EigoPro 準2級プラス読解 — The Rise of Electric Cars

The Quiet Revolution on Our Roads Not long ago, electric cars were rare and expensive — a curiosity seen only in big cities. Today, they are appearing on roads everywhere, and many experts believe they will soon replace the gasoline cars we have used for over a hundred years. This change is happening faster than almost anyone predicted. Why the Change? The main reason is the environment. Ordinary cars burn fuel and release gases that harm the air and warm the planet. Electric cars, by contrast, produce no exhaust at all while driving. As more people worry about climate change, governments have begun to encourage electric cars, sometimes by offering money to buyers or by promising to ban gasoline cars in the future. The Remaining Problems Still, electric cars are not perfect. One common worry is distance: many drivers fear running out of power far from a charging station. Charging also takes much longer than filling a tank with fuel. And while electric cars produce no exhaust, the electricity they use must come from somewhere — and if that electricity is made by burning coal, the environmental benefit is smaller than it seems. Steady Progress Fortunately, these problems are shrinking year by year. Batteries are becoming cheaper and able to travel farther on a single charge. Charging stations are appearing in more and more places, and an increasing share of electricity now comes from clean sources like wind and sunlight. The Road Ahead No one can say exactly how quickly the change will happen. But most experts agree on the direction. As one engineer said, "The question is no longer whether electric cars will take over, but how soon."

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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 have electric cars changed in recent years?

They have completely disappeared from cities.
Once rare and expensive, they now appear on roads everywhere.
They have stayed exactly the same as before.
They have become rarer and more expensive.

Phrase

once rare, now everywhere

かつて稀、今はどこでも

準2級プラス読解技術環境記事近年の変化

⚡ひとことで

「Once rare and expensive, they now appear on roads everywhere.」を表す読解フレーズ。電気自動車の普及の文脈で頻出。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Once rare and expensive, they now appear on roads everywhere.」

正解

本文 "Not long ago, electric cars were rare and expensive ... Today, they are appearing on roads everywhere" より、変化 = かつて稀で高価だったが今はどこでも見られる。not long ago ... today ... の時間対比、appear on ~ = 「〜に現れる」。

「They have become far rarer and much more expensive.」
= より稀で高価に ━ 普及 ━ 逆。
「They have completely disappeared from the world's cities.」
= 都市から完全消失 ━ むしろ各地に出現 ━ 矛盾。
「They have stayed exactly the same as they were before.」
= 以前と全く同じ ━ 大きく変化 ━ 不変ではない。

▦Collocation

パターン	意味	例
not long ago	少し前は	Not long ago, they were rare
appear on ~	〜に現れる	appearing on roads everywhere
replace ~	〜に取って代わる	replace the gasoline cars
faster than ~ predicted	〜の予想より速く	faster than anyone predicted
a curiosity	珍しいもの	a curiosity seen only in big cities

❝例文

Not long ago, electric cars were rare.
少し前は電気自動車は稀だった。
Today they appear on roads everywhere.
今やどこの道でも見かける。
The change is faster than predicted.
変化は予想より速い。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

変化設問の鉄則 ―― "Not long ago ... Today ..." の 過去と現在の対比 に注目。appear on ~、faster than ~ predicted は準2級プラス必須。誤答は『より稀に』『消失』など普及の方向と逆で誘導。

問 2

What is the main reason for the shift to electric cars?

They make a louder, more exciting sound.
They can travel without any electricity.
They produce no exhaust, which helps the environment.
They are much cheaper than any other car.

Phrase

produce no exhaust

排気ガスを出さない

準2級プラス読解技術環境記事普及の主因

⚡ひとことで

「They produce no exhaust, which helps the environment.」を表す読解フレーズ。電気自動車の利点の文脈で頻出。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「They produce no exhaust, which helps the environment.」

正解

Why the Change "The main reason is the environment ... Electric cars, by contrast, produce no exhaust at all while driving" より、主因 = 走行中に排気ガスを全く出さず環境に良い。by contrast = 「対照的に」、produce no ~ at all = 「全く〜を出さない」(強調)。

「They are much cheaper to buy than any other car.」
= 他の全車より安い ━ 高価という記述あり ━ 価格は主因ではない。
「They can travel without using any electricity at all.」
= 電気なしで走れる ━ 電気が必要 ━ 矛盾。
「They make a much louder and more exciting sound.」
= より大きく刺激的な音 ━ "Quiet Revolution" ━ 静か。

▦Collocation

パターン	意味	例
the main reason is ~	主な理由は〜	The main reason is the environment
by contrast	対照的に	by contrast, produce no exhaust
produce no ~ at all	全く〜を出さない	produce no exhaust at all
burn fuel	燃料を燃やす	ordinary cars burn fuel
warm the planet	地球を温める	warm the planet

❝例文

Electric cars produce no exhaust.
電気自動車は排気を出さない。
By contrast, ordinary cars burn fuel.
対照的に普通車は燃料を燃やす。
The main reason is the environment.
主因は環境だ。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

主因設問の鉄則 ―― "The main reason is ..." の直後が主因。by contrast = 「対照的に」(対比マーカー)、produce no ~ at all = 「全く〜を出さない」は準2級プラス必須。誤答は『最も安い』など本文の価格記述と矛盾で誘導。

問 3

What is one common worry about electric cars?

Running out of power far from a charging station.
They cannot be driven in big cities.
They are too quiet to hear at all.
They use the same fuel as gasoline cars.

Phrase

running out of power far from a station

給電所から遠く電池切れ

準2級プラス読解技術環境記事残る課題

⚡ひとことで

「Running out of power far from a charging station.」を表す読解フレーズ。電気自動車の不安の文脈で頻出。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Running out of power far from a charging station.」

正解

The Remaining Problems "One common worry is distance: many drivers fear running out of power far from a charging station" より、よくある不安 = 給電所から遠い場所で電池が切れること。run out of ~ = 「〜を切らす」、fear + 動名詞 = 「〜を恐れる」。

「They are far too quiet for anyone to hear.」
= 静かすぎて聞こえない ━ 静かさは不安として挙げられていない。
「They cannot be driven inside any big cities.」
= 大都市で運転できない ━ むしろ都市から普及 ━ 矛盾。
「They use exactly the same fuel as gasoline cars.」
= ガソリン車と同じ燃料 ━ 電気を使う ━ 燃料ではない。

▦Collocation

パターン	意味	例
run out of ~	〜を切らす	running out of power
fear + 動名詞	〜を恐れる	fear running out of power
a charging station	充電ステーション	far from a charging station
fill a tank	タンクを満たす	filling a tank with fuel
a common worry	よくある不安	One common worry is distance

❝例文

Drivers fear running out of power.
運転者は電池切れを恐れる。
Charging takes longer than filling a tank.
充電は給油より時間がかかる。
Charging stations are still limited.
充電所はまだ限られる。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

課題設問の鉄則 ―― "One common worry is ...: ..." のコロン後が具体的不安。run out of ~ = 「〜を切らす」、fear + 動名詞 は準2級プラス必須。誤答は『静かすぎ』『都市で不可』など本文にない/逆の不安で誘導。

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EigoPro 準2級プラス 読解 — The Rise of Electric Cars

この単元の問題を3問、解説つきで公開しています

once rare, now everywhere

produce no exhaust

running out of power far from a station

EigoPro 準2級プラス読解 — The Rise of Electric Cars