Day 078 — 2026年7月25日(土)に配信

CEFR A2 224 words Food History英検準2級〜2級

When Pineapples Were a Sign of Wealth

— Could a fruit cost as much as a house? —

英文を読む

文の左のを押すと、その1文だけ読み上げます。まずは辞書を引かずに、最後まで一気に読んでみてください。

Today, a pineapple is a cheap and common fruit. You can buy one in almost any shop. But about 300 years ago, in Europe, a single pineapple was a sign of great wealth.

Pineapples grow in warm places, far from cold Europe. Long ago, ships took months to carry them across the ocean. Most pineapples went bad before they arrived. Growing one in Europe was almost impossible at first. The few that survived were incredibly rare.

Because they were so rare, pineapples became very expensive. A single fruit could cost as much as a small house. Owning a pineapple showed everyone how rich you were. Only the richest people could ever hope to own one.

Rich families did not always eat their pineapple. Instead, they showed it off at parties as a centerpiece on the table. Some people even rented a pineapple for one night, just to look fashionable. The same fruit was passed around again and again until it rotted.

The pineapple became a symbol of luxury and welcome. People carved its shape into gates, walls, and furniture. You can still see stone pineapples on old buildings today.

Later, faster ships and warm greenhouses made pineapples easy to grow and ship. The price dropped, and the fruit became common. A symbol of the super-rich is now a simple snack.

4問に答える

選ぶとその場で正誤と解説が出ます。

0/4

Q1 因果推論

Why were pineapples so expensive in Europe?

Q2 推論

What does renting a pineapple for one night show?

Q3 推論

Why did people carve pineapple shapes into gates and furniture?

Q4 因果推論

What finally made pineapples common?

日本語訳（段落ごとの対訳）

01Today, a pineapple is a cheap and common fruit. You can buy one in almost any shop. But about 300 years ago, in Europe, a single pineapple was a sign of great wealth.

今日、パイナップルは安くてありふれた果物です。ほとんどどの店でも買えますね。でも、およそ300年前のヨーロッパでは、一つのパイナップルが大変な富のしるしだったのです。

02Pineapples grow in warm places, far from cold Europe. Long ago, ships took months to carry them across the ocean. Most pineapples went bad before they arrived. Growing one in Europe was almost impossible at first. The few that survived were incredibly rare.

パイナップルは暖かい土地で育ち、寒いヨーロッパからは遠く離れていました。大昔、船で海を渡って運ぶには何か月もかかりました。ほとんどのパイナップルは、着く前に傷んでしまいます。当初、ヨーロッパで育てるのはほぼ不可能でした。生き残ったわずかなものは、とてつもなく希少だったのです。

03Because they were so rare, pineapples became very expensive. A single fruit could cost as much as a small house. Owning a pineapple showed everyone how rich you were. Only the richest people could ever hope to own one.

あまりに希少だったため、パイナップルはとても高価になりました。一つの果物が、小さな家ほどの値段になることもあったのです。パイナップルを持つことは、自分がどれほど裕福かを皆に見せつけました。ごく一握りの大金持ちだけが、所有を夢見られたのです。

04Rich families did not always eat their pineapple. Instead, they showed it off at parties as a centerpiece on the table. Some people even rented a pineapple for one night, just to look fashionable. The same fruit was passed around again and again until it rotted.

裕福な家庭は、いつもパイナップルを食べたわけではありません。代わりに、パーティーでテーブルの中央に飾り、見せびらかしたのです。一晩だけパイナップルを「レンタル」して、おしゃれに見せる人さえいました。同じ果物が、腐るまで何度も何度も貸し回されたのです。

05The pineapple became a symbol of luxury and welcome. People carved its shape into gates, walls, and furniture. You can still see stone pineapples on old buildings today.

パイナップルは、贅沢と歓迎の象徴になりました。人々はその形を、門や壁、家具に彫りこみました。今でも古い建物に、石のパイナップルを見ることができますよ。

06Later, faster ships and warm greenhouses made pineapples easy to grow and ship. The price dropped, and the fruit became common. A symbol of the super-rich is now a simple snack.

のちに、より速い船と暖かい温室のおかげで、パイナップルは簡単に育て、運べるようになりました。値段は下がり、ありふれた果物になったのです。かつて大富豪の象徴だったものが、今では手軽なおやつになったのですね。

この英文の語句

fruit A2 果物
ship A2 船
rich A2 裕福な
price A2 値段
wealth B1 富
rare B1 まれな
luxury B1 贅沢
symbol B1 象徴

目から鱗の豆知識

へえ！

あるモノが富や地位を示す印になることをstatus symbol（ステータスシンボル）と呼びます。昔のパイナップル、今の高級ブランド——時代で中身は変わっても、人の見栄は変わりませんね。英検2級では食や商品の歴史の説明文、準1級では消費社会や価値観の変化を論じる評論文が出ます。パイナップルを貸し出す商売は、その象徴的な例^^「希少だから高い」という経済の基本も読み取れますよ^^

もう一つ

1棟のパイナップル温室を維持する費用は、当時年間数千ポンド——邸宅が買える額でした。18世紀イギリスの貴族は競って「パイナップル小屋（pinery）」を建て、庭師が馬糞の発酵熱で温度を保ったのです。極めつきはスコットランドのダンモア・パーク。高さ14メートルの巨大なパイナップル型の建物が、いまも建っています。単なる見栄のためだけに。人類は昔から、こういうことに全力を出す生き物です^^

この英文で拾っておきたい表現

show ~ off 〜を見せびらかす showoff は名詞で「目立ちたがり屋」
go bad 腐る Day 030・051 でも登場。食べ物の傷みの定番表現
pass ~ around 〜を回す回覧・回し飲みなど、順に渡す動作

もっと解きたい人へ

無限モードで100日ぶんから出題させる AIを待たずに、この場で。読解・文のつながり・語彙・空所補充・語形・前置詞・語順・聞き取りが、尽きることなく出てきます。手ごたえも3段階から選べます。 この話題で、新しい長文を書いてもらう 「When Pineapples Were a Sign of Wealth」に関連する英文を、AIはらだくんがその場で書きます。英検2級〜1級までレベルを選べて、4問つき。読んだら押して答えられます。

朝活英語100連発|原田英語.com

Day 078

When Pineapples Were a Sign of Wealth

CEFR A2英検準2級〜2級224 words2026年7月25日(土) 配信 Name

Reading

1Today, a pineapple is a cheap and common fruit. You can buy one in almost any shop. But about 300 years ago, in Europe, a single pineapple was a sign of great wealth.

2Pineapples grow in warm places, far from cold Europe. Long ago, ships took months to carry them across the ocean. Most pineapples went bad before they arrived. Growing one in Europe was almost impossible at first. The few that survived were incredibly rare.

3Because they were so rare, pineapples became very expensive. A single fruit could cost as much as a small house. Owning a pineapple showed everyone how rich you were. Only the richest people could ever hope to own one.

4Rich families did not always eat their pineapple. Instead, they showed it off at parties as a centerpiece on the table. Some people even rented a pineapple for one night, just to look fashionable. The same fruit was passed around again and again until it rotted.

5The pineapple became a symbol of luxury and welcome. People carved its shape into gates, walls, and furniture. You can still see stone pineapples on old buildings today.

6Later, faster ships and warm greenhouses made pineapples easy to grow and ship. The price dropped, and the fruit became common. A symbol of the super-rich is now a simple snack.

Questions

Why were pineapples so expensive in Europe?
1. AOnly royal families were allowed to import them
2. BThey were heavily taxed at every port
3. CMost went bad on the long voyage and few survived
4. DEuropean soil could not grow any tropical fruit
What does renting a pineapple for one night show?
1. AThat the fruit was too expensive even for rich families to buy
2. BThat shops preferred renting to selling
3. CThat pineapples spoiled within a single day
4. DThat the fruit's value lay in being seen, not eaten
Why did people carve pineapple shapes into gates and furniture?
1. AIt was believed to bring good harvests
2. BThe shape was easy for craftsmen to carve
3. CIt showed that the owner grew pineapples
4. DThe fruit had become a symbol of luxury and welcome
What finally made pineapples common?
1. ANew varieties that grew in cold climates
2. BA change in European tastes
3. CFaster ships and warm greenhouses
4. DLaws that lowered import taxes

Day 078 — When Pineapples Were a Sign of Wealth|解答・語句・全訳

Answers

C Most went bad on the long voyage and few survived

"Most pineapples went bad before they arrived... The few that survived were incredibly rare." が根拠。希少 → 高価という流れです。ヨーロッパでの栽培は "almost impossible at first"——不可能ではありません。
D That the fruit's value lay in being seen, not eaten

"they showed it off at parties as a centerpiece... The same fruit was passed around again and again until it rotted." が根拠。食べ物なのに、食べないことに価値があった。この倒錯がこの日のハイライトです。
D The fruit had become a symbol of luxury and welcome

"The pineapple became a symbol of luxury and welcome." が根拠。実物が高すぎるから、形だけを飾ったとも読めます。今も古い建物に残っている、という一文が証拠。
C Faster ships and warm greenhouses

"faster ships and warm greenhouses made pineapples easy to grow and ship." が根拠。技術 → 供給増 → 値下がり → 大衆化という順番は、Day 050（アイスクリーム）とまったく同じ形です。

Key Words

fruitA2果物
shipA2船
richA2裕福な
priceA2値段
wealthB1富
rareB1まれな
luxuryB1贅沢
symbolB1象徴

日本語訳

1今日、パイナップルは安くてありふれた果物です。ほとんどどの店でも買えますね。でも、およそ300年前のヨーロッパでは、一つのパイナップルが大変な富のしるしだったのです。

2パイナップルは暖かい土地で育ち、寒いヨーロッパからは遠く離れていました。大昔、船で海を渡って運ぶには何か月もかかりました。ほとんどのパイナップルは、着く前に傷んでしまいます。当初、ヨーロッパで育てるのはほぼ不可能でした。生き残ったわずかなものは、とてつもなく希少だったのです。

3あまりに希少だったため、パイナップルはとても高価になりました。一つの果物が、小さな家ほどの値段になることもあったのです。パイナップルを持つことは、自分がどれほど裕福かを皆に見せつけました。ごく一握りの大金持ちだけが、所有を夢見られたのです。

4裕福な家庭は、いつもパイナップルを食べたわけではありません。代わりに、パーティーでテーブルの中央に飾り、見せびらかしたのです。一晩だけパイナップルを「レンタル」して、おしゃれに見せる人さえいました。同じ果物が、腐るまで何度も何度も貸し回されたのです。

5パイナップルは、贅沢と歓迎の象徴になりました。人々はその形を、門や壁、家具に彫りこみました。今でも古い建物に、石のパイナップルを見ることができますよ。

6のちに、より速い船と暖かい温室のおかげで、パイナップルは簡単に育て、運べるようになりました。値段は下がり、ありふれた果物になったのです。かつて大富豪の象徴だったものが、今では手軽なおやつになったのですね。