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 (＜旧課程＞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（＜旧課程＞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 （2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。
参考になった数1
この解説の修正を提案する
02
設問：（ 37 ）（ 38 ）に入る最も適切な選択肢を２つ選びなさい（順番は関係ありません）。
！問題のポイント！
①本文の教訓を答える問題です。
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 ）
正解
周りの人の助言は私たちが変わるのを助けるとういう意味です。
根拠となる文は４段落目の、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.”（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。」）です。このアドバイスに対してBenは５段落目で、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（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）.と記載があります。
つまり、周りの助言が成長を助けたとういうことが分かるため正解です。
不正解
良いコミュニケーターになるには自信が必要と言う意味です。
本文には「自信がついた」と記載がありますが、この文章のメインテーマではないため不正解です。
不正解
友達に自分の意図をはっきり伝えることが重要とういう意味です。
本文では逆です。重要なのは、相手の意図を理解することなので不正解です。
不正解
チームメイトの支えは役に立つとういう意味です。
Benはむしろチームスポーツが苦手なため不正解です。
正解
あることから学んだことを別のことに応用できるとういうことです。
根拠となる文は６段落目の文頭、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（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）.です。これに対してBenは８段落目の文頭で、At that moment Patrick’s words made sense. Without attempting to grasp someone’s intention， I wouldn’t know how to respond（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）.と気付きました。つまり、卓球のスキルはコミュニケーションにも応用できることが分かったため正解です。
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