第13回 の解答
テーマ：生物多様性 正解は緑、解説・和訳・スクリプト・模範解答つき
語彙・熟語（大問1形式）
目安 2分30秒空所に入れるのに最も適切なものを1つ選びなさい。
訳：農地や住宅開発が森林を侵食し続けるにつれ、そこに生息するオランウータンは驚くべき速さで生息地を失っている。
訳：その島には何十種もの固有種の鳥が生息しているが、それらは世界のほかのどこにも見られないため、特に絶滅の危険にさらされやすい。
訳：何十年にもわたる乱獲によって北大西洋のタラ資源は深刻に枯渇し、厳しい漁獲制限にもかかわらず、一部の個体群はいまだに回復していない。
訳：植物の中には、そうしなければ自分を食べてしまう昆虫やほかの動物を撃退するために、葉の中に有毒な化学物質を作り出すものがある。
訳：農家が新しい種類の殺虫剤を使い始めた後、その地域のハチの数は急激に減少し、作物の受粉に関する懸念が高まった。
長文読解（大問3形式）
目安 4分30秒The Hidden Value of Nature
Biodiversity loss is often discussed as an environmental issue, but it also has serious economic consequences. Scientists use the term ecosystem services to describe the benefits that humans receive from nature, such as clean water, fertile soil, flood control, and the pollination of crops. A large proportion of the world's major food crops depend at least partly on animals such as bees for pollination. When wild pollinator populations decline, farmers may have to rent honeybee colonies or even pollinate plants by hand, which can greatly increase costs.
Some economists argue that because these services are provided free of charge, markets tend to ignore them. A company that clears a forest for farmland, for example, profits from the land but does not pay for the loss of the forest's ability to store water or prevent soil erosion. To address this problem, several governments have introduced programs that pay landowners to protect forests and wetlands. Costa Rica, for instance, has operated such a scheme for decades, and forest cover in the country has recovered substantially, although researchers disagree about how much of this recovery the payments themselves can explain.
Critics caution, however, that putting a price on nature carries risks of its own. If species are protected mainly because they are economically useful, those with no obvious benefit to humans may be neglected. Moreover, economic values can change: a wetland judged worth preserving today might be considered more valuable as farmland tomorrow if crop prices rise. Supporters respond that economic arguments are not meant to replace ethical ones but to complement them, making the case for conservation more persuasive to governments and businesses that might otherwise overlook it.
リスニング（Part2 文章形式）
目安 2分🎙 In 1995, gray wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in the United States, about seventy years after they had been eliminated there. The results surprised many scientists. Without wolves, elk populations had grown large and had eaten so many young trees along rivers that the riverbanks had begun to erode. After the wolves returned, the elk changed their behavior and spent less time in open areas near water. In some places, trees such as willows began to recover, providing habitat for birds and beavers. This chain of effects is often described as a trophic cascade. However, some researchers now argue that the story has been oversimplified, since factors such as drought and human hunting also affected elk numbers.
スピーキング（面接No.4形式）
40秒Many species of plants and animals are in danger of extinction.
Should economic development be limited to protect endangered species?
💡 「取り返しがつかない（irreversible）」という論点は環境系の質問で強力な理由になる。
模範解答
はい、場合によってはそうすべきです。種は一度絶滅すると二度と取り戻せませんが、経済開発は多くの場合、別の場所で行うことができます。さらに、生態系はきれいな水や受粉といった重要な恩恵を人間にもたらしています。生態系を守ることは長期的には経済にとっても良いことなのです。
💡 「取り返しがつかない（irreversible）」という論点は環境系の質問で強力な理由になる。