英語検定　２級(2022年第2回No.4)
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2-4 英語検定(２級)　筆記 2022年第2回(No.30～No.38) 各１０点 × ９問 ＝ ９０点満点
次の英文を読み、(30)から(33)の各質問に最も適切なものを、1～4 の中から一つ選びなさい。
The Empress’s Favorite Clothes

　The Asian country of Bangladesh is one of the largest exporters of clothes in the world.
Low wages and modern techniques have allowed clothing factories in Bangladesh to
produce cheap clothes.
However, until the 19th century, the country produced a luxury cloth called Dhaka muslin.
Many regard this cloth as the finest ever made, and it cost over 20 times more than the best silk.
It was produced from cotton from a plant called phuti karpas.
This kind of cotton can be made into very thin threads,
which can be used to make incredibly soft and light cloth.

　Dhaka muslin was difficult to make,
but wealthy people were happy to pay the high prices demanded by the makers.
The fame of this cloth spread to Europe,
and the wife of Emperor Napoleon of France loved to wear dresses made from Dhaka muslin.
When the area that includes Bangladesh became part of the British Empire, though,
British traders put pressure on the makers of Dhaka muslin to produce more cloth at lower prices.
Eventually, all the makers decided to either produce lowerquality types of cloth or quit.

　In 2013, Saiful Islam, a Bangladeshi man living in London,
was asked to organize an exhibition about Dhaka muslin.
Islam was amazed by the high quality of this material.
He wondered if it would be possible to produce Dhaka muslin again.
Sadly, he could not find any phuti karpas plants in Bangladesh.
However, using the DNA from some dried leaves of phuti karpas from a museum,
he was able to find a species that was almost the same.

　Islam harvested cotton from plants of this species,
but the threads he made were too thin and broke easily.
He had to mix the cotton with some from other plants.
The threads made from this mixture, though, were still much thinner than normal.
After a lot of hard work, Islam and his team produced some cloth t
hat was almost as good as Dhaka muslin.
He wants to keep improving the production technique.
The government of Bangladesh is supporting him
because it wants the country to be known as the producer of the finest cloth in the world.
問30 Question:
What is true of the cloth known as Dhaka muslin?

答え： ( 30)
(1) Its thin threads are over 20 times stronger than those of silk.
(2) It stopped Bangladesh from becoming a major exporter of clothes.
(3) Modern techniques have allowed factories to produce it cheaply.
(4) Many people say it is the best kind that there has ever been.
問31 Question:
What happened as a result of the demands made by British traders?

答え： ( 31 )
(1) Various colors were introduced to appeal to European customers.
(2) The price of Dhaka muslin in Europe increased dramatically.
(3) Makers began to use British techniques to make better cloth.
(4) Production of highquality Dhaka muslin stopped completely.
問32 Question:
Saiful Islam used the DNA from some phuti karpas leaves (1) or (2) or (3) or (4)

答え： ( 32 )
(1) to find plants like the ones that were used to make Dhaka muslin.
(2) to check whether samples of Dhaka muslin were genuine or fake.
(3) to explain the evolution of Dhaka muslin at an exhibition.
(4) to create artificial Dhaka muslin in a laboratory in London.
問33 Question:
Why is the government of Bangladesh supporting Islam's efforts?

答え： ( 33 )
(1) It wants to make the country famous for producing highquality cloth.
(2) It believes that his project will create new jobs for Bangladeshis.
(3) Because he will quit unless he gets additional financial support.
(4) Because he may discover a way to produce cheap clothes more easily.
 
次の英文を読み、(34)から(38)の各質問に最も適切なものを、1～4 の中から一つ選びなさい。
Desert Delight

　The Tohono O’odham people are Native Americans who come from the Sonoran Desert.
In fact, the name of this tribe means “desert people” in their own language.
The Sonoran Desert lies around the border between the United States and Mexico.
Traditionally, the Tohono O’odham people lived in villages and grew crops
such as beans, corn, and melons.
They also ate some of the wild plants and animals that are found in the desert.

　Although the Sonoran Desert is hot and dry, it has over 2,000 different species of plants.
Hundreds of these plants are safe for people to eat.
There are two reasons why the Sonoran Desert has so many species of plants.
One is that it contains a variety of types of soil,
and these support the growth of many kinds of plants.
The other is that, although the desert is mostly dry,
it rains a couple of times each year once in the winter and once in the summer.
This rain is enough for some kinds of plants to survive.

　One desert plant, the saguaro cactus, is especially important
to the people of the Tohono O’odham tribe.
Saguaro cactuses can live for over 200 years and grow more than 15 meters tall.
Once a year, around June, they produce red fruit.
This fruit the saguaro fruit has long been a favorite food of the Tohono O’odham people.
When the fruit is ready to eat, families work together to knock it down
from the cactuses and collect it.
The fruit is sweet and delicious when it is fresh, and it can also be turned into sauce or wine
so that it can be stored for long periods.

　The people of the Tohono O’odham tribe were very independent, and for a long time,
they fought to keep their traditional way of life.
However, in the early 20th century, the U.S. government forced them to change their lifestyle.
It sent Tohono O’odham children to schools to make them learn English
and forget their own culture.
Many stopped following their traditional way of life.
Recently, though, some Tohono O’odham people have begun bringing back
their tribe’s endangered traditions,
including collecting and eating saguaro fruit.
問34 Question:
What is true about the Tohono O'odham people of North America?

答え： ( 34 )
(1) They used to protect the border between Mexico and the United States.
(2) They lived in small communities and kept farms in a dry area.
(3) They ate wild plants and animals instead of growing their own food.
(4) They were forced to leave their homes and live in the Sonoran Desert.
問35 Question:
What is one reason that over 2,000 different types of plants
can survive in the Sonoran Desert?

答え： ( 35 )
(1) The sunshine in the area means that some plants
can actually grow better there.
(2) The Sonoran Desert gets enough rain twice a year
to allow the plants to grow.
(3) There are few human beings or wild animals living in the region
that eat them.
(4) There is one kind of soil in the desert that almost any plant can grow in.
問36 Question:
The saguaro cactus (1) or (2) or (3) or (4)

答え： ( 36 )
(1) produces fruit that the local people have enjoyed for a long time.
(2) was discovered by the Tohono O’odham people about 200 years ago.
(3) has roots that grow 15 meters below the ground to reach water.
(4) is best to eat with a special sauce made from traditional wine.
問37 Question:
Why did many Tohono O'odham people stop following their traditions?

答え： ( 37 )
(1) The U.S. government wanted them to behave more like other U.S. citizens.
(2) The U.S. government offered them opportunities to travel overseas to study.
(3) They wanted their children to study English
so that they could enter good schools.
(4) They lost their independence after a war
that took place in the early 20th century.
問38 Question:
Which of the following statements is true?

答え： ( 38 )
(1) The method of collecting saguaro fruit is endangering the plants
that it grows on.
(2) The name of the Tohono O'odham tribe comes from its people's favorite food.
(3) The soil in the Sonoran Desert is different in the winter and in the summer.
(4) The Tohono O’odham people have a tradition of collecting fruit
in family groups.