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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 ____________________

鬼界カルデラの噴火で縄文人はどうなった？　九州北部では人が増え続けていた

A Giant Eruption and the Jomon People

音声・ゲームはこちらから

1About 7,300 years ago, an undersea volcano south of Kyushu, now called the Kikai caldera, produced one of the largest eruptions of the past 11,700 years. Archaeologists have long debated what the disaster did to the Jomon people, who lived in Japan as hunter-gatherers at the time. A new study suggests that the answer depends on where people lived.

2The study was published in the journal Science Advances on October 16. Its lead author was Enrico Crema of Cambridge University, and its senior author was Peter Jordan of Lund University in Sweden. The team used statistical models to estimate how Jomon populations across Japan changed before and after the eruption. Jordan said the eruption gave little warning and brought earthquakes, tsunamis and meters of ash.

3In southern Kyushu, Jomon populations had already been falling long before the eruption. As a result, the disaster struck an area where few people still lived. Some areas near the volcano became impossible to live in.

4Northern Kyushu shows a different pattern. Its population was rising before the eruption and continued to grow during and after it. The researchers suggest that people escaping the worst-hit areas may have moved north. Sea life along the northern coasts appears to have recovered quickly, and new ways of using it may have supported further growth.

5The study also found an effect that had not been noticed before. Populations in regions far from the volcano had been growing, but after the eruption, that growth stalled or turned into a decline. The team says possible causes include a short-term change in climate and severe wear on the teeth of deer and wild boar, which may have come from eating plants covered in ash. These animals were an important source of food for the Jomon people.

Words　単語

underseaB2形海底のbelow the top of the sea
debatedA2動議論したtalked about different ideas on a topic
hunter-gatherers外名狩猟採集民people who hunt animals and collect wild food
estimateB1動推定する、見積もるto guess a number using facts
populationsA2名人口the number of people living in a place
struckA2動おそったhit or affected suddenly and badly
patternB1名傾向、パターンthe way something usually happens
recoveredB1動回復したbecame healthy or normal again
declineB1名減少a fall in number or amount
sourceA2名源、もとwhere something comes from

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 volcano?

    A. Under the sea south of KyushuB. On a mountain in TohokuC. In the middle of HonshuD. Near Sweden

  2. Who was the lead author of the study?

    A. Peter Jordan of Lund UniversityB. A team from Kyushu UniversityC. Enrico Crema of Cambridge UniversityD. The Japanese government

  3. Why did the disaster hit an area where few people still lived?

    A. People had left after an earlier tsunami.B. Jomon populations there had already been falling.C. The government had moved people away.D. The area was always empty.

  4. What may have helped northern Kyushu grow?

    A. A warmer climateB. Rice farmingC. Help from other countriesD. People moving from hard-hit areas and the quick recovery of sea life

  5. What happened in regions far from the volcano?

    A. Their growth stopped or turned into a decline.B. Their populations grew faster.C. Nothing changed.D. Everyone moved to Kyushu.

2. True or False　正しければ T、違っていれば F

  1. (     ) The study was published in Science Advances.

  2. (     ) Jordan said people had plenty of warning before the eruption.

  3. (     ) Sea life along the northern coasts appears to have recovered quickly.

  4. (     ) Deer and wild boar were not eaten by the Jomon people.

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）

populationsunderseaestimatestruckpatterndebated

  1. In southern Kyushu, Jomon _____ had already been falling long before the eruption.

  2. Northern Kyushu shows a different _____.

  3. Archaeologists have long _____ what the disaster did to the Jomon people, who lived in Japan as hunter-gatherers at the time.

  4. About 7,300 years ago, an _____ volcano south of Kyushu, now called the Kikai caldera, produced one of the largest eruptions of the past 11,700 years.

  5. As a result, the disaster _____ an area where few people still lived.

  6. The team used statistical models to _____ how Jomon populations across Japan changed before and after the eruption.

4. Word Order　語を並べかえて正しい文にしよう

  1. ( shows / Kyushu / different / a / Northern / pattern ) .

  2. ( became / Some / near / to / areas / the / live / volcano / in / impossible ) .

  3. ( noticed / The / before / not / had / found / also / that / effect / an / been / study ) .

5. Think and Write　英語で答えてみよう

  1. Why do you think some people moved away after the eruption while others stayed? Give your reasons.（噴火のあと、移り住んだ人とその場に残った人がいたのはなぜだと思いますか。理由を挙げましょう。）

  2. What can people today learn from how the Jomon people dealt with this disaster?（縄文の人々がこの災害にどう向き合ったかから、今の私たちは何を学べると思いますか。）

Answers　解答

1. (1) A　(2) C　(3) B　(4) D　(5) A

2. (1) T　(2) F　(3) T　(4) F

3. (1) populations　(2) pattern　(3) debated　(4) undersea　(5) struck　(6) estimate

4.

  1. Northern Kyushu shows a different pattern.
  2. Some areas near the volcano became impossible to live in.
  3. The study also found an effect that had not been noticed before.

全文訳

1約7300年前、九州の南にある海底火山、いまの「鬼界カルデラ」が、この1万1700年で最大級の噴火を起こしました。当時、狩りや採集をして日本に住んでいた縄文の人々にこの災害が何をもたらしたのか、考古学者たちは長く議論してきました。新しい研究は、その答えが「どこに住んでいたか」によってちがうことを示しています。

2研究は10月16日に学術誌『サイエンス・アドバンシズ』に発表されました。論文の筆頭著者はケンブリッジ大学のエンリコ・クレマさん、研究をまとめた著者（シニア著者）はスウェーデンのルンド大学のピーター・ジョーダンさんです。チームは統計モデルを使って、日本各地の縄文の人口が噴火の前後でどう変わったかを推定しました。ジョーダンさんによると、噴火は前ぶれがほとんどないまま起こり、地震や津波、何メートルもの火山灰をもたらしました。

3九州の南部では、噴火のずっと前から縄文の人口が減り続けていました。そのため、災害がおそったのは、もうあまり人が住んでいない地域でした。火山に近い場所の中には、人が住めない土地になったところもありました。

4九州の北部は、ちがう動きを見せています。北部の人口は噴火の前から増えていて、噴火の最中もそのあとも増え続けました。研究者たちは、被害のひどい地域からにげた人たちが北へ移ったのかもしれないと考えています。北部の海岸の海の生き物は早く回復したようで、それを利用する新しい方法が、人口がさらに増える助けになったのかもしれません。

5研究は、これまで気づかれていなかった影響も見つけました。火山から遠い地方では人口が増えていましたが、噴火のあと、増加が止まったり減少に転じたりしました。チームは、原因として、短い期間の気候の変化や、シカやイノシシの歯がひどくすり減ったことなどを挙げています。歯のすり減りは、灰をかぶった草を食べたためかもしれません。これらの動物は、縄文の人々にとって大切な食料でした。

文法ポイント：過去完了進行形（had been ～ing）

〈had been＋～ing〉で、過去のある時点「まで」ずっと続いていたことを表す。本文の Jomon populations had already been falling long before the eruption. は「噴火のずっと前から、縄文の人口はすでに減り続けていた」。

出典：Phys.org（ルンド大学の発表）、ScienceDaily（ルンド大学の発表）、IFLScience、科学技術振興機構 サイエンスポータル 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/2026-10-19-kikai-eruption-jomon-people/