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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）

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耳あかは英語で earwax　つるつるだとアリはすべり落ち、アリの体にもくっつく

Earwax Works as a Slippery, Sticky Trap for Insects

音声・ゲームはこちらから

1Earwax is slippery but also sticky, and that unusual mix makes it a tough barrier for insects, a new study has found. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta published the work in the journal Soft Matter. Their paper is titled Earwax as pest control.

2The team first collected earwax from dead pigs, sheep and rabbits, and later from friends and family. A person's ear holds only about as much earwax as one grain of rice, the researchers said. In one test, ants tried to climb the rim of a glass beaker coated with earwax. Ants slipped off smooth earwax immediately, while on rough earwax they simply moved more slowly.

3Next, they coated a tunnel sized more like a human ear canal. The wax clung to the ants, and they groomed themselves intensely to remove it. Minutes later, some wax still remained in places the ants could not easily reach.

4The slipperiness comes from the fats in earwax. The wax is also full of tiny holes and can take in water weighing twice as much as the wax itself. These holes soak up the small drops that ants produce to grip surfaces, so the insects cannot hold on. Old earwax becomes dry and breaks apart, and the ear pushes it out over about 8 to 10 weeks.

5A chemical engineer on the team made an artificial version that copies how real earwax is built, not what it is made of, and ants struggled with it as well. The researchers said they do not expect their methods to replace insect repellents made on a large scale. But they said the idea could lead to safe ways to control insects or to keep earwax off earbuds.

Words　単語

barrierB2名壁、さまたげるものsomething that stops things from getting through
publishedA2動発表した、出版した（publish の過去形）made a study or book public for people to read
coatedA1動（うすく）おおった、ぬった（coat の過去形）covered something with a thin layer
immediatelyB1副すぐにright now, with no waiting
clung外動くっついた、しがみついた（cling の過去形）held on tightly and did not come off
remainedA2動残った（remain の過去形）stayed or was still there
rimB2名ふちthe edge around the top of a cup or bowl
gripB2動しっかりつかむto hold something tightly
artificialA2形人工のmade by people, not by nature
struggledB1動苦戦した（struggle の過去形）tried hard but found it very difficult

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 did the team first get earwax?

    A. From a hospitalB. From dead pigs, sheep and rabbitsC. From antsD. From a factory

  2. What happened in the tunnel test?

    A. The ants walked through it easily.B. The tunnel became too hot.C. The wax clung to the ants, and some stayed on them for minutes.D. The ants built a nest inside it.

  3. Why can't ants hold on to earwax?

    A. The tiny holes soak up the drops ants use to grip.B. Earwax is too cold for ants.C. Earwax has a smell that ants hate.D. Ants have no legs that can climb.

  4. How long does it take for the ear to push old earwax out?

    A. About one dayB. About two weeksC. About one yearD. About 8 to 10 weeks

  5. What did the researchers say about their methods?

    A. They will soon replace all insect repellents.B. They do not expect them to replace repellents made on a large scale.C. They are too dangerous to use.D. They only work on pigs.

2. True or False　正しければ T、違っていれば F

  1. (     ) A person has a lot of earwax in each ear.

  2. (     ) Earwax can take in water weighing twice as much as itself.

  3. (     ) The slipperiness of earwax comes from salt.

  4. (     ) Ants also struggled with the artificial earwax.

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）

barriercoatedpublishedimmediatelyclungremained

  1. Minutes later, some wax still _____ in places the ants could not easily reach.

  2. Ants slipped off smooth earwax _____, while on rough earwax they simply moved more slowly.

  3. In one test, ants tried to climb the rim of a glass beaker _____ with earwax.

  4. The wax _____ to the ants, and they groomed themselves intensely to remove it.

  5. Earwax is slippery but also sticky, and that unusual mix makes it a tough _____ for insects, a new study has found.

  6. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta _____ the work in the journal Soft Matter.

4. Word Order　語を並べかえて正しい文にしよう

  1. ( The / in / fats / the / earwax / comes / from / slipperiness ) .

  2. ( ear / more / human / they / a / sized / like / canal / coated / a / tunnel / Next, ) .

  3. ( pest / paper / is / Earwax / control / as / Their / titled ) .

5. Think and Write　英語で答えてみよう

  1. Do you think ideas from the human body can help us make better products? Give an example.（人の体からヒントを得て、よりよい製品が作れると思いますか？例をあげてください。）

  2. Would you be willing to give your earwax for a science experiment? Why or why not?（科学の実験のために、自分の耳あかを提供してもいいと思いますか？その理由は？）

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) remained　(2) immediately　(3) coated　(4) clung　(5) barrier　(6) published

4.

  1. The slipperiness comes from the fats in earwax.
  2. Next, they coated a tunnel sized more like a human ear canal.
  3. Their paper is titled Earwax as pest control.

全文訳

1耳あかはすべりやすくてベタベタもする。その変わった組み合わせが、虫にとって手ごわい壁になっていることが、新しい研究でわかりました。アトランタにあるジョージア工科大学の研究者たちが、学術誌「ソフトマター」で発表しました。論文の題は「害虫よけとしての耳あか」です。

2チームは、はじめは死んだブタやヒツジやウサギから、のちには友人や家族から耳あかを集めました。研究者たちによると、人の耳あかは、片方の耳に米つぶ1つぶんくらいしかありません。ある実験では、ふちを耳あかでおおったガラスのビーカーを、アリに登らせました。つるつるの耳あかではアリはすぐにすべり落ち、でこぼこの耳あかでは進むのがおそくなっただけでした。

3次に、人の耳の穴に近い大きさのトンネルを耳あかでおおいました。耳あかはアリにくっつき、アリはそれを取ろうと必死で体の手入れをしました。数分たっても、アリの届きにくいところには耳あかが残っていました。

4すべりやすさは、耳あかにふくまれる脂肪から来ています。耳あかは小さな穴だらけで、自分の重さの2倍の水を吸いこめます。この穴が、アリが物の表面につかまるために出す小さなしずくを吸ってしまうので、アリはつかまれません。古い耳あかはかわいてくずれ、耳は約8〜10週間かけてそれを外へ押し出します。

5チームの化学工学者が、成分ではなく物としてのつくりをまねた人工の耳あかを作ったところ、アリはそれにも苦戦しました。研究者たちは、自分たちの方法が大量に作られる虫よけにとってかわるとは考えていないと述べました。ただ、この考え方は、安全な虫よけや、イヤホンに耳あかがつかないようにする工夫につながるかもしれないと話しました。

文法ポイント：接続詞 while（～なのに対して）

while は「～している間に」のほかに、2つのことを並べて「～なのに対して…」と対比するときにも使う。本文の Ants slipped off smooth earwax immediately, while on rough earwax they simply moved more slowly.（つるつるの耳あかではアリはすぐにすべり落ちたのに対して、でこぼこの耳あかでは進むのがおそくなっただけだった）がその例。

出典：PubMed（Soft Matter, 2026）、Phys.org（The Conversation）、Popular Science 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/2026-11-03-earwax-ants-slippery-sticky/