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 ____________________
電車で寝るのはなぜ?日本人の睡眠時間が世界調査で4年連続最下位
Why Do People Sleep on Trains in Japan?
1Japanese people sleep the least among 13 countries, a world survey found this year. Japan came last for the fourth year in a row. The survey was done by ResMed, a company that makes medical machines for sleep.
2About 30,000 people answered the survey. In Japan, the most common answer was six hours of sleep a night. Across all 13 countries, seven to eight hours was the most common.
3In Japan, it is common to see people asleep on trains. This habit has a name, inemuri. It means falling asleep in a place like a train, not in your bed.
4Brigitte Steger, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, has studied inemuri for many years. She wrote that a nap on the train helps people make up for lost sleep at night. She also found that most sleeping passengers wake up just before their station. Many people told her they were only closing their eyes to relax.
Words 単語
| surveyA1 | 名 | 調査、アンケートa set of questions asked to many people |
| in a rowA1 | 熟 | 続けて、連続でone after another without a break |
| commonA2 | 形 | よくある、ふつうのhappening often or seen in many places |
| habitA1 | 名 | 習慣、ならわしsomething you do again and again |
| researcherB1 | 名 | 研究者a person who studies something to learn new facts |
| make up forA1 | 熟 | ~をおぎなう、取り戻すto get back something you lost or missed |
| passengersA2 | 名 | 乗客people who ride on a train, bus or plane |
| relaxA2 | 動 | くつろぐ、休むto rest and feel calm |
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 many countries were in the survey?
A. FourB. SixC. 13D. 30
What was the most common answer in Japan?
A. Four hours a nightB. Six hours a nightC. Seven hours a nightD. Eight hours a night
What has Brigitte Steger studied for many years?
A. Train timetablesB. Medical machinesC. School lunchesD. Inemuri
When do most sleeping passengers wake up?
A. Just before their stationB. At the last stationC. When someone calls themD. After one hour
2. True or False 正しければ T、違っていれば F
( ) Japan came last in the survey for the first time.
( ) About 30,000 people answered the survey.
( ) Inemuri means sleeping in your own bed.
( ) Some people on trains are only closing their eyes to relax.
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)
surveyrelaxhabitpassengersresearchercommon
She also found that most sleeping _____ wake up just before their station.
Japanese people sleep the least among 13 countries, a world _____ found this year.
This _____ has a name, inemuri.
Many people told her they were only closing their eyes to _____.
In Japan, the most _____ answer was six hours of sleep a night.
Brigitte Steger, a _____ at the University of Cambridge, has studied inemuri for many years.
4. Word Order 語を並べかえて正しい文にしよう
( Japan / came / the / for / a / year / last / in / fourth / row ) .
( 30,000 / answered / About / survey / people / the ) .
( is / common / trains / asleep / In / to / people / see / on / it / Japan, ) .
5. Think and Write 英語で答えてみよう
How many hours do you sleep on a school night?(学校がある日の夜、あなたは何時間眠っていますか?)
Do you ever sleep on a train or a bus? Why?(あなたは電車やバスで眠ることがありますか?それはなぜですか?)

Answers 解答
1. (1) C (2) B (3) D (4) A
2. (1) F (2) T (3) F (4) T
3. (1) passengers (2) survey (3) habit (4) relax (5) common (6) researcher
4.
- Japan came last for the fourth year in a row.
- About 30,000 people answered the survey.
- In Japan, it is common to see people asleep on trains.
全文訳
1日本の人は13か国の中でいちばん眠る時間が短いことが、今年の世界の調査でわかりました。日本は4年続けて最下位でした。調査をしたのは、眠りのための医療の機械を作っている会社、レスメドです。
2およそ3万人が調査に答えました。日本でいちばん多かった答えは、「一晩に6時間」でした。13か国全体では、7〜8時間がいちばん多い答えでした。
3日本では、電車の中で眠っている人をよく見かけます。このならわしには「いねむり」という名前があります。ふとんの中ではなく、電車のような場所で眠ってしまうことです。
4イギリスのケンブリッジ大学の研究者、ブリギッテ・シテーガさんは、いねむりを長いあいだ研究してきました。シテーガさんは、電車でのうたた寝は、夜に足りなかった眠りをおぎなう助けになると書きました。また、眠っている乗客のほとんどは、おりる駅の少し前に目をさますこともわかりました。「目を閉じて休んでいるだけ」とシテーガさんに話した人もたくさんいました。
文法ポイント:現在完了の継続(have / has + 過去分詞 + for ~)
「(今まで)ずっと~している」を表す。for のあとに期間を置く。本文の Brigitte Steger ... has studied inemuri for many years. は「長いあいだ(今も)いねむりを研究してきた」。
出典:東洋経済オンライン、デイリースポーツ、ResMed(レスメド)、electronic journal of contemporary japanese studies(Brigitte Steger, University of Cambridge) 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/2026-10-13-sleeping-on-trains-japan/