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 ____________________
ヘビが転がって逃げる！ふつうに進むより約4倍速い、東邦大学が動きを調べた
How a Tiny Snake Cartwheels to Safety
1Researchers at Toho University in Japan have shown how a tiny snake from Southeast Asia escapes danger by rolling like a wheel. The dwarf reed snake can roll about four times faster than it moves by slithering, the team reported in the journal Current Biology.
2Dwarf reed snakes are less than 30 centimeters long and live in many parts of Southeast Asia. Their rolling had been mentioned in field guides, but it was first officially recorded only in 2023. Until now, scientists knew little about how the snakes' bodies actually make the movement.
3To find out, the team set up a small racetrack and filmed the snakes from several angles. The snakes' top rolling speeds ranged from 1.72 to 3.69 meters per second. At the high end, that is about 13 kilometers per hour. The snakes rolled easily along a track just 20 centimeters across.
4Unlike a wheel, the snake does not turn as one solid piece. It rolls on one side of its body and then swings an arched part of its body down beside its head toward the ground. The researchers call this movement a stroke, and the side touching the ground switches between left and right with each one. Meanwhile, the head keeps pointing the way the snake is going, at a fairly steady height.
5The team said this steady head may help the snakes keep control while they move so fast. The snakes roll to escape from animals that might eat them.
Words 単語
| escapesA2 | 動 | 逃げる、のがれる（escape の3単現）gets away from something bad |
| slithering外 | 動 | （ヘビが）くねくね進むこと（slither の ing 形）moving along the ground by bending the body |
| reportedA2 | 動 | 報告した、発表した（report の過去形）told people about the results of work |
| officiallyB1 | 副 | 正式にin a way that is accepted by experts |
| anglesB1 | 名 | 角度（angle の複数形）the places from which you look at something |
| rangedA2 | 動 | （〜から…の）範囲にわたった（range の過去形）went between two numbers or levels |
| solidB1 | 形 | ひとかたまりの、かたいhard and all in one piece |
| archedB2 | 形 | 弓なりに曲がったcurved up in the shape of a bridge |
| steadyB1 | 形 | 安定した、ぶれないnot moving or changing very much |
| controlA2 | 名 | （体などを）思いどおりに動かすこと、制御the power to make something move the way you want |
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
Where did the team report its findings?
A. On a TV showB. In the journal Current BiologyC. In a field guideD. At a zoo in Southeast Asia
When was the snakes' rolling first officially recorded?
A. In 2003B. In 2013C. In 2023D. In 2026
How wide was the track the snakes rolled on?
A. Only 20 centimetersB. About 1.7 metersC. About 3.7 metersD. About 13 meters
How is the snake rolling different from a wheel?
A. It only rolls backward.B. It rolls only on its head.C. It never touches the ground.D. Its body does not turn as one solid piece.
Why do the snakes roll?
A. To catch foodB. To get away from animals that might eat themC. To find a partnerD. To keep warm
2. True or False 正しければ T、違っていれば F
( ) Scientists already knew exactly how the snakes' bodies make the rolling movement.
( ) The fastest rolling speed was about 13 kilometers per hour.
( ) The side of the body touching the ground stays the same during rolling.
( ) The snake's head stays at a fairly steady height while it rolls.
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）
solidrangedanglesslitheringofficiallyescapes
Researchers at Toho University in Japan have shown how a tiny snake from Southeast Asia _____ danger by rolling like a wheel.
Their rolling had been mentioned in field guides, but it was first _____ recorded only in 2023.
To find out, the team set up a small racetrack and filmed the snakes from several _____.
The snakes' top rolling speeds _____ from 1.72 to 3.69 meters per second.
The dwarf reed snake can roll about four times faster than it moves by _____, the team reported in the journal Current Biology.
Unlike a wheel, the snake does not turn as one _____ piece.
4. Word Order 語を並べかえて正しい文にしよう
( is / that / the / 13 / kilometers / end, / hour / per / high / about / At ) .
( does / Unlike / wheel, / snake / piece / one / solid / as / a / not / turn / the ) .
( to / The / them / roll / animals / eat / that / snakes / might / escape / from ) .
5. Think and Write 英語で答えてみよう
Engineers sometimes copy animal movements to design robots. What kind of robot could use the snakes' rolling?（技術者は、動物の動きをまねてロボットを作ることがあります。ヘビの転がり方は、どんなロボットに使えそうですか？）
Why do you think this rolling was not officially recorded until 2023?（この転がり方が2023年まで正式に記録されなかったのは、なぜだと思いますか？）
Answers 解答
1. (1) B (2) C (3) A (4) D (5) B
2. (1) F (2) T (3) F (4) T
3. (1) escapes (2) officially (3) angles (4) ranged (5) slithering (6) solid
4.
- At the high end, that is about 13 kilometers per hour.
- Unlike a wheel, the snake does not turn as one solid piece.
- The snakes roll to escape from animals that might eat them.
全文訳
1日本の東邦大学の研究者たちが、東南アジアの小さなヘビがタイヤのように転がって危険から逃げるしくみを明らかにしました。このヘビは、くねくねと進むときの約4倍の速さで転がれると、チームが学術誌 Current Biology で発表しました。
2このヘビは長さ30センチもなく、東南アジアのあちこちにすんでいます。転がることは野外の図鑑などで触れられていましたが、正式に記録されたのは2023年が初めてでした。これまで、ヘビの体が実際にどうやってその動きを生んでいるのかは、ほとんどわかっていませんでした。
3それを調べるため、チームは小さなレース用のコースを作り、ヘビをいくつもの角度から撮影しました。ヘビが転がるときのいちばん速いスピードは、1秒に1.72〜3.69メートルでした。いちばん速いものは、時速約13キロにあたります。ヘビは、幅20センチしかないコースの上を、すいすいと転がって進みました。
4車輪とちがって、このヘビは体全体がひとかたまりで回るわけではありません。体の片側で転がり、次に弓のように曲げた体の一部を、頭の横から地面へふり下ろします。研究者はこの動きを「ストローク」と呼び、地面につく側は1回ごとに左右が入れかわります。その間も、頭はヘビが進む方向を向いたまま、ほぼ同じ高さに保たれています。
5チームは、頭がぶれないことが、速く動きながらも体をうまく操るのに役立っているのかもしれないと述べました。ヘビは、自分を食べるかもしれない動物から逃げるために転がります。
文法ポイント：過去完了（had + 過去分詞）
過去のある時点より前に起きていたことを表す。本文の Their rolling had been mentioned in field guides, but it was first officially recorded only in 2023. は「2023年に正式に記録されるより前から、図鑑では触れられていた」。had been mentioned は過去完了の受け身。
出典：東邦大学（Mirage News）、Smithsonian Magazine、Popular Science、IFLScience 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/2026-10-25-dwarf-reed-snakes-roll/