EigoPro 準1級 読解 — Rebuilding the Reefs

Coral reefs occupy less than one percent of the ocean floor, yet they shelter roughly a quarter of all marine species. That makes their accelerating decline—driven by warming seas, acidifying water, and a cascade of bleaching events—one of the most alarming ecological trends of the century. Faced with reefs that are dying faster than they can recover, a growing community of marine biologists has stopped waiting for the oceans to heal themselves and begun, quite literally, to rebuild the reefs by hand. The most widespread technique is deceptively simple. Fragments of healthy coral are broken off, suspended on underwater frames or "coral trees," and allowed to grow in sheltered nurseries before being cemented onto degraded reef. Because corals can regenerate from a single fragment, a handful of donor colonies can yield thousands of transplants. Yet critics note that planting more of the same heat-sensitive coral onto a warming reef is a treadmill: the new growth is just as vulnerable as what it replaces. In response, some scientists have turned to "assisted evolution," selectively breeding or conditioning corals to tolerate higher temperatures—a controversial gamble that trades genetic purity for a fighting chance at survival. What unsettles many ecologists is not the science but the scale. Even the most ambitious restoration projects cover a few hectares, while reefs are vanishing across thousands of square kilometres. Restoration, the skeptics argue, risks becoming a comforting distraction that lets governments postpone the only intervention that matters: cutting the carbon emissions that are cooking the oceans in the first place. The restorers themselves rarely disagree. They describe their work not as a cure but as a form of triage—buying time, preserving genetic diversity, and keeping fragments of these ecosystems alive long enough for a slower political reckoning to catch up. Whether that wager pays off depends less on the ingenuity of the divers than on choices made far from the water.

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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?

  • Coral reefs are doomed regardless of any human intervention, so restoration efforts are pointless.
  • Scientists have discovered a reliable method that can fully reverse the global decline of coral reefs.
  • Assisted evolution has already replaced coral transplanting as the standard restoration technique.
  • Hands-on coral restoration can help reefs survive, but it cannot substitute for tackling the warming that threatens them.
Phrase

They describe their work not as a cure but as a form of triage

準1級読解海洋科学環境主旨把握
⚡ひとことで

本文は「手作業の珊瑚再生は延命策にはなるが、温暖化対策の代わりにはならない」が論旨。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Hands-on coral restoration can help reefs survive, but it cannot substitute for tackling the warming that threatens them.」

正解

本文は (1) 珊瑚礁が急速に衰退している→ (2) 科学者が手作業で再生を始めた (移植・assisted evolution)→ (3) しかし規模が小さく、炭素排出削減の代わりにはならない、という構成。最終段の not a cure but ... triage / depends ... on choices made far from the water が結論で、「再生は延命に役立つが温暖化対策の代用にはならない」が主旨。

  • 「Scientists have discovered a reliable method that can fully reverse the global decline of coral reefs.」

    = 完全に逆転できる確実な手法を発見した ━ 本文は restoration を cure ではなく triage と明言し、規模が全く足りないと述べているので『完全逆転』は言い過ぎ。

  • 「Coral reefs are doomed regardless of any human intervention, so restoration efforts are pointless.」

    = どうせ滅びるので無意味 ━ 本文は再生を buying time / preserving diversity として価値を認めており『無意味』とは正反対。

  • 「Assisted evolution has already replaced coral transplanting」

    = 既に移植に取って代わった ━ assisted evolution は『一部の科学者が転じた』新手法で、移植を置換した事実はない。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
shelter ~ species~の種を宿すReefs shelter a quarter of marine species.
accelerating decline加速する衰退their accelerating decline
rebuild ~ by hand~を手作業で再建するbegun to rebuild the reefs by hand
not A but BAではなくBnot a cure but a form of triage
buy time時間を稼ぐbuying time for a reckoning
❝例文

  • Reefs shelter a quarter of all marine species.

    珊瑚礁は全海洋種の四分の一を宿す。

  • They describe the work not as a cure but as triage.

    彼らはその活動を治療ではなく応急処置だと説明する。

  • Restoration buys time but does not stop the warming.

    再生は時間を稼ぐが温暖化は止めない。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

主旨設問は最終段の対比構文 (not A but B) と結論文を探す。本文は『手段は有効だが根本原因は別』という逆接型の主張。

問 2

According to the passage, why can a small number of donor colonies produce thousands of transplants?

  • Coral trees automatically clone any coral attached to them.
  • Nurseries chemically multiply the donor coral before planting.
  • Each donor colony is genetically engineered to reproduce rapidly.
  • Corals are able to regenerate from a single fragment.
Phrase

Because corals can regenerate from a single fragment, a handful of donor colonies can yield thousands of transplants

準1級読解海洋科学環境詳細把握
⚡ひとことで

珊瑚は一片からでも再生できるため、少数の提供群体から大量の移植体が得られる。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Corals are able to regenerate from a single fragment.」

正解

第2段に Because corals can regenerate from a single fragment, a handful of donor colonies can yield thousands of transplants とあり、大量増殖の理由は『一片から再生できる』性質そのもの。これを言い換えた「珊瑚は単一の断片から再生できる」が正解。

  • 「Coral trees automatically clone」

    = コーラルツリーが自動で複製する ━ coral trees は断片を吊るす枠であり、複製機能を持つとは書かれていない。

  • 「Nurseries chemically multiply」

    = 養殖場が化学的に増やす ━ 化学的増殖の記述はない。再生は珊瑚自体の生物学的性質による。

  • 「genetically engineered to reproduce rapidly」

    = 急速繁殖するよう遺伝子操作 ━ 遺伝子操作で増殖させるとは述べていない。assisted evolution は耐熱性の話で増殖率ではない。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
regenerate from ~~から再生するregenerate from a single fragment
a handful of ~ひと握りの~a handful of donor colonies
yield ~~を生み出すyield thousands of transplants
break off a fragment断片を折り取るFragments are broken off.
cement onto ~~に固着させるcemented onto degraded reef
❝例文

  • Corals can regenerate from a single fragment.

    珊瑚は一片からでも再生できる。

  • A handful of colonies can yield thousands of transplants.

    ひと握りの群体が数千の移植体を生む。

  • The fragments are cemented onto the degraded reef.

    断片は劣化した礁に固着される。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

因果を問う detail 設問は本文の Because/so 節を探す。選択肢は本文の regenerate from a single fragment をほぼそのまま言い換えた語が正解になりやすい。

問 3

What concern do skeptics raise about restoration projects in the third paragraph?

  • They introduce diseases that spread rapidly across healthy reefs.
  • They are too expensive for any government to fund at scale.
  • Their tiny scale may reassure governments into delaying cuts to carbon emissions.
  • They damage the genetic diversity of the reefs they aim to save.
Phrase

risks becoming a comforting distraction that lets governments postpone ... cutting the carbon emissions

準1級読解海洋科学環境詳細把握
⚡ひとことで

懐疑派は『再生の小ささが政府の排出削減先送りの口実になる』と懸念。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Their tiny scale may reassure governments into delaying cuts to carbon emissions.」

正解

第3段で skeptics は Even the most ambitious ... cover a few hectares と規模の小ささを指摘し、restoration ... risks becoming a comforting distraction that lets governments postpone ... cutting the carbon emissions と続ける。よって懸念は『小規模ゆえに政府が排出削減を先延ばしにする安心材料になる』こと。

  • 「introduce diseases that spread」

    = 病気を広める ━ 病気の伝播という記述は本文にない。

  • 「They are far too expensive for any government at all to fund at scale.」

    = 高額で資金不足 ━ コスト面の言及はない。問題は規模と政治的口実化。

  • 「damage the genetic diversity」

    = 遺伝的多様性を損なう ━ 本文はむしろ restoration が preserving genetic diversity に役立つとしており逆。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
a comforting distraction都合のよい目くらましa comforting distraction
postpone ~~を先延ばしにするpostpone cutting emissions
cut carbon emissions炭素排出を削減するcutting the carbon emissions
cover a few hectares数ヘクタールに及ぶprojects cover a few hectares
the only intervention that matters唯一重要な介入the only intervention that matters
❝例文

  • Restoration risks becoming a comforting distraction.

    再生は都合のよい目くらましになりかねない。

  • It lets governments postpone cutting emissions.

    それは政府の排出削減先送りを許す。

  • The only intervention that matters is cutting carbon.

    唯一重要な介入は炭素削減だ。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

段落指定の detail 設問は該当段を先に特定。skeptics argue 以降が懸念の核なので、その目的節 (lets governments postpone...) を狙う。

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