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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（中学生レベル）

Class ____ No. ____ Name ____________________

コメ5キロが2年ぶりに3000円を下回る　品薄から一転、余るほどに

Rice Gets Cheaper in Japan

音声・ゲームはこちらから

1The price of rice in Japan has fallen below 3,000 yen for a 5-kilogram bag. The agriculture ministry said on September 18 that the average price was 2,971 yen. It was the first time in about two years.

2The ministry checks prices at about 1,000 supermarkets every week. The price was 32 yen lower than the week before.

3Rice became very expensive after a shortage began in the summer of 2024. In January 2026, a bag cost 4,416 yen on average. So the price has dropped by about one-third since then.

4Now Japan has more rice than people need. The government sold rice from its stockpile, and farmers grew more rice in 2025. Prices may fall even more.

Words　単語

priceA1名値段、価格the amount of money you pay for something
belowA1前～より下にlower than a certain level
agricultureB1名農業the work of growing food and keeping farm animals
supermarketsA1名スーパーマーケットlarge shops that sell food and things for the home
expensiveA1形高価なcosting a lot of money
shortageB1名不足a situation when there is not enough of something
stockpileB2名備蓄a large amount of something saved for later use
farmersA1名農家の人people who grow food or keep animals

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 was the average price of a 5-kilogram bag of rice?

    A. 2,971 yenB. 3,000 yenC. 4,416 yenD. 1,000 yen

  2. How many supermarkets does the ministry check?

    A. About 32B. About 100C. About 1,000D. About 5,000

  3. When did the rice shortage begin?

    A. In January 2026B. In the summer of 2024C. In September 2026D. In 2025

  4. What did the government do?

    A. It stopped selling rice.B. It closed supermarkets.C. It bought all the rice.D. It sold rice from its stockpile.

2. True or False　正しければ T、違っていれば F

  1. (     ) The price was lower than the week before.

  2. (     ) Rice was cheaper in January 2026 than now.

  3. (     ) Farmers grew more rice in 2025.

  4. (     ) Japan does not have enough rice now.

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）

expensivesupermarketsagriculturepricestockpile

  1. Rice became very _____ after a shortage began in the summer of 2024.

  2. The _____ of rice in Japan has fallen below 3,000 yen for a 5-kilogram bag.

  3. The _____ ministry said on September 18 that the average price was 2,971 yen.

  4. The ministry checks prices at about 1,000 _____ every week.

  5. The government sold rice from its _____, and farmers grew more rice in 2025.

4. Word Order　語を並べかえて正しい文にしよう

  1. ( first / about / years / the / It / was / in / time / two ) .

  2. ( lower / the / 32 / before / was / The / price / yen / week / than ) .

  3. ( Now / people / Japan / more / need / than / rice / has ) .

5. Think and Write　英語で答えてみよう

  1. How often do you eat rice? What is your favorite rice dish?（コメをどのくらい食べますか？好きなごはん料理は何ですか？）

  2. Why is it important for a country to keep a stockpile of food?（国が食べ物を備蓄しておくのはなぜ大切なのでしょう？）

Answers　解答

1. (1) A　(2) C　(3) B　(4) D

2. (1) T　(2) F　(3) T　(4) F

3. (1) expensive　(2) price　(3) agriculture　(4) supermarkets　(5) stockpile

4.

  1. It was the first time in about two years.
  2. The price was 32 yen lower than the week before.
  3. Now Japan has more rice than people need.

全文訳

1日本のコメの値段が、5キロの袋で3000円を下回りました。農林水産省は9月18日、平均価格が2971円だったと発表しました。これは約2年ぶりのことです。

2農水省は毎週、約1000のスーパーで値段を調べています。値段は前の週より32円安くなりました。

32024年の夏にコメ不足が始まってから、コメはとても高くなりました。2026年1月には、1袋の平均が4416円でした。そのころと比べると、値段は約3分の1下がったことになります。

4いま日本には、必要な量より多くのコメがあります。政府が備えていたコメを売り出し、2025年には農家がより多くのコメを作りました。値段はさらに下がるかもしれません。

文法ポイント：比較級 + than（～より…）

2つを比べて「～より…」を表す。本文の Now Japan has more rice than people need. は「いま日本には、人々が必要とするより多くのコメがある」という意味。The price was 32 yen lower than the week before. のように、差を表す語（32 yen）を比較級の前に置ける。

出典：The Japan Times、Nippon.com、The Japan Times、Jiji Press（Nippon.com） 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/2026-09-18-rice-price-below-3000-yen/