breathe heavy: he might get scared—awful timid things, snails. Just watch him; and I'll be back in two shakes."
Stealthily creeping up the sands till she could get behind the cover of some bushes before she took to her wings, Polynesia went off in the ⑥*(direction : narrative : disaster : religion) of the town; while I remained alone upon the shore fascinatedly watching this unbelievable monster wallowing in the shallow sea.
It moved very little. From time to time it lifted ⑦(of / its / out / head) the water showing its enormously long neck and horns. Occasionally it would try and draw itself up, the way a snail does when he goes to move, but almost at once it would sink down again as if ⑧*(memorized : catered : pretended : exhausted). It seemed to me to act as though it were hurt underneath; but the ⑨(part / it / of / lower), which was below the level of the water, I could not see.
I was still ⑩*(behaved : absorbed : counted : expressed) in watching the great beast when Polynesia returned with the Doctor. They approached so silently and so cautiously that I neither saw nor heard them coming till I ⑪(them / beside / found / crouching) me on the sand.
One ⑫*(task : legend : sight : facility) of the snail changed the Doctor completely. His eyes just sparkled with delight. I had not ⑬(him / seen / thrilled / so) and happy since the time we caught the Jabizri beetle when we first landed on the island.
"It is he!" he whispered—"the Great Glass Sea-snail himself—not a doubt of it. Polynesia, go down the shore a way and ⑭(you / see / can / if) find any of the porpoises for me. Perhaps they can tell us what the snail is doing here—It's very unusual for ⑮(be / him / in / to) shallow water like this. And Stubbins, you go over to the harbor and bring me a small canoe. But be most careful how you paddle it round into this bay. If the snail should take fright and go out into the deeper water, we may never get a chance to see him again."
"And don't tell any of the Indians," Polynesia added in a ⑯*(temper : whisper : circumstance : branch) as I moved to go. "We must keep this a secret or we'll have a crowd of sightseers round here in five minutes. It's mighty lucky we found the snail in a quiet bay."
Reaching the harbor, I picked out a small light canoe from among the number that were lying there and ⑰(while : by : from : without)telling any one what I wanted it for, got in and started off to paddle it down the shore.
I was mortally afraid that the snail ⑱(left / might / before / have) I got back. And you can imagine how ⑲*(offended : cured : delighted : suffered) I was, when I rounded a rocky cape and came in sight of the bay, to find he was still there.
Polynesia, I saw, had ⑳(done / got / errand / her) and returned ahead of me, bringing with her a pair of porpoises. These were already conversing in low tones with John Dolittle. I beached the canoe and went up to listen.
解答は次回発表。ご意見、ご要望等はsuzuyasu@wmail.plala.or.jpでも承っております。
そんなわけで、大人が読んでも面白い著作権の切れた童話「ドリトル先生航海記」に、シンプルで、大学入試にもTOEICにも英検にも有効な練習問題を組込んでみました。コロンで区切られているのが四語選択問題、スラッシュで区切られているのが四語整序問題です。＊印は難易度の目安で、＊印が多いほど難しい単語になっています。無印は語法・文法等の問題です。
※(85)の解答①(anything further about going)②(before we knew it)③(spare)④(notice his face grow)⑤(on)⑥(made no secret of)⑦(valuable)⑧(annoyed)⑨(never go back to)⑩(thought)⑪(since) ⑫(brains to think up)⑬(enough to get him)⑭(disgust)⑮(anxious)⑯(lulled me to sleep)⑰(awakened)⑱(notice)⑲(yawn)⑳(pointing out to sea)
(86)
Still only half awake, I stared before me with bleary, sleep-laden eyes. And in the ①*(rural : shallow : equivalent : upright) water, not more than thirty yards from shore I saw an enormous pale pink shell. Dome-shaped, it towered up in a ②**(pregnant : relevant : graceful : bold) rainbow curve to a tremendous height; and round its base the surf broke gently in little waves of white. It could have belonged to the wildest dream.
"What in the world is it?" I asked.
"That," whispered Polynesia, "is what sailors for hundreds of years have called the Sea-serpent. I've seen it myself more than once from the decks of ships, at long range, curving in and out of the water. But now that I see it close and still, I very strongly ③*(admire : confuse : suspect : convey ) that the Sea-serpent of history is no other than the Great Glass Sea-snail that the fidgit told us of. If that isn't the only fish of its kind in the seven seas, call me a carrion-crow—Tommy, we're in luck. Our job is to get the Doctor down here to look at that prize ④**(vigor : pedestrian : infrastructure : specimen) before it moves off to the Deep Hole. If we can, then trust me, we may leave this blessed island yet. You stay here and ⑤(take : keep : get : leave) an eye on it while I go after the Doctor. Don't move or speak—don't even breathe heavy: he might get scared—awful timid things, snails. Just watch him; and I'll be back in two shakes."
Stealthily creeping up the sands till she could get behind the cover of some bushes before she took to her wings, Polynesia went off in the ⑥*(direction : narrative : disaster : religion) of the town; while I remained alone upon the shore fascinatedly watching this unbelievable monster wallowing in the shallow sea.
It moved very little. From time to time it lifted ⑦(of / its / out / head) the water showing its enormously long neck and horns. Occasionally it would try and draw itself up, the way a snail does when he goes to move, but almost at once it would sink down again as if ⑧*(memorized : catered : pretended : exhausted). It seemed to me to act as though it were hurt underneath; but the ⑨(part / it / of / lower), which was below the level of the water, I could not see.
I was still ⑩*(behaved : absorbed : counted : expressed) in watching the great beast when Polynesia returned with the Doctor. They approached so silently and so cautiously that I neither saw nor heard them coming till I ⑪(them / beside / found / crouching) me on the sand.
One ⑫*(task : legend : sight : facility) of the snail changed the Doctor completely. His eyes just sparkled with delight. I had not ⑬(him / seen / thrilled / so) and happy since the time we caught the Jabizri beetle when we first landed on the island.
"It is he!" he whispered—"the Great Glass Sea-snail himself—not a doubt of it. Polynesia, go down the shore a way and ⑭(you / see / can / if) find any of the porpoises for me. Perhaps they can tell us what the snail is doing here—It's very unusual for ⑮(be / him / in / to) shallow water like this. And Stubbins, you go over to the harbor and bring me a small canoe. But be most careful how you paddle it round into this bay. If the snail should take fright and go out into the deeper water, we may never get a chance to see him again."
"And don't tell any of the Indians," Polynesia added in a ⑯*(temper : whisper : circumstance : branch) as I moved to go. "We must keep this a secret or we'll have a crowd of sightseers round here in five minutes. It's mighty lucky we found the snail in a quiet bay."
Reaching the harbor, I picked out a small light canoe from among the number that were lying there and ⑰(while : by : from : without)telling any one what I wanted it for, got in and started off to paddle it down the shore.
I was mortally afraid that the snail ⑱(left / might / before / have) I got back. And you can imagine how ⑲*(offended : cured : delighted : suffered) I was, when I rounded a rocky cape and came in sight of the bay, to find he was still there.
Polynesia, I saw, had ⑳(done / got / errand / her) and returned ahead of me, bringing with her a pair of porpoises. These were already conversing in low tones with John Dolittle. I beached the canoe and went up to listen.
解答は次回発表。ご意見、ご要望等はsuzuyasu@wmail.plala.or.jpでも承っております。
※コメント投稿者のブログIDはブログ作成者のみに通知されます