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 (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（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 （1件）
01
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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