EigoPro 準1級読解 — The Vanishing Insects

Anyone old enough to remember long car journeys in the 1980s may recall a windscreen splattered with the bodies of insects. Today that grim memorial is conspicuously absent—a casual observation that scientists have begun to corroborate with hard data. A widely cited study of German nature reserves found that the total mass of flying insects had plummeted by more than three-quarters in under three decades. The phenomenon, dramatically dubbed the "insect apocalypse," now stands as one of the most unsettling environmental stories of our age. Why should the disappearance of creatures that most people regard as nuisances trouble us at all? The answer lies in their place at the foundation of nearly every terrestrial ecosystem. Insects pollinate the crops we eat, decompose waste, and form the diet of countless birds, fish, and amphibians. Remove them, and the web that sustains larger animals begins to unravel from the bottom up. A world without insects, far from being a more pleasant one, would be a world in which much of life as we know it could not persist. Pinning down a single villain has proved frustratingly difficult. Industrial agriculture, with its appetite for pesticides and its conversion of meadows into monocultures, is the prime suspect, but light pollution, climate change, and the spread of cities all play their part. This very complexity has, perversely, slowed action: with no single cause to attack, policymakers find it easy to defer. Yet some researchers strike a cautiously hopeful note. Insects breed quickly, and where habitats have been restored, populations have rebounded with surprising speed. The decline, they insist, is not irreversible—provided we choose to reverse it.

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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1級 · 読解 · 全5問

問 1

What is the main idea of the passage?

Insects have always been declining and there is nothing anyone can do about it.
Industrial agriculture is the only factor responsible for the loss of insects.
A world with fewer insects would be a more pleasant place for most people.
Insect populations are collapsing, which threatens whole ecosystems, though the trend may still be reversible.

Phrase

The decline, they insist, is not irreversible—provided we choose to reverse it.

準1級読解生態学ジャーナリズム主旨把握

⚡ひとことで

本文は「昆虫が激減→生態系の危機→だが回復可能」という論旨。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Insect populations are collapsing, which threatens whole ecosystems, though the trend may still be reversible.」

正解

本文は (1) 飛翔昆虫が3/4以上激減 (insect apocalypse)→ (2) 昆虫は生態系の土台で消えれば life as we know it could not persist→ (3) 原因は複合的で対策が遅れるが not irreversible、という3段構成。よって「昆虫が崩壊しつつあり生態系を脅かすが、まだ逆転可能」が主旨。

「Insects have always been in decline and there is simply nothing at all that anyone can do about it.」
= 昔から減少しており打つ手なし ━ 本文は『回復可能 (not irreversible)』と明言しており『打つ手なし』は正反対。
「Industrial agriculture is the one single factor responsible for the entire loss of the insects.」
= 工業的農業が唯一の要因 ━ 本文は prime suspect としつつも light pollution / climate change / cities も挙げ『単一原因ではない』としている。
「A world that contained far fewer insects would be a great deal more pleasant for most people.」
= 大半の人に快適な場所 ━ 本文は『快適どころか生命が持続できない世界』(far from being a more pleasant one) と否定している。

▦Collocation

パターン	意味	例
plummet by ~	~だけ急落する	Insect mass plummeted by three-quarters.
stand as ~	~として位置づけられる	It stands as a major story.
from the bottom up	下から (土台から)	The web unravels from the bottom up.
far from ~	~どころではなく	far from being pleasant
not irreversible	逆転不可能ではない	The decline is not irreversible.

❝例文

The population plummeted by more than three
quarters. — 個体数は4分の3以上急落した。
Far from helping, the policy made things worse.
助けるどころか、その政策は事態を悪化させた。
The damage is serious but not irreversible.
被害は深刻だが逆転不可能ではない。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

主旨設問は『問題提起→重大性→見通し』の3段を1文に圧縮した肢を選ぶ。末尾の but/provided 節 (条件付き希望) を取りこぼさないこと。

問 2

According to the passage, why does the disappearance of insects matter?

Insects underpin terrestrial ecosystems by pollinating crops and feeding many other animals.
Insects directly provide the majority of food eaten by humans worldwide.
Insects are the only creatures capable of decomposing all forms of waste.
Insects are valued mainly because most people find them pleasant to observe.

Phrase

their place at the foundation of nearly every terrestrial ecosystem

準1級読解生態学ジャーナリズム詳細把握

⚡ひとことで

昆虫は受粉・分解・他の動物の餌として生態系の土台を支える。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Insects underpin terrestrial ecosystems by pollinating crops and feeding many other animals.」

正解

第2段で昆虫が the foundation of nearly every terrestrial ecosystem にあり、pollinate the crops we eat / decompose waste / form the diet of countless birds, fish, and amphibians と列挙される。これを『受粉と他の動物への餌により陸上生態系を支える』と言い換えた肢が正解。

「Insects are the only creatures that are capable of decomposing all forms of waste.」
= あらゆる廃棄物を分解できる唯一の生物 ━ 本文は分解の一翼を担うとは言うが『唯一・全種類』とは言っておらず言い過ぎ。
「Insects are valued mainly because most people find them very pleasant to observe.」
= 観察して楽しいから価値がある ━ 本文は大半の人が昆虫を nuisances (厄介者) とみなすと述べており逆。
「Insects directly provide the great majority of food eaten by humans worldwide.」
= 人間の食料の大半を直接供給 ━ 昆虫は作物を受粉するのであって、食料を直接供給するとは述べていない。

▦Collocation

パターン	意味	例
at the foundation of ~	~の土台に	at the foundation of the ecosystem
form the diet of ~	~の餌を構成する	Insects form the diet of birds.
regard A as B	AをBとみなす	people regard them as nuisances
sustain larger animals	より大きな動物を支える	the web that sustains larger animals
unravel from ~	~からほどける	The web unravels from the bottom up.

❝例文

Bees pollinate the crops we eat every day.
ミツバチは私たちが日々食べる作物を受粉する。
These insects form the diet of countless birds.
これらの昆虫は無数の鳥の餌を構成する。
Many people regard wasps as nuisances.
多くの人はスズメバチを厄介者とみなす。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

detail 設問は本文の列挙 (pollinate / decompose / form the diet) を要約した肢が正解。only / majority / mainly などの限定語が付く肢は言い過ぎを疑う。

問 3

What does the passage say about identifying the cause of the decline?

The cause has been identified, but the technology to address it does not yet exist.
Scientists have conclusively shown that climate change alone is to blame.
No single cause can be blamed, and this complexity has made it easier for policymakers to postpone action.
Policymakers have already agreed on a coordinated plan to attack the problem.

Phrase

with no single cause to attack, policymakers find it easy to defer

準1級読解生態学ジャーナリズム詳細把握

⚡ひとことで

原因が複合的で単一犯がいない→ゆえに政策決定者は先送りしやすい。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「No single cause can be blamed, and this complexity has made it easier for policymakers to postpone action.」

正解

第3段で Pinning down a single villain has proved frustratingly difficult とし、industrial agriculture を prime suspect としつつ light pollution / climate change / cities も関与すると述べる。さらに with no single cause to attack, policymakers find it easy to defer と続く。これを『単一原因はなく、その複雑さが先送りを容易にした』と言い換えた肢が正解。

「Scientists have by now conclusively shown that climate change alone is wholly to blame for it.」
= 気候変動だけが原因 ━ 気候変動は複数要因の一つに過ぎず『単独原因』ではない。
「technology to address it does not yet exist」
= 対処する技術がまだ存在しない ━ 技術不足の話はなく、問題は原因の複雑さと政治的先送り。
「Policymakers everywhere have already agreed upon a coordinated plan to attack the problem.」
= 協調計画に既に合意済み ━ 本文は政策決定者が defer (先送り) すると述べており逆。

▦Collocation

パターン	意味	例
pin down ~	~を特定する	pin down a single cause
the prime suspect	第一容疑	Agriculture is the prime suspect.
play a part	一役買う	Cities all play their part.
find it easy to V	~しやすいと感じる	They find it easy to defer.
defer action	対応を先送りする	Policymakers defer action.

❝例文

Scientists could not pin down a single cause.
科学者は単一の原因を特定できなかった。
Pesticides are the prime suspect in the decline.
農薬がその減少の第一容疑だ。
With no clear culprit, officials find it easy to defer.
明確な犯人がいないと、当局は先送りしやすい。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

別段落の detail 設問では『複合原因→行動の遅れ』という因果の鎖を保つ肢を選ぶ。alone / only / already 等で本文より断定が強い肢は誤り。

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EigoPro 準1級 読解 — The Vanishing Insects

この単元の問題を3問、解説つきで公開しています

The decline, they insist, is not irreversible—provided we choose to reverse it.

their place at the foundation of nearly every terrestrial ecosystem

with no single cause to attack, policymakers find it easy to defer

EigoPro 準1級読解 — The Vanishing Insects