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122 (英語リーディング（第5問） 問8)
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 two options for （ 37 ）and（ 38 ）.（The order does not matter.）
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 two options for （ 37 ）and（ 38 ）.（The order does not matter.）
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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122（英語リーディング（第5問） 問8） （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 two options for （ 37 ）and（ 38 ）.（The order does not matter.）
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 two options for （ 37 ）and（ 38 ）.（The order does not matter.）
- Advice from people around us can help us change.
- Confidence is important for being a good communicator.
- It is important to make our intentions clear to our friends.
- The support that teammates provide one another is helpful.
- We can apply what we learn from one thing to another.
正解！素晴らしいです
残念...
この過去問の解説 （1件）
01
設問はこのお話からの教訓として当てはまるものを選ぶものです。
設問を見ていきましょう。
適切
「周りの人からのアドバイスは自分が変わる手助けになりうる」
第6段落で筆者は兄から「会話も卓球と同じで、相手の意図を理解しそれを元に行動を決めるものではないか」という趣旨のアドバイスをもらっています。
第8段落ではGeorgeの意図を考えた結果自分が取るべきだった行動に気が付いており、これは兄からのアドバイスの結果だと考えても自然でしょう。
よって正解です。
不適切
「コミュニケーションがうまくなるためには自信が重要だ」
本文を通じてこのような記述はありません。
よって不正解です。
不適切
「友人に対し自分の意図を明確にすることは重要だ」
筆者が学んだのは「相手の意図を理解することが重要」ということで、この選択肢は少しずれています。
よって不正解です。
不適切
「チームメイトがお互いに助け合うことは有益だ」
今回の筆者の学びは個人競技である卓球を通じて得たものです。
よって不正解です。
適切
「あるものから得た学びは他の物事にも当てはめられることがある」
筆者はTrent先生からの「相手の意図を理解しろ」というアドバイスをもとに卓球が上手くなりました。
そして兄の言葉をきっかけにこの学びをコミュニケーションに応用し始めています。
よって正解です。
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