EigoPro 準2級プラス 読解 — The School With Three Students

The School With Three Students On a small island off the coast of Japan stands a school unlike most others. This year, it has only three students and two teachers. Twenty years ago, the same school had nearly two hundred children. The story of this little school reflects a problem facing many rural areas: as young families move to big cities for work, small communities slowly shrink. A Difficult Choice Each year, the local government must decide whether to keep the school open. Running a school for just three children is expensive, and some officials argue the money could be better spent elsewhere. Yet closing the school would mean that the remaining families must send their children far away, possibly forcing the last young families to leave the island for good. More Than a School For the islanders, the school is much more than a place of study. It is the heart of the community. The annual sports day, for example, is attended by nearly everyone on the island, young and old. If the school disappeared, many fear the island itself might not survive. A Creative Solution Recently, the island has tried a new idea. Using the internet, the three students now take some lessons together with children at a larger school on the mainland. They can see and talk to dozens of classmates on a screen, while still living in their island home. The plan is not perfect, but it has given the community new hope. Looking Ahead The future of the island school is still uncertain. But its story raises an important question that many countries now face: how can we keep small communities alive in a world that keeps moving toward the cities?

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この単元の問題を3問、解説つきで公開しています

準2級プラス · 読解 · 全5問

問 1

How has the school changed over twenty years?

  • It grew from three children to two hundred.
  • It went from nearly two hundred children to only three.
  • It moved from the island to the mainland.
  • It changed from a school into a hospital.
Phrase

from two hundred to only three

200人から3人へ

準2級プラス読解社会記事学校の変化
⚡ひとことで

「It went from nearly two hundred children to only three.」を表す読解フレーズ。生徒数の激減の文脈で頻出。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「It went from nearly two hundred children to only three.」

正解

本文 "This year, it has only three students ... Twenty years ago, the same school had nearly two hundred children" より、変化 = 約200人から3人へ激減。go from A to B = 「AからBに変わる」、過去 (200人) と現在 (3人) の対比。

  • 「It grew from just three children to nearly two hundred.」

    = 3人から200人に増加 ━ 減少であり増加ではない ━ 逆。

  • 「It moved from the island across to the mainland.」

    = 島から本土へ移転 ━ 移転の記述無し ━ 生徒数の変化。

  • 「It changed from being a school into a hospital.」

    = 学校が病院に変わった ━ 病院の記述無し、創作。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
go from A to BAからBに変わるwent from two hundred to three
nearly ~ほぼ〜nearly two hundred children
twenty years ago20年前Twenty years ago
reflect a problem問題を反映するreflects a problem
rural areas地方/田舎many rural areas
❝例文

  • The school went from 200 to only three.

    学校は200人から3人になった。

  • Twenty years ago, it was full of children.

    20年前は子供で溢れていた。

  • This reflects a problem in rural areas.

    これは地方の問題を反映する。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

変化設問の鉄則 ―― "This year ... Twenty years ago ..." の 現在と過去の対比 に注目。go from A to B = 「AからBへ変わる」は準2級プラス必須。誤答は『増加 (減少の逆)』『移転』など方向や事実を変えて誘導。

問 2

What wider problem does the school's story reflect?

  • Schools becoming too crowded with students.
  • Young families moving to cities, causing rural communities to shrink.
  • Cities losing all of their young people.
  • Too many families moving to small islands.
Phrase

families move to cities, communities shrink

家族が都市へ移り、地域が縮小

準2級プラス読解社会記事背景の社会問題
⚡ひとことで

「Young families moving to cities, causing rural communities to shrink.」を表す読解フレーズ。過疎問題の文脈で頻出。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Young families moving to cities, causing rural communities to shrink.」

正解

本文 "as young families move to big cities for work, small communities slowly shrink" より、背景問題 = 若い家族が都市へ移り地方が縮小。as ~ = 「〜につれて」、cause + 名詞 + to + 動詞 = 「〜を…させる」、shrink = 「縮小する」。

  • 「Too many young families moving out to live on the small islands.」

    = 多すぎる家族が島へ ━ 島から 出る ━ 逆。

  • 「Rural schools everywhere becoming far too crowded with students.」

    = 学校が生徒で混雑 ━ 生徒激減 ━ 混雑とは逆。

  • 「Cities everywhere losing all of their young families and people.」

    = 都市が若者を失う ━ 都市は若者を 得る ━ 逆。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
move to ~ for work仕事で〜へ移るmove to big cities for work
as + 主語 + 動詞〜につれてas young families move
cause ~ to + 動詞〜を…させるcausing communities to shrink
shrink縮小するcommunities slowly shrink
face a problem問題に直面するa problem facing many rural areas
❝例文

  • Young families move to cities for work.

    若い家族は仕事で都市へ移る。

  • As they leave, rural communities shrink.

    彼らが去ると地方は縮小する。

  • Many rural areas face this problem.

    多くの地方がこの問題に直面する。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

背景問題設問の鉄則 ―― "as young families move ..., communities shrink" の as (〜につれて) が因果。cause ~ to + 動詞 = 「〜を…させる」、shrink = 「縮む」は準2級プラス必須。誤答は『島へ移る』『都市が若者を失う』など人の流れを逆にして誘導。

問 3

Why might closing the school harm the whole island?

  • The teachers would move to the island.
  • The last young families might leave the island for good.
  • The island would become too crowded.
  • More children would suddenly arrive.
Phrase

last families might leave for good

最後の家族が永久に去るかも

準2級プラス読解社会記事閉校の影響
⚡ひとことで

「The last young families might leave the island for good.」を表す読解フレーズ。閉校が島全体を脅かす理由の文脈で頻出。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「The last young families might leave the island for good.」

正解

A Difficult Choice "closing the school would mean that the remaining families must send their children far away, possibly forcing the last young families to leave the island for good" より、閉校の影響 = 最後の若い家族が永久に島を去るかも。force + 人 + to + 動詞 = 「(人)に〜を強いる」、for good = 「永久に」。

  • 「The island would very soon become far too crowded.」

    = 島が混雑する ━ 過疎 ━ 混雑とは逆。

  • 「The teachers themselves would move to the island.」

    = 教師が島へ移る ━ 教師移住の記述無し。

  • 「Many more children would suddenly arrive on the island.」

    = 子供が急増する ━ 子供は減少 ━ 増加とは逆。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
force + 人 + to + 動詞(人)に〜を強いるforcing families to leave
for good永久にleave the island for good
the remaining families残った家族the remaining families
send ~ far away〜を遠くへ送るsend their children far away
might + 動詞〜かもしれないmight leave
❝例文

  • The last families might leave for good.

    最後の家族が永久に去るかも。

  • Closing the school would force them away.

    閉校は彼らの退去を強いる。

  • They would have to send children far away.

    子供を遠くへ送らねばならない。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

影響設問の鉄則 ―― "closing ... would mean ... forcing the last families to leave for good" の 連鎖的影響 を追う。force + 人 + to + 動詞 = 「(人)に〜を強いる」、for good = 「永久に」(慣用) は準2級プラス必須。誤答は『混雑』『子供急増』など過疎と逆で誘導。

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