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| ■ 東京大学過去問１９９４年（５） |
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次の英文を読み、以下の設問に答えよ。 (Katie and her twin brother Patrick live on a farm in the half-desert area in the Australian interior, called the outback. This year the region has been hit by a sever drought, and rain has been so scarce that their father's farm, always struggling to survive, faces real difficulties.) Till Patrick and I were twelve, and went away to boarding school, horses were the most important things in our lives, but when we came back after our first term, Patrick was only interested in motorbikes. From then on he spent every holiday speeding around on Dad's old bike. His horse, Smoky, went to the sales, which I cried about at the time, but Smokey was luckier than the other horses. He got out before the drought, while he still had some flesh on his bones and spring in his step. Dad shot the other two when we (1) out of feed for them. But the horses were still luckier than the sheep. The sheep -- hundreds and hundreds of them -- had to have their throats cut, because we couldn't (2) a bullet for each of them. "Why can't we leave school and keep the horses?" I begged Mum. "You know the money for school comes from the money Grandpa specially left for it,"she replied."We can't touch it (3) anything else. And don't you dare mention it to your dad. He'll be really angry." By then Dad knew there was no future for any of us on the land. He reckoned we were that bit luckier than most because Patrick and I had the chance of a good education. That was the only thing he clung to --- that we would do better than he had and we would get away --- away from the heartbreak and the tragedy and the paralysing sense of betrayal and failure. We walked off the farm for good just after Christmas, the year Patrick and I turned fourteen. But when we made the trip home for the holidays with Nigel Arnold we didn't know it would be for the (4) time. The Arnolds were our closest neibours. It was their son Nigel's last term at school. They were in as much trouble as we were but they didn't have their grandfather's money to help them out, so Nigel had to leave at fifteen. Usually we were pretty cheerful driving home for the holiday, but this time everyone was very quiet. I gazed out of the window at the dried-out landscape and thought despairingly about how many sheep would have to die. Mum looked terrible, much thinner and smaller than I remembered her. She was really glad to have us home, but she was also impatient, and a bit tearful. "I don't know what you're going to do with yourselves," she said, when she came into my room to say goodnight. "It's going to be a pretty dull holiday for you, Katie, I might as well warn you now. And I don't think your dad can bear it much longer. If there's one more blow, he'll break. I'm trying to look after him, trying to make it all easier on him. (5)Though how you make this sort of thing any easier beats me." I reached out and rubbed her shoulder. God, she was so bony! "Don't worry about us. Patrick's got the bike, at least, and I'll find something to do. Might even do some schoolwork!" (6)I was quite pleased with myself for managing a joke. (7)Mum made a grimace which just passed for a grin. "You can do some baking tomorrow --- we might as well make some Christmas things." I tried not to groan. Christmas baking when it's forty degrees outside is not my (8) a good time. "I don't suppose we're having a turkey?" "Roast chicken, I'm afraid. I'm saving a couple of hens for that." When I (9)made a face she said, "Be thankful it's not mutton." She went to the window and looked out. "I used to love the night sky," she said. " I thought it was one of the most beautiful things about the outback. But I'm sick of those stars. I wish they'd disappear." (注) boarding school:寄宿制の学校 (1) 空所(1)を埋めるのにもっとも適当なものは次のどれか。その記号を記せ。 (ア) drove (イ) hurried (ウ) moved (エ) ran (オ) reached (2) 空所(2)を埋めるのにもっとも適当なものは次のどれか。その記号を記せ。 (ア) afford (イ) distribute (ウ) economize (エ) prevent (オ) share (3) 空所(3)を埋めるのに適当な前置詞を記せ。 (4) 空所(4)には本文の他の箇所で使われている語が1語入る。その語を記せ。 (5) 下線部(5)の意味としてもっともふさわしいものは次のどれか。その記号を記せ。 (ア) でも、こんなことがいくら楽になったとしても何にもならない。 (イ) でも、こんなことをどうやって楽にしたらいいのか分からない。 (ウ) でも、こんなことが少しでも楽になったらそれこそおしまいだ。 (エ) でも、こんなことがおしまいになればあなたも少しは楽になる。 (6) 下線部(6)を日本語に直せ。 (7) 下線部(7)の内容にもっとも近い意味をもつものは次のどれか。その記号を記せ。 (ア) There was a smile on her face, but it only lasted for a minute. (イ) There was a smile on her face which was almost indistinguishable from a look of pain. (ウ) She did not seem to understand my joke but smiled at me nevertherless. (エ) She gave a look of displeasure and that led us to talk about something else. (8) 空所(8)を埋めるのにもっとも適当なものは次のどれか。その記号を記せ。 (ア) chance of (イ) hope for (ウ) idea of (エ) memory of (オ) reason for (9) 下線部(9)の意味は次のどれか。その記号を記せ。 (ア) いやな顔をする (イ) うれしそうにする (ウ) 驚いてみせる (エ) 気持ちを押し隠す (10) 次の(ア)~(オ)のうち本文の内容と合致するものを１つ選び、その記号を記せ。 (ア) Katie and her brother left the farm after Christmas never to return, after Nigel left school at fifteen. (イ) Mum told Katie not to mention to Dad what she had said to her, because she was afraid that he might agree. (ウ) Dad wanted desperately to stay in the outback, because he knew that his children would do better on the farm than he had done. (エ) Mum did not love the night sky of the outback as much as before, because she had seen it so often that it was too familiar now. (オ) When Katie returned home for the holidays, she found that Mum was overworked but Dad was finding the situation easier with Mum's help. |
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