EigoPro 2級 読解 — The Wright Brothers

The Wright Brothers On a cold, windy morning in December 1903, a fragile flying machine rose into the air on a beach in North Carolina and stayed up for just twelve seconds. It does not sound like much, yet that short flight changed the world forever. The two men behind it, Orville and Wilbur Wright, had achieved what many clever people had said was impossible: powered, controlled, human flight. The Wright brothers were not famous scientists or wealthy businessmen. They ran a small shop that built and repaired bicycles in Ohio. This work, however, turned out to be perfect training. Building bicycles taught them about balance, light materials, and machines that a rider must actively control — all of which would prove vital when they turned their attention to flying. Many earlier inventors had focused only on power, building machines with strong engines that simply crashed. The Wrights understood something others had missed: the real problem was not power but control. Before they ever attached an engine, they spent years flying kites and gliders, patiently learning how to keep a craft balanced and how to steer it through the air. They even built their own small wind tunnel to test the shape of wings. Their success in 1903 opened the door to the age of flight, although few people believed the news at first. Within a few decades, aeroplanes were crossing oceans and continents. The Wright brothers are remembered not because they were lucky, but because they combined patient study with practical skill, and refused to give up where others had quit. Their story is a reminder that great breakthroughs often come from careful, step-by-step work rather than sudden genius.

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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?

  • Two bicycle makers achieved the first powered, controlled human flight through patient work.
  • Two famous scientists proved that human flight was impossible.
  • Wealthy businessmen bought the first aeroplane from Europe.
  • The first flight lasted several hours over the ocean.
Phrase: achieved what many had said was impossible

powered, controlled, human flight

不可能とされた動力・制御された人間の飛行を達成

2級読解人物伝主旨
⚡ひとことで

記事の主旨は「自転車店を営むライト兄弟が、忍耐強い研究と実用技術で不可能とされた有人動力飛行を成し遂げた」。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Two bicycle makers achieved the first powered, controlled human flight through patient work.」

正解

第1段落 "the Wright Brothers, had achieved what many clever people had said was impossible: powered, controlled, human flight" と結論 "combined patient study with practical skill" が主旨。記事は背景・成功の鍵・影響と展開。achieve ~ = 「〜を達成する」、behind it = 「その背後の」。

  • 「Two famous scientists proved that powered human flight was quite impossible for anyone.」

    = 有名科学者が飛行不可能と証明 ━ 本文 "not famous scientists" "achieved ... flight" と矛盾。

  • 「Wealthy businessmen bought the first working aeroplane from Europe.」

    = 富豪が欧州から飛行機を購入 ━ 本文 "not ... wealthy businessmen" と矛盾、彼らが作った。

  • 「The very first powered flight lasted several hours over the ocean.」

    = 初飛行は数時間海上を飛んだ ━ 本文 "just twelve seconds" と矛盾。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
achieve ~〜を達成するhad achieved
the men behind ~〜の立役者the two men behind it
say ~ is impossible〜が不可能と言うsaid was impossible
rise into the air空に舞い上がるrose into the air
change ~ forever〜を永遠に変えるchanged the world forever
❝例文

  • The Wrights achieved the first flight.

    ライト兄弟は初飛行を達成した。

  • Many said it was impossible.

    多くがそれを不可能と言った。

  • They ran a bicycle shop.

    彼らは自転車店を営んでいた。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

人物伝の主旨設問の鉄則 ―― 第1段落の偉業 + 最終段落の人物評 (patient study + practical skill) が主旨。誤答は本文と矛盾する経歴・事実 (有名科学者 / 富豪が購入 / 数時間飛行) で誘導。

問 2

How did running a bicycle shop help the Wright brothers?

  • Their wealth let them buy the best engines available.
  • Their bicycle work was useless for understanding flight.
  • They learned to fly at a famous university in Europe.
  • Their bicycle shop taught them about balance, light materials, and control.
Phrase

ran a small shop that built and repaired bicycles ... perfect training

自転車を作り修理する小さな店、それが完璧な訓練に

2級読解人物伝詳細 (背景強み)
⚡ひとことで

ライト兄弟は有名でも富豪でもなく、オハイオで自転車を作り修理する小さな店を営んでいた。その仕事がバランス・軽い素材・乗り手が能動的に制御する機械を教え、飛行に役立った。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Their bicycle shop taught them about balance, light materials, and control.」

正解

第2段落 "ran a small shop that built and repaired bicycles ... turned out to be perfect training. Building bicycles taught them about balance, light materials, and machines that a rider must actively control" より、背景と強み = 自転車店の仕事がバランス・軽量素材・能動的制御を教えた。turn out to be ~ = 「結局〜となる」、prove vital = 「不可欠と分かる」。

  • 「They learned to fly at a famous university in Europe as students.」

    = 欧州の有名大学で学んだ ━ 本文 "not famous scientists" 自転車店、大学ではない。

  • 「Their great wealth let them buy the best engines then available.」

    = 富で最良のエンジンを購入 ━ 本文 "not ... wealthy"、富ではない。

  • 「Their bicycle work was quite useless for understanding flight.」

    = 自転車の仕事は飛行に無用 ━ 本文 "perfect training" "prove vital" と逆。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
run a shop店を営むran a small shop
turn out to be ~結局〜となるturned out to be perfect training
teach ~ about ...〜に…を教えるtaught them about balance
light materials軽い素材light materials
actively control能動的に制御するmust actively control
❝例文

  • They ran a bicycle shop in Ohio.

    彼らはオハイオで自転車店を営んだ。

  • It taught them about balance.

    それはバランスを教えた。

  • This proved vital for flying.

    これは飛行に不可欠だった。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

背景・強み設問の鉄則 ―― "turned out to be perfect training. Building bicycles taught them ..." の列挙を拾う。誤答は本文と矛盾 (大学 / 富 / 無用) で誘導。意外な経歴 (自転車店) が強みになった点が核。

問 3

What did the Wright brothers understand that others had missed?

  • They copied another inventor's finished flying machine.
  • They believed that only a very powerful engine mattered.
  • They attached an engine first and skipped all practice.
  • They saw that control, not power, was the key, and practiced for years with gliders.
Phrase

the real problem was not power but control; spent years flying kites and gliders

真の問題は動力でなく制御、凧やグライダーで何年も練習

2級読解人物伝詳細 (成功の鍵)
⚡ひとことで

他の発明家は強力なエンジン(動力)だけに注目し墜落した。ライト兄弟は真の問題が動力でなく『制御』だと見抜き、エンジンを付ける前に何年も凧やグライダーで均衡と操縦を学び、自作の風洞で翼形を試した。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「They saw that control, not power, was the key, and practiced for years with gliders.」

正解

第3段落 "the real problem was not power but control. Before they ever attached an engine, they spent years flying kites and gliders, patiently learning how to keep a craft balanced and how to steer it" より、成功の鍵 = 動力でなく制御が問題と見抜き、グライダーで何年も練習。not A but B = 「AでなくB」、steer ~ = 「〜を操縦する」。自作風洞で翼を検証。

  • 「They believed that only a very powerful engine mattered for flight.」

    = 強力なエンジンだけが重要と信じた ━ 本文 "not power but control" と逆 (それは他の発明家)。

  • 「They attached an engine first and skipped all practice with gliders.」

    = 先にエンジンを付け練習を省いた ━ 本文 "Before they ever attached an engine, they spent years" と矛盾。

  • 「They copied another inventor's finished flying machine in every detail.」

    = 他人の完成機を真似た ━ 本文に模倣の記述なし、自ら研究。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
not A but BAでなくBnot power but control
focus only on ~〜だけに集中するfocused only on power
keep ~ balanced〜を均衡に保つkeep a craft balanced
steer ~〜を操縦するsteer it through the air
a wind tunnel風洞their own small wind tunnel
❝例文

  • The key was control, not power.

    鍵は動力でなく制御だった。

  • They practiced for years with gliders.

    彼らは何年もグライダーで練習した。

  • They built their own wind tunnel.

    自作の風洞を作った。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

成功の鍵設問の鉄則 ―― "understood something others had missed: ... not power but control" の洞察を拾う。誤答は他の発明家の誤り (動力だけ) を彼らに帰す / 本文と矛盾 (練習を省く / 模倣) で誘導。

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