EigoPro 準1級 読解 — Feeding Nine Billion

The coming century is routinely framed as a race against arithmetic: more mouths, finite land, and the looming question of how to grow enough. Yet the framing misleads. The world already produces calories sufficient to feed every person alive comfortably; hunger persists not because the harvest is too small but because food fails to reach those who need it, while a staggering share of what is grown is never eaten at all. Roughly a third of global production is lost or wasted—spoiled in transit in poorer countries, scraped into bins in richer ones. To treat food security purely as a problem of yield is therefore to misdiagnose it, and misdiagnosis invites the wrong cure. The pursuit of ever-higher output has too often meant draining aquifers, exhausting soils and flattening the genetic diversity on which long-term resilience depends—mortgaging tomorrow's harvests to swell today's. A system optimised for sheer volume can be brittle precisely where it looks most productive, vulnerable to a single pest or a shifting rain. This is not an argument for complacency; a growing and wealthier population will indeed eat more, and climate change threatens yields where the hungry are most concentrated. It is an argument for asking a better question. The challenge is less to wring more from the earth than to lose less, share more wisely, and farm in ways that the land can sustain. Abundance, it turns out, is not only something to be produced; it is something we routinely throw away.

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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?

  • Raising crop yields as high as possible is the only real solution.
  • The world cannot possibly grow enough calories to feed its population.
  • Food security is mainly a problem of access and waste, not insufficient production.
  • Climate change is the sole cause of all hunger in the world.
Phrase

hunger persists not because the harvest is too small but because food fails to reach those who need it

準1級読解農業経済主旨把握
⚡ひとことで

本文の論旨は『食料安全保障は生産不足でなく、主にアクセスと廃棄の問題だ』。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Food security is mainly a problem of access and waste, not insufficient production.」

正解

第1段で hunger persists not because the harvest is too small but because food fails to reach those who need it, while a staggering share ... is never eaten と述べ、第2段で To treat food security purely as a problem of yield is ... to misdiagnose it と続く。よって『主にアクセスと廃棄の問題で、生産不足ではない』が主旨。

  • 「cannot possibly grow enough calories」

    = 十分なカロリーを生産できない ━ already produces calories sufficient と逆。

  • 「Raising crop yields as high as possible is the only real solution.」

    = 収量増が唯一の解決 ━ misdiagnose と退け、ask a better question と説き逆。

  • 「Climate change is the sole cause」

    = 気候変動が唯一の原因 ━ climate は一要因で、唯一原因ではない。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
a race against arithmetic算術との競争framed as a race against arithmetic
not because A but because BAではなくBのためnot because the harvest is small but because ...
a staggering share驚くべき割合a staggering share is wasted
be lost or wasted失われる・廃棄されるlost or wasted
fail to reach ~~に届かないfood fails to reach those in need
❝例文

  • The world already grows enough calories.

    世界は既に十分なカロリーを生産している。

  • Hunger persists because food fails to reach people.

    食料が届かぬため飢餓は続く。

  • A third of production is lost or wasted.

    生産の3分の1が失われ廃棄される。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

主旨は『not because A but because B』の B (access/waste) を含む肢を採る。本文が misdiagnose と退ける『収量増こそ解決』や、唯一原因に絞る肢は誤り。

問 2

According to the passage, why does hunger persist?

  • Wealthy nations have stopped producing any surplus food.
  • Food fails to reach those who need it, and roughly a third is lost or wasted.
  • The global harvest is far too small to feed everyone alive.
  • People in poorer countries refuse the food that is offered to them.
Phrase

Roughly a third of global production is lost or wasted

準1級読解農業経済詳細把握
⚡ひとことで

飢餓が続くのは、必要な人に食料が届かず、約3分の1が失われ廃棄されるから。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「Food fails to reach those who need it, and roughly a third is lost or wasted.」

正解

第1段で food fails to reach those who need it とし、Roughly a third of global production is lost or wasted—spoiled in transit in poorer countries, scraped into bins in richer ones と数値を挙げる。よって『食料が届かず、約3分の1が損失・廃棄される』が正解。

  • 「harvest is far too small to feed everyone」

    = 収穫が少なすぎる ━ sufficient to feed every person と逆。

  • 「refuse the food that is offered」

    = 提供された食料を拒む ━ 本文に無い創作。

  • 「Wealthy nations have stopped producing any surplus food.」

    = 富裕国が余剰生産をやめた ━ むしろ richer ones で廃棄される過剰を述べ逆。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
a third of ~~の3分の1a third of global production
spoil in transit輸送中に傷むspoiled in transit
scrape into binsゴミ箱に掻き捨てるscraped into bins
global production世界の生産a third of global production
those who need it必要とする人々reach those who need it
❝例文

  • A third of food is lost or wasted.

    食料の3分の1が失われ廃棄される。

  • In poor countries food spoils in transit.

    貧国では食料が輸送中に傷む。

  • In rich ones it is scraped into bins.

    富国ではゴミ箱に掻き捨てられる。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

原因の詳細設問は『届かない + 廃棄』の二点を拾う。本文が明確に否定する『収穫が少なすぎる』や、創作 (受取拒否) の肢を外す。

問 3

What problem does the passage associate with the pursuit of ever-higher output?

  • It eliminates all pests and shifting rainfall patterns.
  • It causes farmers to abandon agriculture altogether.
  • It drains aquifers, exhausts soils and reduces the genetic diversity that resilience depends on.
  • It makes food too expensive for anyone to afford.
Phrase

draining aquifers, exhausting soils and flattening the genetic diversity

準1級読解農業経済詳細把握
⚡ひとことで

収量至上主義は帯水層を枯らし土壌を疲弊させ、回復力の基盤たる遺伝的多様性を均す。

選択肢の解説Choice Analysis

「It drains aquifers, exhausts soils and reduces the genetic diversity that resilience depends on.」

正解

第2段で The pursuit of ever-higher output has too often meant draining aquifers, exhausting soils and flattening the genetic diversity on which long-term resilience depends と述べる。よって『帯水層枯渇・土壌疲弊・遺伝的多様性の縮小』が収量至上の弊害。

  • 「It makes even basic food far too expensive for anyone at all to be able to afford.」

    = 食料が高価になる ━ 価格でなく資源・多様性の毀損が論点。

  • 「It causes every one of the farmers to abandon agriculture altogether and for good.」

    = 農家が農業を放棄する ━ 本文に無い。

  • 「It eliminates every one of the pests as well as all the shifting rainfall patterns.」

    = 害虫と降雨変動を一掃 ━ むしろ単一害虫や雨に脆くすると述べ逆。

▦Collocation
パターン意味例
drain an aquifer帯水層を枯らすdraining aquifers
exhaust the soil土壌を疲弊させるexhausting soils
flatten diversity多様性を均すflattening genetic diversity
long-term resilience長期的回復力long-term resilience
mortgage the future未来を抵当に入れるmortgaging tomorrow's harvests
❝例文

  • High output drains aquifers and soils.

    高収量は帯水層と土壌を枯らす。

  • It flattens the diversity resilience needs.

    回復力に要る多様性を均す。

  • We mortgage tomorrow's harvest for today's.

    今日のため明日の収穫を抵当に入れる。

💡Tip · 覚えるコツ

弊害の詳細設問は本文の3動詞 (drain / exhaust / flatten) を言い換えた肢を採る。価格・放棄・害虫一掃など本文外や正反対の肢は誤り。

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