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 ____________________
40℃以上の「酷暑日」が延べ36回で最多 今年の夏は観測史上5番目の暑さ
Summer 2026 Brings Most 40-Degree Readings Since 2010
1Japan recorded its fifth-hottest summer since records began in 1898, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on September 1. The average temperature from June to August was 1.02 degrees Celsius above the 1991 to 2020 norm.
2Only four summers have been hotter. The record was set just a year earlier, in 2025, when temperatures were 2.36 degrees above normal. The summers of 2023 and 2024 were each 1.76 degrees above normal, followed by 2010. Four of the five hottest summers have now come in the past four years.
3This summer stood out for its extreme peaks. Weather stations logged temperatures of 40 degrees or higher a combined 36 times, the most since current measurement methods were introduced in 2010. The agency defines such a day as a kokushobi, a step above a mokushobi, a day of 35 degrees or more. It said Japan saw five kokushobi days in a row for the first time.
4Western Japan was hit hardest by heat and a lack of rain. The agency said a large high-pressure system settled over the region, and sinking air pushed temperatures even higher. Its analysis found that the heat in western Japan from mid-July to early August would have been almost impossible without global warming.
5Eastern Japan faced a different problem, with unstable weather and heavy rain. A tropical storm made landfall in Ibaraki Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture was hit by torrential rain in August. According to the agency, Japan's average summer temperature has risen by about 1.41 degrees per century.
Words 単語
| meteorological外 | 形 | 気象のabout the study of weather |
| norm外 | 名 | 平年値、標準the usual or expected level |
| stood outA1 | 熟 | 目立ったwas easy to notice because it was different |
| extremeB1 | 形 | 極端なvery great or very strong, much more than usual |
| loggedB1 | 動 | 記録したwrote down or measured officially |
| combinedB1 | 形 | 合計の、延べのadded together as one total |
| definesB1 | 動 | 定義する、定めるsays exactly what something means |
| lackA2 | 名 | 不足the state of not having enough |
| analysisB1 | 名 | 分析a careful study of information to understand it |
| centuryA2 | 名 | 100年、世紀a period of 100 years |
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
How much warmer than the norm was this summer?
A. 1.02 degreesB. 1.41 degreesC. 1.76 degreesD. 2.36 degrees
How many of the five hottest summers came in the past four years?
A. OneB. TwoC. ThreeD. Four
What is a mokushobi?
A. A day of 40 degrees or moreB. A day of 35 degrees or moreC. A day with heavy rainD. A day with no wind
What did the agency's analysis find about the heat in western Japan?
A. It was caused by a volcano.B. It happens every year.C. It would have been almost impossible without global warming.D. It was cooler than normal.
When were the current measurement methods introduced?
A. 1898B. 1991C. 2025D. 2010
2. True or False 正しければ T、違っていれば F
( ) The hottest summer on record came in 2025.
( ) Temperatures of 40 degrees or higher were recorded fewer times than in 2010.
( ) Japan had five kokushobi days in a row for the first time.
( ) Eastern Japan was hit hardest by a lack of rain.
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)
loggedMeteorologicallackextremedefinesnorm
The agency _____ such a day as a kokushobi, a step above a mokushobi, a day of 35 degrees or more.
The average temperature from June to August was 1.02 degrees Celsius above the 1991 to 2020 _____.
Weather stations _____ temperatures of 40 degrees or higher a combined 36 times, the most since current measurement methods were introduced in 2010.
This summer stood out for its _____ peaks.
Japan recorded its fifth-hottest summer since records began in 1898, the Japan _____ Agency said on September 1.
Western Japan was hit hardest by heat and a _____ of rain.
4. Word Order 語を並べかえて正しい文にしよう
( have / four / summers / hotter / been / Only ) .
( for / peaks / extreme / summer / its / out / This / stood ) .
( by / rain / hit / and / of / Japan / was / lack / a / heat / Western / hardest ) .
5. Think and Write 英語で答えてみよう
Some people say schools should start summer vacation earlier because of the heat. Do you agree? Why or why not?(暑さのため、夏休みを早く始めるべきだという意見があります。賛成ですか?理由も述べよう。)
What can individuals do to help slow global warming?(地球温暖化を遅らせるために、一人ひとりができることは何でしょう?)

Answers 解答
1. (1) A (2) D (3) B (4) C (5) D
2. (1) T (2) F (3) T (4) F
3. (1) defines (2) norm (3) logged (4) extreme (5) Meteorological (6) lack
4.
- Only four summers have been hotter.
- This summer stood out for its extreme peaks.
- Western Japan was hit hardest by heat and a lack of rain.
全文訳
1気象庁は9月1日、日本の今年の夏は記録が始まった1898年以降で5番目の暑さだったと発表しました。6月から8月の平均気温は、1991年から2020年の平年値より1.02℃高くなりました。
2これより暑かった夏は4回しかありません。記録はちょうど1年前の2025年に作られ、そのときは平年より2.36℃高くなりました。2023年と2024年の夏はどちらも平年より1.76℃高く、その次が2010年です。暑い夏の上位5回のうち4回が、この4年間に集中したことになります。
3今年の夏は、極端に高い気温が目立ちました。各地の観測地点で40℃以上が延べ36回記録され、今の観測方法になった2010年以降で最多となりました。気象庁はこうした日を「酷暑日」と定めており、35℃以上の「猛暑日」よりさらに一段上の暑さです。気象庁によると、国内で酷暑日が5日続いたのは初めてでした。
4とくに暑さと雨不足の影響が大きかったのは西日本です。気象庁は、大きな高気圧がこの地域に居座り、下降気流によって気温がさらに上がったと説明しました。気象庁の分析では、7月中旬から8月上旬の西日本の暑さは、地球温暖化がなければほぼ起こり得なかったことがわかりました。
5東日本では別の問題が起き、天気が不安定で大雨が降りました。台風が茨城県に上陸し、千葉県は8月に激しい雨に見舞われました。気象庁によると、日本の夏の平均気温は100年あたり約1.41℃のペースで上がっています。
文法ポイント:仮定法過去完了(would have + 過去分詞)
過去の事実と違うことを仮定して「(もし~だったら)…だっただろう」を表す。本文の the heat ... would have been almost impossible without global warming は「地球温暖化がなかったら、その暑さはほぼ起こり得なかっただろう」という意味。without ~ が「もし~がなかったら」の働きをしている。
出典:気象庁、気象庁、Nippon.com、気象庁 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/2026-09-01-japan-summer-40c-heat-days/