EigoPro 2級読解 — The Problem with Plastic

The Problem with Plastic Plastic is one of the most useful materials ever invented. It is light, strong, cheap, and can be shaped into almost anything. Because of these qualities, factories have produced enormous amounts of it since the middle of the twentieth century. The very feature that makes plastic so useful, however, has also created a serious problem: it lasts for an extremely long time. Unlike paper or food, most plastic does not break down naturally. A plastic bottle thrown away today may still exist in hundreds of years. Much of the plastic we use is designed to be thrown away after a single use — bottles, bags, and food packaging. When this waste is not collected and recycled properly, it often ends up in rivers and, eventually, in the sea. The effect on ocean life can be deadly. Sea birds, turtles, and fish sometimes mistake floating plastic for food and eat it, which can make them ill or even kill them. Over time, larger pieces break into tiny fragments called microplastics. These are now found in water, in soil, and even in the bodies of the fish that humans eat. Scientists are still studying what this means for our own health. Solving the problem will require action at every level. Governments can ban the most wasteful single-use items and encourage better recycling. Companies can design products that use less plastic or none at all. As individuals, we can carry reusable bags and bottles and refuse plastic we do not need. None of these steps alone is enough, but together they can slow the flow of plastic into the natural world.

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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?

Plastic is very useful, but because it lasts so long it causes serious pollution.
Plastic was only invented very recently and is rarely used.
Plastic is a useless material that factories should stop making.
Plastic breaks down naturally and causes no real harm.

Phrase: The very feature that makes plastic so useful has also created a serious problem

it lasts a long time

有用さの特徴が長持ちという問題を生む

2級読解環境記事主旨

⚡ひとことで

記事の主旨は「プラスチックは便利だが、その長持ちする性質ゆえに深刻な環境問題を引き起こしている」。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Plastic is very useful, but because it lasts so long it causes serious pollution.」

正解

第1段落 "The very feature that makes plastic so useful, however, has also created a serious problem: it lasts for an extremely long time" が主旨。便利さ (light/strong/cheap) と問題 (分解されず長期残存) の両面を論じ、海洋汚染と解決策へ展開。the very ~ = 「まさにその〜」、last = 「持続する」。

「Plastic is a useless material that factories should simply stop making.」
= 工場が作るのをやめるべき無用な材料 ━ 本文 "one of the most useful materials" と矛盾。
「Plastic breaks down naturally in the soil and causes no real harm at all.」
= 自然分解し害はない ━ 本文 "does not break down naturally" と矛盾。
「Plastic was only invented very recently and is still rarely used today.」
= ごく最近の発明でほとんど使われない ━ 本文 "since the middle of the twentieth century" "enormous amounts" と矛盾。

▦Collocation

パターン	意味	例
the very ~ that ...	まさに〜する…	the very feature that
be shaped into ~	〜に成形される	shaped into almost anything
create a problem	問題を生む	created a serious problem
last a long time	長持ちする	lasts ... a long time
enormous amounts of ~	莫大な量の〜	enormous amounts of it

❝例文

Plastic is useful but lasts too long.
プラスチックは便利だが長持ちしすぎる。
This causes a serious problem.
これが深刻な問題を生む。
Much plastic ends up in the sea.
多くのプラスチックは海に行き着く。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

主旨設問の鉄則 ―― "The very feature that makes it useful has also created a problem" の二面性が主旨。誤答は片面を否定 (無用 / 害なし / 使われない) で誘導。便利さと問題の両方を含む選択肢が正解。

問 2

Why is plastic waste such a long-lasting problem?

Most plastic does not break down naturally, so it stays in the environment for centuries.
Plastic disappears completely within just a few days.
Plastic turns into healthy food for ocean animals.
Plastic is always carefully collected and fully recycled.

Phrase

most plastic does not break down naturally; a bottle may exist in hundreds of years

自然分解せず、ボトルは数百年残る

2級読解環境記事詳細 (なぜ問題か)

⚡ひとことで

紙や食物と違い、ほとんどのプラスチックは自然分解しないため、捨てたボトルが数百年も残ってしまう。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Most plastic does not break down naturally, so it stays in the environment for centuries.」

正解

第2段落 "most plastic does not break down naturally. A plastic bottle thrown away today may still exist in hundreds of years" より、問題の核 = 自然分解せず数百年も環境に残る。break down = 「分解する」、unlike ~ = 「〜と違って」。だから使い捨てが特に有害。

「Plastic disappears completely from the environment within just a few short days.」
= 数日で完全消滅 ━ 本文 "may still exist in hundreds of years" と逆。
「Plastic is always carefully collected and then fully recycled into new products.」
= 常に完全回収・リサイクルされる ━ 本文 "not collected and recycled properly" と矛盾。
「Plastic slowly turns into healthy food for the animals that live in the ocean.」
= 海の動物の健康な餌になる ━ 本文は誤食で害・死、餌ではない。

▦Collocation

パターン	意味	例
break down	分解する	does not break down
unlike ~	〜と違って	Unlike paper or food
throw away	捨てる	thrown away today
single use	1回使い捨て	after a single use
end up in ~	〜に行き着く	end up in the sea

❝例文

Most plastic does not break down.
ほとんどのプラスチックは分解しない。
A bottle can last hundreds of years.
ボトルは数百年残りうる。
Single
use plastic is a big problem. — 使い捨てプラスチックは大問題だ。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

理由設問の鉄則 ―― "Unlike A, B does not ..." の対比が理由を際立たせる。正解は『分解しない→長期残存』。誤答は本文の逆 (数日で消滅 / 完全リサイクル) や別文脈の誤読 (餌になる) で誘導。

問 3

How does plastic affect ocean life?

Ocean animals easily avoid all plastic without any harm.
Animals eat plastic by mistake, and it breaks into microplastics found even in fish.
Microplastics are only found far away from any humans.
Plastic in the sea provides a safe home for baby fish.

Phrase

mistake floating plastic for food and eat it; break into microplastics

漂うプラを餌と間違え食べる、微小片に砕ける

2級読解環境記事詳細 (海洋への影響)

⚡ひとことで

海の生き物がプラを餌と間違えて食べて病気や死に至り、大きな破片は微小なマイクロプラスチックに砕けて水・土・魚にまで入り込む。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Animals eat plastic by mistake, and it breaks into microplastics found even in fish.」

正解

第3段落 "mistake floating plastic for food and eat it, which can make them ill or even kill them" と "larger pieces break into tiny fragments called microplastics ... found ... in the bodies of the fish that humans eat" より、影響 = 誤食による害・死 + マイクロプラスチックが魚にまで侵入。mistake A for B = 「AをBと間違える」、break into ~ = 「〜に砕ける」。

「Plastic in the sea provides a safe home for baby fish and other animals.」
= 海のプラは稚魚の安全な住処 ━ 本文は害・死をもたらす、逆。
「Ocean animals easily avoid all of the plastic without coming to any harm.」
= 海の動物は無害に全て避ける ━ 本文 "mistake ... for food and eat it" と矛盾。
「Microplastics are only ever found far away from the places where humans live.」
= マイクロプラは人から遠くだけ ━ 本文 "in the bodies of the fish that humans eat" と矛盾。

▦Collocation

パターン	意味	例
mistake A for B	AをBと間違える	mistake plastic for food
break into ~	〜に砕ける	break into tiny fragments
microplastics	マイクロプラスチック	called microplastics
make + 人 + ill	(人)を病気にする	make them ill
study what ~ means	〜の意味を研究する	studying what this means

❝例文

Animals mistake plastic for food.
動物はプラを餌と間違える。
Plastic breaks into microplastics.
プラは微小片に砕ける。
They are found in fish we eat.
それらは食用魚にも見つかる。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

影響設問の鉄則 ―― "can be deadly" 以下の因果 (eat → ill/kill, break → microplastics → fish) を追う。誤答は本文の害を逆転 (安全な住処 / 無害に回避 / 人から遠い) で誘導。

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この単元の講義を見る 2級の単元一覧 2級の用語集

EigoPro 2級 読解 — The Problem with Plastic

この単元の問題を3問、解説つきで公開しています

it lasts a long time

most plastic does not break down naturally; a bottle may exist in hundreds of years

mistake floating plastic for food and eat it; break into microplastics

EigoPro 2級読解 — The Problem with Plastic