EigoPro 準2級 読解 — The Rise of Remote Work

The Rise of Remote Work Five years ago, most office workers in Japan had to commute to work every day. Today, more than 30% of them work from home at least two days a week. This change started during the pandemic, but many companies have decided to keep this style even after the situation improved. According to a recent survey of 2,000 employees, 68% of remote workers said they feel less tired at the end of the day. Many also reported that they have more time for their families. However, the survey also showed some problems. Almost half of the workers said it is harder to communicate with their teams, and 22% felt lonely while working alone at home. To deal with these issues, some companies have introduced new tools. For example, Sky Technology in Tokyo gives every employee a free monthly budget of ¥5,000 to use at coworking spaces. Other companies hold weekly online meetings just for casual chat, not for business. Experts say that the future of work will be a mix of office and home. "Neither all-office nor all-home is the best answer," says Dr. Hayashi of Tokyo Business University. "Companies must give workers the freedom to choose what fits their job and life."

5問合格 60%以上普通

新規登録 または ログイン が必要です

この単元の問題を3問、解説つきで公開しています

準2級 · 読解 · 全5問

問 1

What does the article say about office workers today?

  • All of them still commute to work every day.
  • Only 5% of them work from home now.
  • They all stopped going to the office after the pandemic.
  • More than 30% of them work from home at least two days a week.
Phrase

more than 30%

30%超

準2級読解ニュース記事現状の数値把握
⚡ひとことで

「More than 30% of them work from home at least two days a week.」を表す読解フレーズ。現在の労働形態の文脈で頻出。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「More than 30% of them work from home at least two days a week.」

正解

本文 "Today, more than 30% of them work from home at least two days a week" より、現在 = 30%超が週2日以上在宅勤務。"Five years ago" との対比で過去→現在の変化が示される。at least + 数字 = 「少なくとも〜」(下限を示す表現)。

  • 「All of them still commute to work every day.」

    = 全員が毎日通勤している ━ 本文 "Five years ago, most office workers ... had to commute" は 5年前 の話。現在は30%以上が在宅。

  • 「They all stopped going to the office after the pandemic.」

    = パンデミック後、全員出社をやめた ━ 30%超は在宅、残りは出社、つまり all は誤り。"a mix of office and home" が将来像。

  • 「Only 5% of them work from home now.」

    = 現在5%だけが在宅勤務 ━ 本文の数値 30% と矛盾。読み違いの誘導選択肢。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
work from home在宅勤務するwork from home two days a week
at least + 数字少なくとも〜at least two days
more than + 数字〜より多いmore than 30%
commute to work通勤するcommute to work every day
had to + 動詞〜しなければならなかった (過去)had to commute
❝例文

  • More than 30% of workers stay home at least twice a week.

    労働者の3割超が週2日以上は在宅。

  • Five years ago, almost everyone commuted daily.

    5年前はほぼ全員が毎日通勤していた。

  • Companies kept remote work even after the pandemic.

    パンデミック後も企業は在宅勤務を継続した。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

過去 vs 現在の対比読解 ―― "Five years ago ... Today ..." のように 時制マーカー で区切られた段落は、変化のbefore/after が出題されやすい。at least は『下限保証』を示す本試験頻出表現 (more thanは『超過』、 at leastは『以上 (≧)』のニュアンス)。

問 2

What did 68% of remote workers say in the survey?

  • They have lost contact with their families.
  • They feel less tired at the end of the day.
  • They want to return to the office full-time.
  • They earn more money than office workers.
Phrase

feel less tired

疲れにくくなる

準2級読解ニュース記事調査結果の肯定的回答
⚡ひとことで

「They feel less tired at the end of the day.」を表す読解フレーズ。在宅勤務のメリット文脈で頻出。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「They feel less tired at the end of the day.」

正解

本文 "68% of remote workers said they feel less tired at the end of the day" より、在宅勤務者の7割弱が疲労減少を実感。"feel less tired" = 比較級「より疲れにくい」(通勤時との比較を含意)。

  • 「They want to return to the office full-time.」

    = 完全出社に戻りたい ━ 本文 "keep this style" と矛盾 ━ 多くは在宅継続を望む。

  • 「They earn more money than office workers.」

    = 出社勤務者より高給 ━ 給与の話は本文に登場せず。

  • 「They have lost contact with their families.」

    = 家族との連絡が途絶えた ━ 本文 "more time for their families" と 正反対 ━ 家族との時間が増えた。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
feel less + 形容詞より〜でなくなるfeel less tired / less lonely
at the end of ~〜の終わりにat the end of the day
report that ~〜と報告する/答えるreported that they have more time
have time for ~〜に時間を割けるhave more time for families
X% of + 集団(集団)の X%68% of remote workers
❝例文

  • Remote workers feel less tired than before.

    在宅勤務者は以前より疲れにくい。

  • Most people now have more time for their families.

    今や多くの人が家族との時間を増やせている。

  • 68% reported a positive change.

    68%が肯定的変化を報告した。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

調査結果の正答パターン ―― "X% of ... said ..." 構文では、said の直後 が答えの核。本問では "feel less tired" がそのまま正答。比較級 less + 形容詞 = 「より〜でない」は準2級必須 (less tired / less lonely / less stressed 等の頻出組合せ)。

問 3

What problem did the survey reveal?

  • Companies stopped paying salaries on time.
  • Communicating with team members has become harder.
  • Workers cannot use the internet at home.
  • Most workers want to quit their jobs.
Phrase

harder to communicate

コミュニケーションが難しい

準2級読解ニュース記事調査結果の問題点
⚡ひとことで

「Communicating with team members has become harder.」を表す読解フレーズ。在宅勤務の課題文脈で頻出。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Communicating with team members has become harder.」

正解

本文 "Almost half of the workers said it is harder to communicate with their teams" より、約半数がチーム間コミュニケーションの困難を訴えている。"harder" (= more difficult) で困難度の増加を示す。

  • 「Workers cannot use the internet at home.」

    = 在宅でネット利用不可 ━ 技術的問題は本文に登場せず。

  • 「Most workers want to quit their jobs.」

    = ほとんどが退職希望 ━ 退職意向は本文に記載なし。"feel lonely" は孤独感のみ。

  • 「Companies stopped paying salaries on time.」

    = 会社が給与未払い ━ 給与遅延の記述なし。完全な創作。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
it is harder to + 動詞〜することがより難しいit is harder to communicate
communicate with ~〜と意思疎通するcommunicate with teams
almost half of ~〜のほぼ半数almost half of the workers
deal with + 問題(問題)に対処するdeal with these issues
feel lonely孤独を感じるfeel lonely while working alone
❝例文

  • It is harder to communicate online than face

    to-face. — オンラインは対面より意思疎通が難しい。

  • Almost half of the team felt isolated.

    チームのほぼ半数が孤立を感じた。

  • Companies are trying to deal with these issues.

    会社はこれらの課題に対処しようとしている。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

問題点設問の鉄則 ―― "However" の後ろに 必ず問題点 が来る。本文では "However, the survey also showed some problems" → 問題のリスト。it is harder to + 動詞 は 状況の難化 を抽象的に述べる準2級頻出構文。

残り2問は、解いて確かめられます

全5問すべてに、この形式の解説が付いています。 間違えた問題は記録され、あとから復習できます。

無料で登録して続きを解く

インストール不要・カード登録なし・いま全機能無料

この単元の講義を見る準2級の単元一覧準2級の用語集