原田英語の時事英語ジュニア|英語ニュース ワークシート(中学生レベル)
Class ____ No. ____ Name ____________________
恒星間天体3I/ATLASとは?太陽系の外から来たすい星をやさしく解説
A Comet from Another Star
1A telescope in Chile found a comet from outside our solar system on July 1, 2025. Scientists named the comet 3I/ATLAS.
2The comet was moving too fast to stay near the Sun. It will pass through our solar system and never come back. The 3I in its name means it is the third object from another star that people have found.
3Near the Sun, the comet traveled about 250,000 kilometers an hour. At that speed, a trip from Tokyo to Osaka would take about six seconds. Scientists think the comet may be billions of years old.
4The comet never came close to Earth. Its closest distance to Earth was about 270 million kilometers. Spacecraft near Mars took pictures of the comet in October 2025. After its visit, the comet will leave our solar system forever.
Words 単語
| cometB1 | 名 | すい星a ball of ice and dust that travels around in space |
| telescopeB2 | 名 | 望遠鏡a tool that makes faraway things look bigger |
| solar systemB2 | 名 | 太陽系the Sun and all the planets that go around it |
| namedA1 | 動 | 名づけた(name の過去形)gave a name to something |
| thirdA2 | 形 | 3番目のcoming after the second one |
| billionsB2 | 名 | 何十億many thousands of millions |
| spacecraft外 | 名 | 宇宙船、探査機a machine that travels in space |
| foreverA2 | 副 | 永遠にfor all time, with no end |
単語のレベル:CEFR-J(『CEFR-J Wordlist Version 1.6』 東京外国語大学投野由紀夫研究室. (URL: https://www.cefr-j.org/download.html より 2026年8月ダウンロード))
1. Reading Quiz 本文の内容に合うものを選ぼう
Where was the telescope that found the comet?
A. In JapanB. In ChileC. On the MoonD. On Mars
What does the 3I in its name tell us?
A. It has three tails.B. It is three years old.C. It is the third object from another star that people have found.D. It is three kilometers wide.
How fast did the comet travel near the Sun?
A. About 250,000 kilometers an hourB. About 250 kilometers an hourC. About 25 kilometers an hourD. About 2,500 kilometers an hour
What will the comet do after its visit?
A. It will hit Earth.B. It will stay near Mars.C. It will come back next year.D. It will leave our solar system forever.
2. True or False 正しければ T、違っていれば F
( ) The comet came from outside our solar system.
( ) The comet came very close to Earth.
( ) Spacecraft near Mars took pictures of the comet.
( ) Scientists think the comet is only ten years old.
3. Fill in the Blanks 下の語から選んで空らんをうめよう(形を変えずに)
thirdcometforeverbillionsnamedSpacecraft
After its visit, the comet will leave our solar system _____.
The 3I in its name means it is the _____ object from another star that people have found.
_____ near Mars took pictures of the comet in October 2025.
Scientists think the comet may be _____ of years old.
A telescope in Chile found a _____ from outside our solar system on July 1, 2025.
Scientists _____ the comet 3I/ATLAS.
4. Word Order 語を並べかえて正しい文にしよう
( the / fast / Sun / was / stay / to / comet / The / near / too / moving ) .
( years / of / old / be / may / billions / think / Scientists / the / comet ) .
( close / The / comet / never / Earth / came / to ) .
5. Think and Write 英語で答えてみよう
If you could ask the comet one question, what would you ask?(すい星に1つ質問できるなら、何を聞きたい?)
Would you like to travel to another star? Why or why not?(ほかの星へ旅してみたい?その理由は?)

Answers 解答
1. (1) B (2) C (3) A (4) D
2. (1) T (2) F (3) T (4) F
3. (1) forever (2) third (3) Spacecraft (4) billions (5) comet (6) named
4.
- The comet was moving too fast to stay near the Sun.
- Scientists think the comet may be billions of years old.
- The comet never came close to Earth.
全文訳
12025年7月1日、チリにある望遠鏡が、太陽系の外から来たすい星を見つけました。科学者たちはこのすい星を「3I/ATLAS(スリーアイ・アトラス)」と名づけました。
2このすい星は速すぎて、太陽のそばにとどまることができませんでした。太陽系を通りぬけて、二度と戻ってきません。名前の「3I」は、人類が見つけた「ほかの星から来た天体」の3つ目、という意味です。
3太陽の近くで、すい星は1時間に約25万キロメートルも進みました。この速さなら、東京から大阪まで約6秒で着いてしまいます。科学者たちは、このすい星が何十億歳にもなるかもしれないと考えています。
4すい星が地球に近づくことはありませんでした。地球にいちばん近づいたときでも、約2億7000万キロメートルはなれていました。2025年10月には、火星の近くにいる探査機がこのすい星の写真をとりました。訪問を終えると、すい星は太陽系から永遠に去っていきます。
文法ポイント:too ~ to …(~すぎて…できない)
「too + 形容詞・副詞 + to + 動詞の原形」で「~すぎて…できない」。本文の The comet was moving too fast to stay near the Sun. は「速すぎて太陽のそばにとどまれなかった」という意味。
出典:NASA Science、European Space Agency (ESA) ほか(記事は原田英語の時事英語ジュニアのオリジナル)|https://www.haradaeigo.com/jijieigo-junior/news/2025-07-02-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas/