【高校英語】共通テストの英文解釈 vol.1085≪2011年第6問≫

□--■--□--■--□--■--□--------------------------------------------◆ 　　【高校英語】共通テストの英文解釈 vol.1085 　　　　　≪2011年第6問≫　　月・水・土発行　　2021/9/8 配信 ◆----------------------------------------□--■--□--■--□--■--□--■ 目次・・・■　問題　■　全文訳　■　解答・解説　■　語句　■　解答一覧 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 今回取り上げる問題は、2011年センター英語第６問です。 ■　問題 第６問　次の文章を読み、下の問い(問１～６)の[ 46 ]～[ 51 ]に入れるのに最も 適当なものを、それぞれ下の{1}～{4}のうちから一つずつ選べ。なお、文章の左に ある(1)～(6)は段落の番号を表している。 (1) Rats, mice, hamsters, and squirrels belong to a large group of animals called rodents. It is estimated that there are about 2,000 species of rodent, and they are believed to be one of the most successful groups of animals we know. They are considered successful because the rodent group accounts for over 40% of all mammal species on earth. Of all the rodents, the mouse-like rodents, such as those mentioned above, are probably the most successful, and it has been suggested that what makes them so is their teeth. (2) Rodents' teeth enable them to eat a wide range of food, such as leaves, roots, nuts, and seeds. All rodents have four very sharp teeth at the front of their mouths -- two at the top and two at the bottom. These teeth are called incisors, but unlike the incisors of most other mammals, they never stop growing. So whatever their age, rodents will always have fresh, sharp teeth to eat with. In addition, they also have extremely strong muscles around their mouths, which enables them to bite through the shells of nuts and seeds. Many other mammals and birds cannot do this, so the seeds they eat pass through their bodies undigested, and the nutrition within them is unused. (3) Nuts and seeds are very nutritious. Some seeds, such as sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and peanuts, are very high in fat and protein. There are benefits of being able to eat these energy-rich foods: a lot of energy is gained in a short period of time; spending less time outside the home searching for food reduces the risk of being killed by other animals; and the time saved can be spent reproducing and looking after their young. (4) Successful reproduction is essential to the survival of a species. However, it can be a double-edged sword. That is, it has good points and bad points. Many rats and mice are eaten by other animals before they die of natural causes, so being able to reproduce quickly is a good thing as it increases the species' chances of survival. For example, a Norwegian rat could have 56 children and over 400 grandchildren within 20 weeks of being born. On the other hand, if reproduction is too successful and there is a huge increase in population in a short time, then there will not be enough food available for all of them to survive. When this happens, thousands and thousands die, resulting in a population crash. (5) The survivors often survive, not always by chance but because they are slightly different from the general population in some way. Perhaps they can run faster or further and so get to food before the others; or they have a better sense of smell and find food that others cannot; or they have stronger jaws and sharper teeth and can open nuts that others cannot open. Which of these slight advantages they have over those that die is not clearly understood; however, those that do survive have the opportunity to reproduce and pass on their advantageous traits to a new generation. (6) So together with their high rates of reproduction and the survival of those that have adapted in some beneficial way, mouse-like rodents are in a strong position to survive well into the future. Ultimately, however, what probably enables these mouse-like rodents to reproduce so successfully is the fact that their teeth allow them to eat highly nutritious nuts and seeds so they do not have to spend most of their time engaged in the dangerous activity of gathering food.