難関中２年１学期定期試験(改)で出題された英語問題です。時制･構文･語法などの英語力だけでなく国語力も公立高校入試(たとえば厚木)よりも高い学力が要求されています。概要を把握するだけなく、直接記述されていないことを文脈から正しく推察できるか･類語･タイムラグを正しく把握できているかなど、精緻さも試されています。
英会話を苦にしない native たちでも、国語力が弱いと簡単に間違えてしまいます。日本人でも(日常の日本語での会話には困らなくても)国語力が弱い人はいくらでもいるのと同じです。
慶應大程度ならばほぼ全員が合格できる生徒たちを育む学校だけのことはあります。この学校は、英語に限らず、全教科をこの調子で鍛え上げます。そして、生徒たちは悪戦苦闘して短期間に高い学力を身につけます。公立の生徒でも、(多くが挫折するかもしれませんが)彼らと同じだけの努力を続けられるならば同じ学力に到達できます。
Read the following passage and answer the question below. ( The time limit is 5 minutes )
Robart Grant worked in an office in the south of New York. At the end of a long day he was walking along Spring Street to the subway station on his way home. When he came to Spring Park he stopped to buy a newspaper. Near the newspaper-seller an old woman was selling violets.
"Buy a bunch of violets,"she said and held out a bunch of the small blue flowers. "Only a dollar. If you buy there flowers, a good thing will happen to you."
Robert was careful with money. At first he thought one dollar was high for them, then he remembered that his wife Jean liked flowers. All right,"he said,"I'll have two bunches. "When the old woman covered the violets with a piece of old newspaper she said again: "A good thing will happen to you."
There were a lot of people in the subway station, and when he got into the train Robert's newspaper fell out of his hand. He had a long way to go in front of him and nothing to read. He looked at the other people around him, and read the newspaper of the man sitting by him. After a few minutes the man looked at him angrily. Then Robert remembered the piece of newspaper around his bunch of violets. He took it off and covered the violets carefully with another piece of paper which he took from his pocket, and began to read the piece of newspaper.
The first words he saw were "100,000 DOLLARS！", and under this there was a crossword puzzle, so he took out a pencil and began. He finished the puzzle before the train arrived at his station, and sent the piece of newspaper to the place given in the newspaper. When he got home, Mrs. Grant was very glad to have the violets, and husband and wife spent a happy evening together.
Mr. Grant fogot all about the crossword puzzle. But a month later he had a letter from the newspaper. It said:
"Dear Mr. Grant,
We are glad to tell you that you have got ＄100,000. We hope you will read our newspaper for many years."
"But you never read that paper," said Mrs. Grant. She knew nothing about the crossword puzzle.
"No," said her husband,"but do you remember the violets I brought home a few weeks ago? THe flower-seller covered them with a piece of newspaper, and because I didn't have a newspaper in the train, I did the puzzle on this piece of newspaper. And now I've got the prize. The old woman said,'If you buy these flowers, a good thing will happen to you,' and it has happened to us."
"What shall we do with the money?" asked Mrs. Grant. "We haven't had so much money with us."
"I know what we'll do," said her husband, "We'll buy that little shop you've always wanted, and you'll have something to do when I'm away at the office."
So they bought a little shop near a park at the end of the town, and when her husbund was away, Jean Grant talked to a lot of people when they came in and out of her shop to buy sandwiches and cakes.
One day Jean said,"Do you know what I would like to do, Robert? I would like to go to New York to say,'Thank you' to the old flower-seller who has brought us our happy life."
"A very good idea," said her husband. "We didn't think of that before. I'm sorry about it."
Next day they went to New York and came out from the subway station at Spring Park. The same old man was still selling newspapers, but they couldn't find the old flower-seller. A young woman was selling flowers.
"Where's the old woman who sold violets here?" Robert asked the newspaper-seller.
"It is strange for you to ask about her today," he answered. "She stopped coming here about a month ago because she was sick, and Maggie here has just said that she died this morning."
"Poor old woman," said Jean. "And I never met her." "And I never said 'Thank you'," said Robert.
Read the following statements about the passage. Write T if each statement is true, or write F if each statement is false in the answer column.
1. Robert Grant stopped to buy a newspaper at Spring Park on his way to his office.
2. Robert is a person who doesn't pay a lot of money easily.
3. Robert decided to buy two bunches of violets right after an old woman held out a bunch of violets and said, "If you buy these flowers, a good thing will happen to you"
4. Robert's station was far from the station at which he got into the train.
5. Because he had nothing to read in the train, Robert took out a piece of paper from his pocket ant began to read it.
6. He sent the answer to the crossword puzzle to the place written in the newspaper.
7. At first Mr. and Mrs. Grant didn't know what to do with the prize because hadn't had so much money.
8. Mrs. Grant wanted to have a little shop all the time.
9. Mrs Grant spoke to many people who came to her shop to buy sandwiches and cakes when his husband was at the office.
10.The newspaper-seller thought that it was strange for Mr. and Mrs. Grant to ask about an old woman on that day because she died on the same day.
<< hints >>
1. on his way home(passage)
⇔ to his office(statement) に着目します。
2. Robert was careful with money. (passage)
⇔ doesn't pay a lot of money easily(statement)に着目します。
3. At first he thought one dollar was high for them(passage)
⇔ right after (statement) に着目します。
4. He had a long way to go in front of him (passage)
⇔ was far from (statement) に着目します。
5. He took it off and covered the violets carefully with another piece of paper which he took from his pocket(passage)
⇔ Robert took out a piece of paper from his pocket (statement) に着目します。
6. sent the piece of newspaper to the place given in the newspaper. (passage)
⇔ sent the answer (statement) に着目します。
7. "I know what we'll do," said her husband, (passage)
⇔ At first Mr. and Mrs. Grant didn't know what to do (statement) に着目します。
8. We'll buy that little shop you've always wanted (passage)
⇔ all the time (statement) に着目します。
9. when her husbund was away, Jean Grant talked to a lot of people when they came in and out of her shop to buy sandwiches and cakes. (passage)
⇔ was at the office (statement) に着目します。
10. "It is strange for you to ask about her today," he answered. (passage)
⇔ on that day because she died on the same day. (statement) に着目します。
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