第41回 の解答
テーマ：野生動物と道路 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：新しい幹線道路が森を2つの区域に分断し、シカやクマが何世代にもわたって使ってきた餌場にたどり着けなくなった。
訳：幹線道路によって互いに分断された小さな個体群は近親交配に陥りやすく、その結果、病気への抵抗力が弱まることがある。
訳：昼夜を問わず続く、行き交う車の絶え間ない騒音によって、幹線道路の近くに住む鳥はお互いの鳴き声を聞き取りにくくなることがある。
訳：高速道路をまたぐ動物用の橋には数百万ドルかかるため、当局は建設するかどうかをまだじっくり検討している。
訳：その報告書は道路が野生動物に与える影響については軽く触れただけで、代わりにドライバーがどれだけ時間を節約できるかに焦点を当てていた。
長文読解（大問3形式）
目安 4分30秒Bridges for Animals
Roads bring economic benefits, but they also pose serious threats to wildlife. Each year, vast numbers of animals are killed by vehicles, and collisions with large animals such as deer or moose injure many drivers as well. Beyond these direct deaths, roads fragment habitats, dividing populations into smaller groups that can no longer mix. Over time, isolated groups can suffer from inbreeding, which reduces genetic diversity and makes them less able to cope with disease and environmental change. Traffic noise and artificial light may also discourage some species from using habitats near roads at all.
To address these problems, many countries have built wildlife crossings, including tunnels beneath roads and bridges covered with soil and vegetation. In Banff National Park in Canada, fences combined with dozens of such crossings have reportedly reduced collisions with large animals by more than 80 percent. Monitoring with cameras has shown that bears, wolves, and elk use the structures regularly, although some species take years to become accustomed to them. Researchers stress that fences are essential, since without them animals may simply continue crossing the road at their usual locations.
Critics note that such structures can be expensive, with a single large overpass sometimes costing millions of dollars. However, studies suggest that when the costs of vehicle repairs, medical treatment, and lost wildlife are taken into account, crossings built in high-risk areas can pay for themselves over time. The key, experts argue, is careful planning: collecting data on where collisions occur and how animals move, and involving ecologists at the earliest stages of road design rather than adding crossings as an afterthought.
リスニング（Part2 文章形式）
目安 2分🎙 In Japan, wildlife crossings are becoming more common, but they are not the only solution being tested. On some rural roads, authorities have installed devices that emit sounds or flashes of light when a vehicle approaches, warning animals such as deer to stay away. Results have been mixed. Some studies found that animals quickly became used to the signals and stopped responding. As a result, researchers are now focusing on driver behavior as well. Electronic signs that display warnings only during the seasons and hours when animals are most active appear to be more effective than permanent signs, which drivers tend to ignore.
スピーキング（面接No.4形式）
40秒Many wild animals are killed each year after being hit by cars.
Should the government spend more money to protect wild animals?
💡 A as well as B（BだけでなくAも）で「人間にも利益がある」と示すと、反論されにくい。
模範解答
はい、そう思います。第一に、日本の多くの種が道路建設などの人間の活動のせいで絶滅の危機にあるので、私たちにはそれらを守る責任があります。第二に、動物用の横断路のような対策は交通事故も防ぐので、動物だけでなくドライバーも守ることになります。
💡 A as well as B（BだけでなくAも）で「人間にも利益がある」と示すと、反論されにくい。