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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）

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150年ぶりに図書館へ返却！暖炉の中から見つかった本

Book Found Bricked Into a Fireplace Returns to Library

音声・ゲームはこちらから

1A library book has been returned to a public library in Australia roughly 150 years after it was borrowed. The book, The Antiquities of Athens, was published in 1858 and describes ancient Greek buildings. It came back to Kiama Library, in the seaside town of Kiama in New South Wales, in late July 2026.

2A local man discovered the book during renovations at a house. It was inside a tea crate that had been sealed into a fireplace with bricks. His family then took it back to the library.

3The library opened in 1872 with around 1,000 books, and this one was listed as No. 506. The library manager said she suspects it went missing within a few years of the opening. She told The Associated Press that the library had never received anything that old before.

4A list of rules printed inside the cover shows how different library life was in the 1870s. Households with at least six members who could read were allowed to borrow up to three books. The overdue fee was three pence a week. Adjusted for inflation, the manager estimated the total fine at about 28,000 Australian dollars, or roughly 19,500 U.S. dollars.

5Nobody will be asked to pay. The library no longer charges overdue fines, and its records of borrowers from the 1870s have been lost. The book will not be lent out again. Instead, it will be displayed in the library's local history collection.

Words　単語

borrowedA1動借りたtook something to use and then give back
ancientA2形古代のfrom a time very long ago
renovations外名改装、修理work that makes an old building like new
sealedB2動ふさがれた、封をされたclosed so that nothing can get in or out
recordsA2名記録written information that is kept for later
suspectsB1動～ではないかと思うthinks something is probably true
householdsB1名世帯、家庭all the people living together in one home
overdue外形期限を過ぎたnot returned or paid by the right time
inflationB2名インフレ、物価の上昇a rise in prices over time
displayedA2動展示されるput where people can see 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. What is the book about?

    A. Modern Australian housesB. Ancient Greek buildingsC. Tea from ChinaD. The history of fireplaces

  2. Where exactly was the book found?

    A. In a tea crate sealed into a fireplaceB. On a shelf in the libraryC. Under the floor of a schoolD. In a box on the beach

  3. What did the library manager tell The Associated Press?

    A. The book was fake.B. The book will be sold.C. The library had never received anything that old.D. The fine must be paid.

  4. In the 1870s, how many books could a household borrow?

    A. OneB. SixC. TenD. Up to three

  5. Why will nobody pay the fine?

    A. The library is closed.B. The library no longer charges overdue fines.C. The fine is too small.D. The man already paid it.

2. True or False　正しければ T、違っていれば F

  1. (     ) The book was found inside a tea crate.

  2. (     ) The library still has records of who borrowed books in the 1870s.

  3. (     ) The overdue fee in the 1870s was three pence a week.

  4. (     ) The book will be lent out again soon.

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）

renovationssealedborrowedancientrecordssuspects

  1. A local man discovered the book during _____ at a house.

  2. The library no longer charges overdue fines, and its _____ of borrowers from the 1870s have been lost.

  3. The book, The Antiquities of Athens, was published in 1858 and describes _____ Greek buildings.

  4. It was inside a tea crate that had been _____ into a fireplace with bricks.

  5. A library book has been returned to a public library in Australia roughly 150 years after it was _____.

  6. The library manager said she _____ it went missing within a few years of the opening.

4. Word Order　語を並べかえて正しい文にしよう

  1. ( A / a / local / man / at / during / the / book / discovered / renovations / house ) .

  2. ( a / overdue / The / fee / pence / week / was / three ) .

  3. ( not / lent / book / be / will / The / again / out ) .

5. Think and Write　英語で答えてみよう

  1. Do you think libraries should charge fines for late books? Why or why not?（図書館は返却がおくれた本に延滞料をとるべきだと思いますか。理由も述べましょう。）

  2. If you found something very old in your house, what would you do with it?（もし家でとても古いものを見つけたら、あなたはどうしますか。）

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) renovations　(2) records　(3) ancient　(4) sealed　(5) borrowed　(6) suspects

4.

  1. A local man discovered the book during renovations at a house.
  2. The overdue fee was three pence a week.
  3. The book will not be lent out again.

全文訳

1オーストラリアの公立図書館に、借りられてから約150年たった本が返却されました。その本「アテネの古代遺跡」は1858年に出版され、古代ギリシャの建物について書かれています。本は2026年7月下旬、ニューサウスウェールズ州の海辺の町キアマにあるキアマ図書館に戻ってきました。

2地元の男性が、家の改装中にこの本を見つけました。本は、レンガでふさがれた暖炉の中の、お茶用の木箱に入っていました。その後、男性の家族が本を図書館に返しに行きました。

3図書館は1872年に約1000冊の本で開館し、この本は506番として登録されていました。図書館長は、開館から数年のうちに行方がわからなくなったのではないかと考えています。館長はAP通信に、これほど古いものが戻ってきたのは初めてだと話しました。

4表紙の内側に印刷された規則を見ると、1870年代の図書館がどれほど今とちがっていたかがわかります。字が読める人が6人以上いる家庭は、本を3冊まで借りることができました。延滞料は1週間に3ペンスでした。物価の上昇を考えると、延滞料の合計は約28000オーストラリアドル（約19500米ドル）になると館長は見積もりました。

5ただし、支払いを求められる人はいません。図書館は今では延滞料をとっておらず、1870年代にだれが本を借りたかの記録もなくなっています。本は二度と貸し出されません。その代わり、図書館の地域の歴史コレクションとして展示されます。

文法ポイント：過去完了の受け身（had been + 過去分詞）

「（過去のある時点より前に）～されていた」を表す。本文の a tea crate that had been sealed into a fireplace with bricks は、本が見つかるよりずっと前から木箱が暖炉の中にふさがれていたことを示している。

出典：Associated Press (via News4JAX)、UPI 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/2026-07-30-library-book-150-years-overdue/