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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（高校生レベル）

Class ____ No. ____ Name ____________________

109年前のボトルメールが見つかる！オーストラリアの海岸で兵士の手紙

A Message in a Bottle Reaches Families After 109 Years

音声・ゲームはこちらから

1A family cleaning up a beach in Western Australia found a message in a bottle written by two soldiers in 1916. The family spotted the thick glass bottle just above the waterline at Wharton Beach, near the town of Esperance, on October 9, 2025. They regularly ride along the beach to collect trash.

2Inside were two letters written in pencil and dated August 15, 1916. The writers were two Australian privates sailing on a troopship that had left Adelaide three days earlier. They were on their way to join the fighting on the Western Front in Europe during World War I.

3One soldier wrote to his mother and said he was as happy as Larry, an Australian expression meaning very happy. He also said the food on board was good, even though the ship was rolling in rough seas. The other soldier said the finder could keep his note and wished them good health.

4An oceanographer at the University of Western Australia said the bottle probably washed ashore within weeks of being thrown into the sea. He said it was then likely buried in the sand dunes for more than a century until large waves recently wore the sand away. That would explain why the paper was damp but still readable.

5The family tracked down relatives of both men, who said they were stunned by the find. One soldier was killed in action in France in 1917. The other survived the war and died in Adelaide in 1934.

Words　単語

waterline外名水ぎわ、波打ちぎわの線the line where the sea meets the land
datedB2形～の日付のあるshowing a day, month and year on it
privatesA2名兵卒（いちばん下の階級の兵士）soldiers of the lowest rank in an army
troopship外名兵員輸送船a ship that carries many soldiers
expressionA2名表現、言い回しa group of words with a special meaning
roughB1形（海が）荒れたwith big waves and strong wind
washed ashoreA1熟岸に打ち上げられたwas carried by the sea onto land
dunes外名砂丘hills of sand near the sea or a desert
readable外形読めるclear enough for people to read
tracked downA2熟（人や物を）探し出した（track down の過去形）found after looking hard for it

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

  1. Where was the bottle found?

    A. In Adelaide harborB. At Wharton Beach near EsperanceC. On a ship in EuropeD. In a museum

  2. Where were the soldiers going?

    A. To the Western Front in EuropeB. To JapanC. Back home to AdelaideD. To a beach in Esperance

  3. What does as happy as Larry mean?

    A. A little sadB. Very tiredC. Very happyD. Very hungry

  4. What does the oceanographer think happened to the bottle?

    A. It floated around the world.B. It was found by a fisherman long ago.C. It sank to the bottom of the sea.D. It washed ashore soon and was buried in sand dunes.

  5. What happened to the soldier who survived the war?

    A. He moved to France.B. He died in Adelaide in 1934.C. He became an oceanographer.D. He found the bottle himself.

2. True or False　正しければ T、違っていれば F

  1. (     ) The letters were dated August 15, 1916.

  2. (     ) The soldiers threw the bottle into the sea before their ship left Adelaide.

  3. (     ) Large waves recently helped uncover the bottle.

  4. (     ) Both soldiers died in France.

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）

expressionprivatesroughdatedwaterlinedunes

  1. Inside were two letters written in pencil and _____ August 15, 1916.

  2. One soldier wrote to his mother and said he was as happy as Larry, an Australian _____ meaning very happy.

  3. He also said the food on board was good, even though the ship was rolling in _____ seas.

  4. He said it was then likely buried in the sand _____ for more than a century until large waves recently wore the sand away.

  5. The family spotted the thick glass bottle just above the _____ at Wharton Beach, near the town of Esperance, on October 9, 2025.

  6. The writers were two Australian _____ sailing on a troopship that had left Adelaide three days earlier.

4. Word Order　語を並べかえて正しい文にしよう

  1. ( along / to / ride / trash / They / beach / regularly / collect / the ) .

  2. ( soldier / in / One / in / was / France / in / 1917 / action / killed ) .

  3. ( the / why / still / would / but / explain / readable / damp / was / That / paper ) .

5. Think and Write　英語で答えてみよう

  1. Why do you think the soldiers decided to send a message in a bottle?（兵士たちはなぜボトルメールを流そうと思ったのだと思いますか。）

  2. Should old letters like these be kept by the finder or given to a museum? Give your opinion.（このような古い手紙は、見つけた人が持つべきですか、それとも博物館にわたすべきですか。意見を述べましょう。）

Answers　解答

1. (1) B　(2) A　(3) C　(4) D　(5) B

2. (1) T　(2) F　(3) T　(4) F

3. (1) dated　(2) expression　(3) rough　(4) dunes　(5) waterline　(6) privates

4.

  1. They regularly ride along the beach to collect trash.
  2. One soldier was killed in action in France in 1917.
  3. That would explain why the paper was damp but still readable.

全文訳

1西オーストラリア州で海岸をそうじしていた家族が、1916年に2人の兵士が書いたボトルメールを見つけました。家族は2025年10月9日、エスペランスという町に近いウォートン・ビーチで、波打ちぎわのすぐ上にある厚いガラスびんに気づきました。この家族は、ふだんから海岸を走ってごみを集めています。

2中には、1916年8月15日付けの、えんぴつで書かれた2通の手紙が入っていました。書いたのは、3日前にアデレードを出港した兵員輸送船に乗っていた2人のオーストラリア軍の兵士でした。2人は第一次世界大戦のさなか、ヨーロッパの西部戦線に加わるために向かっているところでした。

31人の兵士は母親にあてて、自分は as happy as Larry（オーストラリアの言い方で「とても幸せ」）だと書いていました。船は荒れた海でゆれていましたが、船の食事はおいしいとも書いていました。もう1人の兵士は、手紙は見つけた人が持っていてよいと書き、その人の健康を願っていました。

4西オーストラリア大学の海洋学者は、ボトルは海に投げられてから数週間のうちに岸に流れ着いた可能性が高いと話しました。そして、最近の大きな波で砂がけずられるまで、100年以上砂丘にうまっていたのだろうということです。そう考えると、紙がしめっていてもまだ読めた理由が説明できます。

5家族は2人の兵士の親族を探し出しました。親族は、この発見にとても驚いたと話しています。1人の兵士は、1917年にフランスで戦死しました。もう1人は戦争を生きのび、1934年にアデレードで亡くなりました。

文法ポイント：分詞の後置修飾（現在分詞・過去分詞）

分詞のかたまりが後ろから名詞を説明する。本文の A family cleaning up a beach（海岸をそうじしている家族）は現在分詞、a message in a bottle written by two soldiers（2人の兵士によって書かれたボトルメール）は過去分詞。「～している」なら -ing、「～された」なら過去分詞を使う。

出典：Associated Press (via KPRC Click2Houston)、The Western Front Association 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/2025-10-09-message-in-bottle-109-years/