EigoPro 準1級 読解 — The World Within

The human body is, in a sense, less an individual than a teeming colony. Tucked into the folds of the gut live trillions of bacteria, fungi, and viruses—collectively, the microbiome—whose combined cells rival our own in number. For most of medical history this inner ecosystem was dismissed as inert baggage, a passive crowd of passengers along for the ride. That view has now been comprehensively overturned. Far from being idle, these microbes ferment the fibre we cannot digest, manufacture vitamins, train the immune system, and even synthesise compounds that travel to the brain. The evidence linking the microbiome to health has accumulated with remarkable speed. Mice raised in sterile, germ-free conditions develop abnormal immune responses and behave anxiously; transplanting gut bacteria from a bold mouse into a timid one can, astonishingly, transfer the bolder temperament. In humans, distinctive microbial signatures have been correlated with obesity, depression, and autoimmune disease. Such findings have fuelled extravagant claims—that the gut is a "second brain," that the right yoghurt might cure melancholy—and a lucrative market in probiotic supplements has rushed to capitalise on the excitement. Yet sober researchers urge caution. Correlation is not causation, and the direction of the arrow is rarely clear: does an altered microbiome cause disease, or does the disease, and the diet and medication that accompany it, reshape the microbiome? The community of microbes is staggeringly complex, varying not only between individuals but within a single person from week to week, which makes tidy cause-and-effect stories difficult to substantiate. The honest position, for now, is that we have glimpsed a vast and consequential world without yet learning to read its language. The microbiome is neither a panacea nor a fad; it is a frontier, and frontiers reward patience far more than hype.

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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?

  • The microbiome is largely inert and contributes little to human health.
  • Mouse experiments have established that gut bacteria directly cause anxiety in humans.
  • The gut microbiome is now recognised as influential to health, but its precise effects remain far from fully understood.
  • Probiotic supplements have been proven to cure conditions such as depression and obesity.
Phrase

we have glimpsed a vast and consequential world without yet learning to read its language

準1級読解科学ジャーナリズム主旨把握
⚡ひとことで

本文全体は「腸内細菌叢は健康に重要だと認識されたが、その作用はまだ解明途上」という論旨。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「The gut microbiome is now recognised as influential to health, but its precise effects remain far from fully understood.」

正解

本文は (1) 微生物叢はかつて無用とされたが活発な働きをする→ (2) 健康との関連を示す証拠が急増し誇大広告も生んだ→ (3) しかし相関≠因果で複雑すぎて結論は出ない、という構成をとる。最終段の it is a frontier (それは未踏の領域だ) が示す通り、「健康に影響すると認められたが、正確な作用はまだ十分に解明されていない」が主旨。

  • 「Probiotic supplements have by now been proven to cure conditions such as depression and obesity alike.」

    = サプリが治癒を証明済み ━ 本文は probiotic 市場を『誇大な主張に便乗した』と批判的に扱い、治癒の証明はしていない。

  • 「The gut microbiome is largely inert and contributes very little indeed to overall human health at all.」

    = 微生物叢はほぼ不活性 ━ 第1段で『その見方は完全に覆された (comprehensively overturned)』と明言しているので逆。

  • 「The mouse experiments have established that the gut bacteria directly cause anxiety in human beings.」

    = マウス実験がヒトでの因果を確立 ━ マウスの結果はヒトに直接当てはめられておらず、本文は相関に留まると述べる。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
be dismissed as ~~として軽視されるIt was dismissed as inert baggage.
be comprehensively overturned完全に覆されるThat view has been comprehensively overturned.
accumulate with speed急速に蓄積するEvidence has accumulated with remarkable speed.
capitalise on ~~に便乗するMarkets rushed to capitalise on the excitement.
a vast and consequential world広大で重大な世界We have glimpsed a vast world.
❝例文

  • That long

    held view has now been comprehensively overturned. — その長年の見方は今や完全に覆された。

  • Evidence has accumulated with remarkable speed.

    証拠は驚くべき速さで蓄積してきた。

  • Companies rushed to capitalise on the excitement.

    企業はその熱狂に便乗しようと殺到した。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

主旨設問は最終段の総括文 (it is a frontier...) を探すと速い。本文は『過大評価でも一過性の流行でもない (neither a panacea nor a fad)』という二項否定で著者の立ち位置を示す型。

問 2

According to the passage, what role do gut microbes play in the body?

  • They ferment indigestible fibre, produce vitamins, and help train the immune system.
  • They serve no active function and simply travel along with the host.
  • They replace the body's own cells once those cells stop functioning.
  • They are confined to the gut and never affect the brain in any way.
Phrase

these microbes ferment the fibre we cannot digest, manufacture vitamins, train the immune system

準1級読解科学ジャーナリズム詳細把握
⚡ひとことで

微生物は消化できない食物繊維を発酵させ、ビタミンを作り、免疫を訓練する。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「They ferment indigestible fibre, produce vitamins, and help train the immune system.」

正解

第1段末で微生物の働きを ferment the fibre we cannot digest (消化できない繊維を発酵)・manufacture vitamins (ビタミンを製造)・train the immune system (免疫を訓練) と列挙する。これを言い換えた「消化できない繊維を発酵させ、ビタミンを作り、免疫の訓練を助ける」が正解。

  • 「replace the body's own cells」

    = 体の細胞を置き換える ━ 細胞を置換するという記述はない。働きは発酵・製造・免疫訓練。

  • 「serve no active function」

    = 活発な機能を持たない ━ Far from being idle (決して遊んでいない) と明示されており正反対。

  • 「never affect the brain」

    = 脳に全く影響しない ━ synthesise compounds that travel to the brain (脳に届く化合物を合成) とあり逆。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
ferment fibre繊維を発酵させるMicrobes ferment the fibre.
manufacture vitaminsビタミンを作るThey manufacture vitamins.
train the immune system免疫系を訓練するThey train the immune system.
far from being idle決して怠けていないFar from being idle, they work.
synthesise compounds化合物を合成するThey synthesise compounds.
❝例文

  • Gut bacteria ferment the fibre we cannot digest.

    腸内細菌は私たちが消化できない繊維を発酵させる。

  • These microbes help train the immune system.

    これらの微生物は免疫系の訓練を助ける。

  • Far from being idle, they perform vital tasks.

    決して怠けているどころか、彼らは重要な働きをする。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

detail 設問は本文の動詞を別語に置換した選択肢が正解になりやすい (manufacture→produce)。否定肢 (no active function / never affect) は本文の Far from being idle と直接矛盾するので消去できる。

問 3

Why do the researchers in the third paragraph urge caution about microbiome claims?

  • A correlation does not prove which way the causation runs, and the microbial community is highly variable and complex.
  • The studies linking the microbiome to disease have all been retracted as fraudulent.
  • Microbes have been shown to have no measurable effect on human health.
  • Probiotic supplements are too expensive for most patients to afford.
Phrase

Correlation is not causation, and the direction of the arrow is rarely clear

準1級読解科学ジャーナリズム詳細把握
⚡ひとことで

相関≠因果で因果の向きが不明、加えて微生物群は極めて複雑で変動するため慎重を要する。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「A correlation does not prove which way the causation runs, and the microbial community is highly variable and complex.」

正解

第3段で Correlation is not causation / the direction of the arrow is rarely clear (因果の矢印の向きが不明) と述べ、続けて staggeringly complex, varying ... from week to week (途方もなく複雑で週ごとに変動する) と理由を重ねる。これを言い換えた選択肢が正解。

  • 「All of the studies linking the gut microbiome to disease have since been retracted as being fraudulent.」

    = 研究が不正で撤回された ━ 撤回や不正の記述はない。問題は因果の不明確さと複雑さ。

  • 「The gut microbes have been shown to have no measurable effect whatsoever upon overall human health.」

    = 健康に測定可能な影響がない ━ 本文は影響を否定せず、相関の解釈の難しさを論じている。

  • 「The probiotic supplements are far too expensive for most of the patients to be able to afford at all.」

    = 患者には高価すぎる ━ 価格の話は本文にない。サプリ市場は別文脈で言及されただけ。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
correlation is not causation相関は因果ではないCorrelation is not causation.
the direction of the arrow因果の向きThe direction of the arrow is unclear.
staggeringly complex途方もなく複雑なThe system is staggeringly complex.
vary from week to week週ごとに変動するIt varies from week to week.
substantiate a story説を裏づけるIt is hard to substantiate the story.
❝例文

  • Correlation is not causation, the scientist reminded us.

    相関は因果ではないと科学者は念を押した。

  • The microbial community is staggeringly complex.

    微生物群は途方もなく複雑だ。

  • Such claims are difficult to substantiate.

    そうした主張は裏づけが難しい。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

因果設問では『correlation is not causation』『direction of the arrow』のような因果論の定型表現を探す。retracted/fraudulent や価格のような本文にない語を含む選択肢は外れ。

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