大学入学共通テスト（英語） 過去問
令和5年度（2023年度）本試験
問121 (＜旧課程＞英語リーディング（第5問） 問7)
問題文
各問いの英文や図表を読み、解答番号にあてはまるものとして最も適当な選択肢を選びなさい。
Your English teacher has told everyone in your class to find an inspirational story and present it to a discussion group， using notes. You have found a story written by a high school student in the UK.
Lessons from Table Tennis
Ben Carter
The ball flew at lightning speed to my backhand. It was completely unexpected and I had no time to react. I lost the point and the match. Defeat... Again！ This is how it was in the first few months when I started playing table tennis. It was frustrating， but I now know that the sport taught me more than simply how to be a better athlete.
In middle school， I loved football. I was one of the top scorers， but I didn’t get along with my teammates. The coach often said that I should be more of a team player. I knew I should work on the problem， but communication was just not my strong point.
I had to leave the football club when my family moved to a new town. I wasn’t upset as I had decided to stop playing football anyway. My new school had a table tennis club， coached by the PE teacher， Mr Trent， and I joined that. To be honest， I chose table tennis because I thought it would be easier for me to play individually.
At first， I lost more games than I won. I was frustrated and often went straight home after practice， not speaking to anyone. One day， however， Mr Trent said to me， ”You could be a good player， Ben， but you need to think more about your game. What do you think you need to do？” ”I don’t know，” I replied， ”focus on the ball more？” ”Yes，” Mr Trent continued， ”but you also need to study your opponent’s moves and adjust your play accordingly. Remember， your opponent is a person， not a ball.” This made a deep impression on me.
I deliberately modified my style of play， paying closer attention to my opponent’s moves. It was not easy， and took a lot of concentration. My efforts paid off， however， and my play improved. My confidence grew and I started staying behind more after practice. I was turning into a star player and my classmates tried to talk to me more than before. I thought that I was becoming popular， but our conversations seemed to end before they really got started. Although my play might have improved， my communication skills obviously hadn’t.
My older brother Patrick was one of the few people I could communicate with well. One day， I tried to explain my problems with communication to him， but couldn’t make him understand. We switched to talking about table tennis. ”What do you actually enjoy about it？” he asked me curiously. I said I loved analysing my opponent’s movements and making instant decisions about the next move. Patrick looked thoughtful. ”That sounds like the kind of skill we use when we communicate，” he said.
At that time， I didn’t understand， but soon after our conversation， I won a silver medal in a table tennis tournament. My classmates seemed really pleased. One of them， George， came running over. ”Hey， Ben！” he said， ”Let’s have a party to celebrate！” Without thinking， I replied， ”I can’t. I’ve got practice.” He looked a bit hurt and walked off without saying anything else.
Why was he upset？ I thought about this incident for a long time. Why did he suggest a party？ Should I have said something different？ A lot of questions came to my mind， but then I realised that he was just being kind. If I’d said， ”Great idea. Thank you！ Let me talk to Mr Trent and see if I can get some time off practice，” then maybe the outcome would have been better. At that moment Patrick’s words made sense. Without attempting to grasp someone’s intention， I wouldn’t know how to respond.
I’m still not the best communicator in the world， but I definitely feel more confident in my communication skills now than before. Next year， my friends and I are going to co−ordinate the table tennis league with other schools.
Choose the best option for （ 36 ）.
Your English teacher has told everyone in your class to find an inspirational story and present it to a discussion group， using notes. You have found a story written by a high school student in the UK.
Lessons from Table Tennis
Ben Carter
The ball flew at lightning speed to my backhand. It was completely unexpected and I had no time to react. I lost the point and the match. Defeat... Again！ This is how it was in the first few months when I started playing table tennis. It was frustrating， but I now know that the sport taught me more than simply how to be a better athlete.
In middle school， I loved football. I was one of the top scorers， but I didn’t get along with my teammates. The coach often said that I should be more of a team player. I knew I should work on the problem， but communication was just not my strong point.
I had to leave the football club when my family moved to a new town. I wasn’t upset as I had decided to stop playing football anyway. My new school had a table tennis club， coached by the PE teacher， Mr Trent， and I joined that. To be honest， I chose table tennis because I thought it would be easier for me to play individually.
At first， I lost more games than I won. I was frustrated and often went straight home after practice， not speaking to anyone. One day， however， Mr Trent said to me， ”You could be a good player， Ben， but you need to think more about your game. What do you think you need to do？” ”I don’t know，” I replied， ”focus on the ball more？” ”Yes，” Mr Trent continued， ”but you also need to study your opponent’s moves and adjust your play accordingly. Remember， your opponent is a person， not a ball.” This made a deep impression on me.
I deliberately modified my style of play， paying closer attention to my opponent’s moves. It was not easy， and took a lot of concentration. My efforts paid off， however， and my play improved. My confidence grew and I started staying behind more after practice. I was turning into a star player and my classmates tried to talk to me more than before. I thought that I was becoming popular， but our conversations seemed to end before they really got started. Although my play might have improved， my communication skills obviously hadn’t.
My older brother Patrick was one of the few people I could communicate with well. One day， I tried to explain my problems with communication to him， but couldn’t make him understand. We switched to talking about table tennis. ”What do you actually enjoy about it？” he asked me curiously. I said I loved analysing my opponent’s movements and making instant decisions about the next move. Patrick looked thoughtful. ”That sounds like the kind of skill we use when we communicate，” he said.
At that time， I didn’t understand， but soon after our conversation， I won a silver medal in a table tennis tournament. My classmates seemed really pleased. One of them， George， came running over. ”Hey， Ben！” he said， ”Let’s have a party to celebrate！” Without thinking， I replied， ”I can’t. I’ve got practice.” He looked a bit hurt and walked off without saying anything else.
Why was he upset？ I thought about this incident for a long time. Why did he suggest a party？ Should I have said something different？ A lot of questions came to my mind， but then I realised that he was just being kind. If I’d said， ”Great idea. Thank you！ Let me talk to Mr Trent and see if I can get some time off practice，” then maybe the outcome would have been better. At that moment Patrick’s words made sense. Without attempting to grasp someone’s intention， I wouldn’t know how to respond.
I’m still not the best communicator in the world， but I definitely feel more confident in my communication skills now than before. Next year， my friends and I are going to co−ordinate the table tennis league with other schools.
Choose the best option for （ 36 ）.
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問題
大学入学共通テスト（英語）試験 令和5年度（2023年度）本試験 問121（＜旧課程＞英語リーディング（第5問） 問7） （訂正依頼・報告はこちら）
各問いの英文や図表を読み、解答番号にあてはまるものとして最も適当な選択肢を選びなさい。
Your English teacher has told everyone in your class to find an inspirational story and present it to a discussion group， using notes. You have found a story written by a high school student in the UK.
Lessons from Table Tennis
Ben Carter
The ball flew at lightning speed to my backhand. It was completely unexpected and I had no time to react. I lost the point and the match. Defeat... Again！ This is how it was in the first few months when I started playing table tennis. It was frustrating， but I now know that the sport taught me more than simply how to be a better athlete.
In middle school， I loved football. I was one of the top scorers， but I didn’t get along with my teammates. The coach often said that I should be more of a team player. I knew I should work on the problem， but communication was just not my strong point.
I had to leave the football club when my family moved to a new town. I wasn’t upset as I had decided to stop playing football anyway. My new school had a table tennis club， coached by the PE teacher， Mr Trent， and I joined that. To be honest， I chose table tennis because I thought it would be easier for me to play individually.
At first， I lost more games than I won. I was frustrated and often went straight home after practice， not speaking to anyone. One day， however， Mr Trent said to me， ”You could be a good player， Ben， but you need to think more about your game. What do you think you need to do？” ”I don’t know，” I replied， ”focus on the ball more？” ”Yes，” Mr Trent continued， ”but you also need to study your opponent’s moves and adjust your play accordingly. Remember， your opponent is a person， not a ball.” This made a deep impression on me.
I deliberately modified my style of play， paying closer attention to my opponent’s moves. It was not easy， and took a lot of concentration. My efforts paid off， however， and my play improved. My confidence grew and I started staying behind more after practice. I was turning into a star player and my classmates tried to talk to me more than before. I thought that I was becoming popular， but our conversations seemed to end before they really got started. Although my play might have improved， my communication skills obviously hadn’t.
My older brother Patrick was one of the few people I could communicate with well. One day， I tried to explain my problems with communication to him， but couldn’t make him understand. We switched to talking about table tennis. ”What do you actually enjoy about it？” he asked me curiously. I said I loved analysing my opponent’s movements and making instant decisions about the next move. Patrick looked thoughtful. ”That sounds like the kind of skill we use when we communicate，” he said.
At that time， I didn’t understand， but soon after our conversation， I won a silver medal in a table tennis tournament. My classmates seemed really pleased. One of them， George， came running over. ”Hey， Ben！” he said， ”Let’s have a party to celebrate！” Without thinking， I replied， ”I can’t. I’ve got practice.” He looked a bit hurt and walked off without saying anything else.
Why was he upset？ I thought about this incident for a long time. Why did he suggest a party？ Should I have said something different？ A lot of questions came to my mind， but then I realised that he was just being kind. If I’d said， ”Great idea. Thank you！ Let me talk to Mr Trent and see if I can get some time off practice，” then maybe the outcome would have been better. At that moment Patrick’s words made sense. Without attempting to grasp someone’s intention， I wouldn’t know how to respond.
I’m still not the best communicator in the world， but I definitely feel more confident in my communication skills now than before. Next year， my friends and I are going to co−ordinate the table tennis league with other schools.
Choose the best option for （ 36 ）.
Your English teacher has told everyone in your class to find an inspirational story and present it to a discussion group， using notes. You have found a story written by a high school student in the UK.
Lessons from Table Tennis
Ben Carter
The ball flew at lightning speed to my backhand. It was completely unexpected and I had no time to react. I lost the point and the match. Defeat... Again！ This is how it was in the first few months when I started playing table tennis. It was frustrating， but I now know that the sport taught me more than simply how to be a better athlete.
In middle school， I loved football. I was one of the top scorers， but I didn’t get along with my teammates. The coach often said that I should be more of a team player. I knew I should work on the problem， but communication was just not my strong point.
I had to leave the football club when my family moved to a new town. I wasn’t upset as I had decided to stop playing football anyway. My new school had a table tennis club， coached by the PE teacher， Mr Trent， and I joined that. To be honest， I chose table tennis because I thought it would be easier for me to play individually.
At first， I lost more games than I won. I was frustrated and often went straight home after practice， not speaking to anyone. One day， however， Mr Trent said to me， ”You could be a good player， Ben， but you need to think more about your game. What do you think you need to do？” ”I don’t know，” I replied， ”focus on the ball more？” ”Yes，” Mr Trent continued， ”but you also need to study your opponent’s moves and adjust your play accordingly. Remember， your opponent is a person， not a ball.” This made a deep impression on me.
I deliberately modified my style of play， paying closer attention to my opponent’s moves. It was not easy， and took a lot of concentration. My efforts paid off， however， and my play improved. My confidence grew and I started staying behind more after practice. I was turning into a star player and my classmates tried to talk to me more than before. I thought that I was becoming popular， but our conversations seemed to end before they really got started. Although my play might have improved， my communication skills obviously hadn’t.
My older brother Patrick was one of the few people I could communicate with well. One day， I tried to explain my problems with communication to him， but couldn’t make him understand. We switched to talking about table tennis. ”What do you actually enjoy about it？” he asked me curiously. I said I loved analysing my opponent’s movements and making instant decisions about the next move. Patrick looked thoughtful. ”That sounds like the kind of skill we use when we communicate，” he said.
At that time， I didn’t understand， but soon after our conversation， I won a silver medal in a table tennis tournament. My classmates seemed really pleased. One of them， George， came running over. ”Hey， Ben！” he said， ”Let’s have a party to celebrate！” Without thinking， I replied， ”I can’t. I’ve got practice.” He looked a bit hurt and walked off without saying anything else.
Why was he upset？ I thought about this incident for a long time. Why did he suggest a party？ Should I have said something different？ A lot of questions came to my mind， but then I realised that he was just being kind. If I’d said， ”Great idea. Thank you！ Let me talk to Mr Trent and see if I can get some time off practice，” then maybe the outcome would have been better. At that moment Patrick’s words made sense. Without attempting to grasp someone’s intention， I wouldn’t know how to respond.
I’m still not the best communicator in the world， but I definitely feel more confident in my communication skills now than before. Next year， my friends and I are going to co−ordinate the table tennis league with other schools.
Choose the best option for （ 36 ）.
- asked his friend questions to find out more about his motivation
- invited Mr Trent and other classmates to the party to show appreciation
- tried to understand his friend’s point of view to act appropriately
- worked hard to be a better team player for successful communication
正解！素晴らしいです
残念...
この過去問の解説 （2件）
01
設問：（ 36 ）に入る最も適切な選択肢を選びなさい。
！問題のポイント！
①Georgeの会話のあとにBenが気づいたことを答える問題です。
②言い換え問題です。
訳）
あなたの英語の先生は、クラスの全員に感動的な話を見つけ、メモを使ってディスカッショングループで発表するように言いました。そしてイギリスの高校生が書いた物語を見つけました。
卓球から学んだこと
Ben Carter
ボールが稲妻のような速さで私のバックハンド側に飛んできました。それは全く予想外で、反応する時間もありませんでした。私はそのポイントも試合も落としました。敗北・・・・またか！卓球を始めた最初の数ヵ月は、いつもこんな感じでした。とても悔しかったですが、今ではこのスポーツが単に良いアスリートになる方法以上のことを私に教えてくれたと分かっています。
・completely unexpected : 完全に予想外だった
・frustrating : 悔しい、イライラする
中学生の頃、私はサッカーが大好きでした。私は得点力の高い選手の１人でしたが、チームメイトとうまくやれませんでした。コーチはよく、もっとチームプレーをするべきだと言っていました。その問題を改善するべきだと分かっていましたが、コミュニケーションは私の得意分野ではありませんでした。
・get along with ～ : ～とうまくやる、仲良くする
家族が新しい街へ引っ越したとき、サッカー部を退部しなければなりませんでした。どうせサッカーは辞めるつもりだったので、それほど悲しくありませんでした。新しい学校には体育教師のTrent先生が指導する卓球部があり、そこに入部しました。正直に言うと、私は個人プレーできて楽だと思ったので卓球を選びました。
・PE teacher : 体育教師
・individually : 個人で
最初は、勝つより負ける試合の方が多かったです。悔しくて練習後は誰とも話さずにすぐに家に帰ることが多かったです。しかしある日、Trenr先生がこう言いました。「Ben、君は良い選手になれる可能性がある。だが、自分のプレーについてもっと考える必要がある。何をすべきだと思う？」「分かりません。ボールにもっと集中することですか？」と答えました。「そうだ。」Trent先生は続けました。「しかし、相手の動きを観察し、それに合わせてプレーを調整する必要もある。」「覚えておきなさい。相手はボールではなく、人間なんだ。」この言葉は私に強い印象を残しました。
・opponent（名詞） : 対戦相手、敵
・accordingly（副詞） : それに応じて
・impression（名詞） : 印象
私は相手の動きにより注意を払うようにして、意識的にプレースタイルを変えました。それは簡単ではなく、多くの集中力が必要でした。しかし努力は実り、プレーは上達しました。自信が付き、練習後も残るようになりました。私は有名になりつつあり、クラスメートも以前より話しかけてくるようになりました。自分は人気者になってきたのだと思いましたが、会話は本格的に始まる前に終わってしまうことが多かったです。プレーは上達したかもしれませんが、コミュニケーション能力は明らかに上達していませんでした。
・deliberately（副詞）: 故意に
・modify（動詞） : 変える、調整する
・concentration（名詞） : 集中
・pay off : 報われる
兄のPatrickは、私がうまくコミュニケーションできる数少ない１人でした。ある日、自分のコミュニケーションの問題を説明しようとしましたが、うまく理解してもらえませんでした。そこで話題を卓球に変えました。「卓球のどこが好きなの？」彼は興味深そうに聞きました。私は相手の動きを分析し、次のプレーを瞬時に決めることが好きだと答えました。Patrickは考え込んだ様子でした。「それは人とコミュニケーションするときに使う能力と同じだね。」と彼は言いました。
・curiously（副詞） : 興味深そうに、好奇心旺盛な
・analyse（動詞） : 分析する
・instant decisions : 瞬時に決める
・thoughtful（形容詞） : 思慮深い
そのときは意味が分かりませんでしたが、その会話の後まもなく、卓球大会で銀メダルを取りました。クラスメートはとても喜んでいるようでした。そのうちの１人、Georgeが走ってきました。「Ben!お祝いのパーティーをしよう！と彼は言いました。私は何も考えず「無理だよ。練習があるんだ」と答えました。彼は少し傷ついたような表情をして、何も言わずに立ち去りました。
なぜ彼は悲しんだのだろう？私はこの出来事について長い間考えました。なぜ彼はパーティーを提案したのだろう？違う言い方をすべきだったのだろうか？多くの疑問が頭に浮かびましたが、彼はただ親切にしてくれただけだと気付きました。もし私が「いいね！ありがとう。Trent先生に話して練習を休めるか聞いてみるよ。」と言っていたら、結果はもっと良かったかもしれません※１。そのときPatrickの言葉の意味が分かりました。相手の意図を理解しようとしなければ、どう返事をすればよいか分からないのです。
・incident（名詞） : 出来事、事件
・outcome（名詞） : 結果
・grasp（動詞） : 理解する、捉える、掴む
※１
「If i'd said ～, the outcome would have been better」は「もし私が～と言っていたら、結果はもっと良かったかもしれない」という意味で、過去の事実と反対のことを仮定する表現ですs。
仮定法過去完了と呼ばれ、形は「If 主語 had 過去分詞,主語 would have 過去分詞」です。
例）
If I had said the truth, she would have been angry.
もし本当のことを言っていたら、彼女は怒っていただろう。
参考にしてください。
私はまだ世界一のコミュニケーターではないが、以前よりコミュニケーション能力に自信を持てるようになりました。来年、私は友達と一緒に他校と卓球リーグを運営する予定です。
卓球から学んだこと
作者について（Ben Carter）
・中学校ではサッカーをしていた。
・新しい学校で卓球を始めた。なぜなら彼は（ 30 ）だったから。
その他の重要な人物
Mr Trent：Benの卓球コーチで、彼のプレーを上達させるのを助けた。
Patrick：Benの兄で、（ 31 ）。
George：Benのクラスメートで、彼の勝利を祝おうとした。
Benがより良いコミュニケーターになるまでの重要な出来事
卓球を始めた→（ 32 ）→（ 33 ）→（ 34 ）→（ 35 ）
Georgeとの会話のあとでBenが気づいたこと
彼は（ 36 ）するべきだった。
この物語から学べること
・（ 37 ）
・（ 38 ）
不正解
友達の動機をもっと知るために質問すべきだったとういう意味です。
本文では、質問する必要ではなく相手の意図を理解する必要があると記載があるため不正解です。
不正解
感謝を示すためにTrent先生やクラスメートをパーティーに招くべきだったとういう意味です。
本文に記載がないため不正解です。
正解
適切に行動するために友達の立場を理解しようとするべきだったとういう意味です。
根拠となる文は７～８段落目にかけての、George， came running over. ”Hey， Ben！” he said， ”Let’s have a party to celebrate！” Without thinking， I replied， ”I can’t. I’ve got practice.” He looked a bit hurt and walked off without saying anything else.Why was he upset？ I thought about this incident for a long time. Why did he suggest a party？ Should I have said something different？ A lot of questions came to my mind， but then I realised that he was just being kind.Without attempting to grasp someone’s intention， I wouldn’t know how to respond.（Georgeが走ってきました。「Ben!お祝いのパーティーをしよう！と彼は言いました。私は何も考えず「無理だよ。練習があるんだ」と答えました。彼は少し傷ついたような表情をして、何も言わずに立ち去りました。なぜ彼は悲しんだのだろう？私はこの出来事について長い間考えました。なぜ彼はパーティーを提案したのだろう？違う言い方をすべきだったのだろうか？多くの疑問が頭に浮かびましたが、彼はただ親切にしてくれただけだと気付きました。相手の意図を理解しようとしなければ、どう返事をすればよいか分からないのです）.です。
つまり、grasp someone’s intention＝understand his friend’s point of viewの意味が一致しているため正解です。
不正解
良いコミュニケーションのためにもっとチームプレイヤーとして努力すべきだったとういう意味です。
これはサッカー部時代のときと関連がありますが、卓球とは関連性がないため不正解です。
参考になった数0
この解説の修正を提案する
02
設問はGeorgeとの会話の後に筆者がわかったことを問うものです。
Georgeとの会話は7段落目で、8段落目が筆者が心の中で考えていることを追っています。
7段落目で筆者はGeorgeから筆者をお祝いするパーティを開くことを提案されますが、練習があると断ってしまいます。
その後、8段落目では、どうして返事を聞いたGeorgeが戸惑ったのかを筆者が心の中で考えています。
この段落5文目に、
“…, but then I realized that he was just being kind.”
とあります。
訳すと「…しかしそこで、私は彼が親切にしてくれただけだと気がついた」となります。
これを踏まえて選択肢を見ていきましょう。
不適切
「友人が何をしたかったのかをもっと理解するために質問するべきだった」
仮にどうしてパーティーに誘ったのかを尋ねたとしても、筆者をお祝いするためとしか返ってこなかったでしょう。
筆者が会話の後に気がついた内容をGeorgeから言われた可能性は低く、最適とは考えづらいです。
よって不正解です。
不適切
「感謝を示すためにTrent先生や他のクラスメイトへをパーティーに誘うべきだった」
筆者は誘われたパーティを断ってしまっており、そこまでするより前の問題にぶつかっています。
筆者が後から気がついた内容とも一致していません。
よって不正解です。
適切
「より良い振る舞いをするために友人の意図を理解するべきだった」
「彼が親切にしてくれただけだと気がついた」というのは友人の意図を理解したと言っていいでしょう。
これが会話中にできていればパーティーを断らず、より良いコミュニケーションができていたことでしょう。
さらに相手の意図を理解するというのは筆者が兄とした会話の内容とも関連してきます。
よって正解です。
不適切
「コミュニケーションを成功させるため、集団競技でより良い選手を目指し努力するべきだった」
本文を通して、彼は個人競技である卓球からコミュニケーションを学んでいます。
会話の後に筆者が気がついた内容とも一致していません。
よって不正解です。
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