「ドリトル先生航海記」から学ぶ大学入試・英検・TOEIC頻出語彙と読解(45)

　実用英検でもTOEICでも、素直でテクニックが通用しにくい長文適語補充問題は一番の良問と思われます。長文適語補充問題ができれば短文補充問題は言うまでもなく楽勝で、長文適語補充問題がすらすらできるのに英問英答問題はできないというケースは聞いたことがないです。
　企業の英語研修等で長文適語補充問題に重点を置いたレッスンをしたところ、受講者の英語力は順調に伸びました。さらに整序問題も組込んだところ一層力がつきました。助詞のない英語において語順は決定的に重要な意味を持つため、整序問題は大多数の英語学習者に有効です。
　そんなわけで、著作権の切れた童話「ドリトル先生航海記」から、四語選択問題と四語整序問題を組込んだ大学入試にもTOEICにも英検にも有効な練習問題を作成しています。楽しみながら英語力を伸ばしていただければ幸いです。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。
　著作権の関係でお示しすることはできないとはいえ、英検１級レベルの長文(TIME,NEWSWEEKのやさしめの記事程度)から作成した四語選択問題と四語整序問題がすらすら解けるようになれば英検１級・TOEIC900点レベル到達は十分可能です。教科書の丸暗記や全文訳といった古めかしくて非効率的な方法によらなくても英語力は伸ばせます。　

※(44)の解答①(worth)②(pretend to catch sight)③(wicked)④(arranged)⑤(missing him by no)⑥(fury)⑦(crowd got quite hysterical )⑧(seen to break loose)⑨(great fellows acted their)⑩(exhausted)⑪(with)⑫(tremendous)⑬(threw them down at)⑭(supply of money while)⑮(state)⑯(dense)⑰(smell)⑱(looks of this crowd)⑲(furious)⑳(for us to get)

(45)
"I ①(you're / dare / right / say), Polynesia," said the Doctor—"You usually are. The crowd does seem to be a bit ②**(eternal : restless : authentic : imaginable). I'll slip down to the ship alone—so I shan't be so noticeable; and I'll wait for you there. You come by some different way. But don't be long about it. Hurry!"

As soon as the Doctor had ③*(released : united : exploded : departed) Bumpo sought out Don Enrique and said,

"Honorable Sir, you ④*(blame : owe : waste : suit) me three-thousand pesetas."

Without a word, but looking cross-eyed with annoyance, Don Enrique paid his bet.

We next ⑤(out / buy / set / to) the provisions; and on the way we hired a cab and took it along with us.

Not very far away we found a big grocer's shop ⑥(sell / which / to / seemed) everything to eat. We went in and bought up the finest lot of food you ever saw in your life.

As a matter of fact, Polynesia had been right about the danger we were in. The news of our victory must have spread like ⑦**(lightning : outlook : counsel : statue) through the whole town. For as we came out of the shop and ⑧*(published : loaded : distinguished : mended)the cab up with our stores, we saw various little knots of angry men hunting round the streets, waving sticks and shouting,

"The Englishmen! Where are those accursed Englishmen who stopped the bullfighting?—Hang them to a lamp-post!—Throw ⑨(sea / them / the / in)! The Englishmen!—We want the Englishmen!"

After that we didn't ⑩*(recover : survive : admit : waste) any time, you may be sure. Bumpo grabbed the Spanish cab-driver and explained to him in signs that if he didn't drive down to the harbor as fast as he knew how and keep his mouth shut the whole way, he would choke the life out of him. Then we jumped into the ⑪(on / cab / of / top) the food, slammed the door, pulled down the blinds and away we went.

"We won't get a chance to pawn the jewelry now," said Polynesia, ⑬(we / over / as / bumped ) the cobbly streets. "But never mind—it may come in handy later on. And anyway we've got two-thousand five-hundred pesetas left out of the bet. Don't give the cabby more than two pesetas fifty, Bumpo. That's the right ⑭*(debt : vote : fare : passion), I know."

Well, we reached the harbor all right and we were mighty glad to find that the Doctor had sent Chee-Chee back with the row-boat to ⑮(for / at / wait / us) the landing-wall.

Unfortunately while we were in the middle of loading the supplies from the cab into the boat, the angry mob arrived upon the wharf and made a rush for us. Bumpo snatched up a big beam of wood that lay near and swung it round and round his head, letting out ⑯*(efficient : superior : dreadful : political) African battle-yells the while. This kept the crowd off while Chee-Chee and I hustled the last of the stores into the boat and clambered in ourselves. Bumpo threw his beam of wood into the thick of the Spaniards and ⑰(us / after / in / leapt). Then we pushed off and ⑱(mad / rowed / for / like) the Curlew.

The mob upon the wall howled with rage, shook their fists and hurled stones and ⑲(manner / all / things / of) after us. Poor old Bumpo got hit on the head with a bottle. But as he had a very strong head it only raised a small bump ⑳(otherwise : while : because : unless) the bottle smashed into a thousand pieces.

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