文と文の接続関係の把握により、全体の内容が理解しやすくなります。今回は、様々な接続パターンをマスターし、英検準1級の題材に挑戦しましょう。
1. 「文と文のパターン」の基礎
【1】「二項対立」の表現
SV…. In contrast, SV…
SV…(否定文)…. On the contrary, SV…
SV…., but at the same time…
SV…., but actually, SV…
<例文>
Digital payment is very convenient. On the other hand, it is vulnerable to security attack.
デジタルでの支払いは、とても便利です。その一方で、セキュリティ攻撃に弱い。
【2】「言い換え」の表現
SV…. In other words, SV…
<例文>
All the modernization in today’s world is due to the developments in technology in the different fields. In other words, without technology, our lives would not have become simpler and easier.
今日の世界の近代化はすべて、異なる分野における技術の発展によるものです。言い換えれば、テクノロジーがなければ、私たちの生活はもっと簡潔かつ容易ではなかったでしょう。
【3】「抽象 ⇒ 具体」の表現
SV…. Regarding …, SV…
SV…. In fact, SV…
SV…. In the case of …, SV…
<例文>
- Japanese people tend to work too hard. When it comes to studying, a lot of high school students study very hard for the university entrance examinations. Regarding work, many people do a great deal of it.
日本人は頑張りすぎる。勉強に関して言えば、多くの中高生が受験のためにハードな学習をしている。仕事に関して言えば、大量の業務をこなす人が多い。
- Sumo wrestlers have a short life expectancy. In fact, the average life span of Japanese men is now about 81 years, while that of the past yokozuna wrestlers is 62 years.
力士は短命である。実際に、現在、日本人男性の平均寿命はおよそ81歳であるが、歴代横綱の平均寿命は62歳である。
- There are many parts of the world where safe water is not available. In the case of a Zambian village, where there isn’t any well, women and children leave home before sunrise every day to get water from a well a few kilometers away. They have to go back and forth many times a day.
世界には、安全な水が手に入らない地域がたくさんあります。ザンビアのある村に関して言えば、村に井戸がないため、女性や子供たちが毎日、日の出前に家を出て、数キロ先にある井戸に水を汲みにいきます。一日に何度も往復しなければならないのです。
【4】因果関係
■「原因 → 結果」の表現
SV… That’s why SV…
SV… As a result, SV…
<例文>
The company stopped developing new products. That’s why it went bankrupt.
その会社は新商品の開発をやめてしまった。そういうわけで、倒産した。
■「結果 → 原因」の表現
SV… This is because SV…
SV… The reason is that SV…
<例文>
Many scientists are predicting serious environmental problems in various parts of the planet in the near future. The main reason is global warming. Global warming will have a major impact on agriculture, oceans, ecosystems and other areas of life.
多くの科学者たちが、近い将来、地球の各地で深刻な環境問題が発生すると予測しています。その主な原因は地球温暖化です。地球温暖化は農業、海洋、生態系などあらゆる方面に大きな影響を与えるのです。
2. 英検準１級の題材に挑戦
【1】
Every year on playgrounds in the United States, about 200,000 children suffer injuries severe enough to require a hospital visit. Most are caused by falls from, or forceful contact with, playground equipment. Organizations like Safe Kids Worldwide are working to minimize the dangers children encounter in play spaces. At their urging, wood and steel equipment is being replaced with plastic and rubber structures, and the ground underneath it is covered with sand, shredded rubber, or other materials that cushion impacts. Both the play environment and playtime have also become more structured and supervised, with some places introducing laws barring children from playing in parks alone.
( ), some parents, teachers, and scientists view a certain amount of risk in playgrounds and other spaces as being healthier for children’s long-term development than sheltering them from injury is. Nga Nguyen, a biologist who studies primates at California State University, Fullerton, asserts that risk in play environments “is a vital part of our animal/primate heritage. It is through our engagement with risk… that we learn how to use our bodies safely to interact with the physical and social challenges in the environment.”
1. That’s why
2. At last
3. In other words
4. On the other hand
【2】
（アウェーでの試合よりもホームでの試合の方が勝ちやすい、という話の続き）
The way sports venues are constructed also seems to affect home advantage. In an analysis of over 35,000 Major League baseball games, researchers Richard Zeller and Tim Jurkovac reported that teams playing in a domed stadium at home won 10.5 percent more games than when they were on the road. ( 30 ), teams playing in an open-air stadium won 7.2 percent more games at home. The researchers noted that domed stadiums trap noise within the stadium and that the enthusiasm from fans in the crowd helps teams play better and win more games. ( 31 ), teams whose home stadiums are domed perform especially well at home.
※domed ドーム型の / on the road（スポーツチームが）アウェーで / open-air野外の
(30) 1. That’s why
2. At last
3. In other words
4. On the other hand
(31) 1. Otherwise
2. In contrast
3. Surprisingly
4. Because of this