【WPMの測定手順】
1. 読む前に設問を確認する
2. 時計(ストップウォッチ)を見ながら、英文を最初から最後まで読み、かかった秒数を記録する
3. 設問に解答する
4. 答え合わせをして正解数を確認する
以下の計算式でWPMを算出する
WPM = 語数 ÷ 読むのにかかった秒数 × 60 × 正解数 ÷ 設問数
※読んだ内容の理解を測定せずただ英文を読むスピードをチェックしたい場合は、WPM = 語数 ÷ 読むのにかかった秒数 × 60 まででOK。
Penguin Poop Makes Clouds
Antarctica is famous for its white ice and clear blue sky, but penguins may be making the air above it cloudier. A new study finds that huge colonies of Adélie penguins release large amounts of ammonia gas from their guano, or droppings. This gas meets sulfuric acid emitted by microscopic sea plants and creates tiny particles. Water vapor sticks to these seeds and grows into clouds that bounce sunlight back toward space. In this way, penguin poop could slightly cool the region.
Scientists took air samples near Marambio Station on the Antarctic Peninsula during the summer of 2023. When winds blew straight from a nearby colony, ammonia levels were up to 1,000 times higher than in bird-free areas. Particle counts sometimes jumped by 10,000 times, and thin fog often followed the spikes.
The effect did not vanish when the birds began their winter migration. Their guano had soaked into the frozen soil, which kept releasing ammonia for more than a month. Levels remained roughly 100 times above normal.
The team says the results highlight how living creatures, even in remote places, can influence regional climate. Such natural cooling processes must be included in climate models for the Southern Ocean and the wider planet. The discovery also shows that protecting wildlife can shape the atmosphere in unexpected ways, linking biology, chemistry, and climate science. The researchers also tracked trace gases such as dimethylamine, yet ammonia proved to be the dominant driver of particle growth in observations they recorded during the campaign. (250 words)
☆Answer the questions☆
(1) What gas from penguin guano helps create cloud-seeding particles?
a) Oxygen b) Ammonia c) Carbon dioxide d) Methane
(2) How high were ammonia levels when winds blew from the colony?
a) 10 times higher b) 100 times higher c) 1,000 times higher d) 10,000 times higher
(3) Why did ammonia levels stay elevated after the penguins migrated?
a) Volcanic activity continued b) Guano remained in the soil c) Sea ice melted faster d) New birds arrived

【Answer】