第29回 の解答
テーマ：古代文明 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：マヤの天文学者たちは金星の動きについて綿密な記録をつけ、何年にもわたって毎晩その位置を驚くほど正確に書き留めた。
訳：侵略軍はしばしば、図書館を焼き神殿を取り壊して、征服した文明の痕跡をすべて消し去ろうとした。
訳：いくつかの遺跡で焼けた建物や急ごしらえの防御壁が発見されたことは、古典期末期に戦争が激化したという説を裏付けている。
訳：歴史家たちは長い間、古代社会における女性の役割を軽視してきたが、新たな証拠によって土地を所有したり商売を営んだりした女性もいたことが分かっている。
訳：何年もの発掘の末、チームはようやく、訪問者が遺物を見られるよう遺跡に小さな博物館を建てるだけの資金をかき集めた。
長文読解（大問3形式）
目安 4分30秒The Collapse of the Classic Maya
Between the eighth and tenth centuries, many of the great cities of the Classic Maya civilization, in what is now southern Mexico and Central America, were gradually abandoned. At their height, these cities supported large populations, monumental temples, and an advanced system of writing and astronomy. For decades, scholars debated what could have caused such a dramatic decline, proposing explanations ranging from foreign invasion to epidemic disease and peasant revolts. Today, most researchers reject the idea of a single cause and instead believe that several factors combined to weaken Maya society over many generations.
Environmental evidence has played an important role in shaping this view. Analyses of lake sediments and cave formations suggest that the region experienced a series of severe droughts during this period. Because many Maya cities depended on rainwater collected in reservoirs to survive the dry season, prolonged dry spells would likely have caused repeated crop failures. At the same time, populations had grown rapidly, and large areas of forest had been cleared for farming and for fuel. Some researchers argue that this deforestation may itself have reduced local rainfall and worsened soil erosion, making the effects of drought even more severe.
Environmental stress alone, however, does not explain everything. Some cities declined before the worst droughts began, while others in drier areas survived longer. Many scholars therefore emphasize political and social factors. Inscriptions indicate that warfare between rival cities became more frequent in this period, and Maya kings, who claimed a special relationship with the gods that brought rain, may have lost legitimacy when they could no longer deliver prosperity. In this view, drought acted less as a direct cause than as a pressure that exposed weaknesses already present in the political system.
リスニング（Part2 文章形式）
目安 2分🎙 Stonehenge, the famous prehistoric monument in England, has long puzzled researchers. One mystery concerns its smaller stones, known as bluestones, which came from Wales, more than 200 kilometers away. In 2021, archaeologists reported evidence that an earlier stone circle had once stood in Wales and that its stones may have been taken apart and moved to Stonehenge. Researchers suggest that people migrating from Wales carried the stones with them as a way of bringing their ancestors' identity to their new home. If this is correct, Stonehenge was not only a calendar or temple but also a monument to the memory of a community.
スピーキング（面接No.4形式）
40秒Many countries spend large amounts of money to protect ancient ruins and historical sites.
Should governments spend more money to preserve historical sites?
💡 「教育的価値」と「経済的効果」のように、異なる観点から理由を2つ挙げるのが高得点のコツ。
模範解答
はい、そうすべきだと思います。第一に、史跡は教科書ではできない形で、人々が自国の歴史や文化を理解する助けになります。第二に、よく保存された史跡は世界中から観光客を呼び込み、雇用を生み地域経済を支えるので、その投資は元が取れるのです。
💡 「教育的価値」と「経済的効果」のように、異なる観点から理由を2つ挙げるのが高得点のコツ。