EigoPro 2級 読解 — The Power of Sleep

The Power of Sleep Many busy people treat sleep as a waste of time. They stay up late to finish work or watch one more video, believing that the hours spent sleeping could be better used. Yet scientists who study the brain strongly disagree. Far from being a period when nothing happens, sleep is one of the most active and important parts of our daily lives. While we sleep, the brain does essential work that it cannot do during the day. It sorts through the information we gathered, strengthening useful memories and quietly removing those we no longer need. This is one reason why students who sleep well after studying tend to remember more than those who stay up all night. The body, too, uses this time to repair muscles, fight illness, and release the chemicals that help us grow. When people do not get enough sleep, the effects appear quickly. After even one poor night, most of us find it harder to concentrate, control our emotions, and make good decisions. Over longer periods, a lack of sleep has been linked to serious health problems, including heart disease and a weaker ability to fight off infection. Tired drivers, researchers warn, can be just as dangerous on the road as drivers who have been drinking. So how much sleep do we actually need? Most adults function best with seven to nine hours a night, though the exact amount varies from person to person. Experts offer simple advice: keep regular hours, avoid bright screens late in the evening, and treat sleep not as a luxury but as a basic need. In a world that often praises those who "never stop," it is worth remembering that rest is not the enemy of success — it is one of its quiet foundations.

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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

2級 · 読解 · 全5問

問 1

What is the main idea of the passage?

  • Sleep is mostly a waste of time for very busy people.
  • Sleep is a luxury that successful people can do without.
  • Sleep is only important for young students before exams.
  • Sleep is not wasted time but an active, essential process for the brain and body.
Phrase

Far from being a period when nothing happens, sleep is one of the most active and important parts

何も起きない時間どころか、最も活発で重要

2級読解科学記事主旨
⚡ひとことで

記事の主旨は「睡眠は時間の無駄どころか、脳と体に不可欠な活発で重要な活動である」。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Sleep is not wasted time but an active, essential process for the brain and body.」

正解

第1段落 "Far from being a period when nothing happens, sleep is one of the most active and important parts of our daily lives" が主旨。far from ~ = 「〜どころか・決して〜でない」。記事は『睡眠=時間の無駄』という通念を否定し、その重要性を科学的に説く。

  • 「Sleep is mostly a waste of time for busy people with a lot of work.」

    = 多忙な人には時間の無駄 ━ 本文はこの通念を否定 (scientists strongly disagree)。

  • 「Sleep is only important for young students in the days before exams.」

    = 試験前の学生だけに重要 ━ 本文は adults / the body 全般に重要と述べる。

  • 「Sleep is a luxury that successful people can happily do without.」

    = 成功者には不要な贅沢 ━ 本文 "not as a luxury but as a basic need" と矛盾。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
far from ~〜どころかfar from being a waste
treat A as BAをBとみなすtreat sleep as a waste
a period when ~〜する時間a period when nothing happens
strongly disagree強く反対するscientists strongly disagree
stay up late夜更かしするstay up late to finish work
❝例文

  • Some people treat sleep as a waste of time.

    睡眠を時間の無駄とみなす人もいる。

  • Scientists strongly disagree.

    科学者は強く反対する。

  • Sleep is active and important.

    睡眠は活発で重要だ。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

主旨設問の鉄則 ―― "Far from A, it is B" の B が主旨 (通念 A を否定し B を主張)。誤答は本文が否定する通念 (waste of time / luxury) をそのまま主旨にすり替える。本文の主張 (active, essential) の言い換えが正解。

問 2

According to the passage, what does the brain do while we sleep?

  • It organizes information, strengthening useful memories and removing unneeded ones.
  • It learns brand-new facts that were never studied at all.
  • It deletes all of the memories formed during the day.
  • It completely stops working and rests in total silence.
Phrase

strengthening useful memories and quietly removing those we no longer need

有用な記憶を強化し不要な記憶を除去

2級読解科学記事詳細 (睡眠中の脳の働き)
⚡ひとことで

睡眠中、脳は集めた情報を整理し、有用な記憶を強化し不要なものを取り除く。だから勉強後によく眠ると記憶が良い。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「It organizes information, strengthening useful memories and removing unneeded ones.」

正解

第2段落 "It sorts through the information we gathered, strengthening useful memories and quietly removing those we no longer need" より、睡眠中の脳 = 情報を整理し、有用な記憶を強化・不要を除去。sort through ~ = 「〜をより分ける」、strengthen = 「強化する」。だから勉強後に眠る学生は記憶が良い。

  • 「It completely stops working altogether and rests in total silence until morning.」

    = 完全に停止し休む ━ 本文 "essential work" "most active" と矛盾。

  • 「It deletes all of the memories that were formed during the day.」

    = その日の記憶を全削除 ━ 有用な記憶は強化、全削除ではない。

  • 「It learns brand-new facts that the person never studied at all.」

    = 学んでない新事実を習得 ━ 整理・強化であり、未学習の習得ではない。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
sort through ~〜をより分けるsort through the information
strengthen memories記憶を強化するstrengthening useful memories
no longer needもはや不要those we no longer need
tend to V〜する傾向があるtend to remember more
repair muscles筋肉を修復するrepair muscles
❝例文

  • The brain sorts information while we sleep.

    脳は睡眠中に情報を整理する。

  • It strengthens useful memories.

    有用な記憶を強化する。

  • Students who sleep remember more.

    眠る学生はより多く覚える。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

詳細設問の鉄則 ―― "strengthening A and removing B" の対比を正確に。正解は『整理+強化+除去』をまとめた選択肢。誤答は極端化 (完全停止 / 全削除) や本文にない作用 (未学習の習得) で誘導。

問 3

What does the passage say about not getting enough sleep?

  • It improves the body's ability to fight off infection.
  • It makes concentration and good decisions harder and can lead to serious illness.
  • It makes people much calmer and far better at decisions.
  • It only affects professional drivers and no one else.
Phrase

harder to concentrate, control emotions, make good decisions; heart disease

集中・感情・判断が困難、心臓病

2級読解科学記事詳細 (睡眠不足の影響)
⚡ひとことで

睡眠不足は短期では集中・感情制御・判断を難しくし、長期では心臓病など深刻な健康問題に関連する。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「It makes concentration and good decisions harder and can lead to serious illness.」

正解

第3段落 "harder to concentrate, control our emotions, and make good decisions" (短期) と "linked to serious health problems, including heart disease" (長期) より、影響 = 集中・判断力低下 + 深刻な健康問題。be linked to ~ = 「〜と関連がある」、fight off infection = 「感染を撃退する」。

  • 「It makes people much calmer and far better at making decisions.」

    = より冷静で判断上手に ━ 本文 "harder to ... make good decisions" と逆。

  • 「It only affects professional drivers and pilots, and no one else.」

    = プロの運転手だけに影響 ━ 本文は most of us に影響、運転手は一例。

  • 「It improves the body's own ability to fight off infection and serious illness.」

    = 感染撃退能力が向上 ━ 本文 "weaker ability to fight off infection" と逆。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
find it harder to V〜しにくいと感じるfind it harder to concentrate
be linked to ~〜と関連するlinked to health problems
fight off infection感染を撃退するability to fight off infection
control emotions感情を制御するcontrol our emotions
just as ... as ~〜と同じくらい…just as dangerous as
❝例文

  • Poor sleep makes it harder to concentrate.

    睡眠不足は集中を難しくする。

  • It is linked to heart disease.

    それは心臓病と関連する。

  • Tired drivers can be very dangerous.

    疲れた運転手はとても危険になりうる。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

影響設問の鉄則 ―― 短期 ("After even one poor night") と長期 ("Over longer periods") の両方を拾う。誤答は本文の悪影響を『改善』にひっくり返す逆転誘導 (harder→better, weaker→improves)。

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