本日の毎日新聞文化欄に掲載された仏文学者の鹿島茂氏による「やりたい仕事」と題された記事の結論部分に、以下のようなくだりがありました。
（引用開始）
近年、若者離れの著しいジャンルを眺めてみると、そのほとんどが「最初が面倒臭い」ものであることに気づく。仕事に限ったことではない。マージャン、運転免許取得、フランス語やドイツ語などの第二外国語、基礎物理、基礎化学、経済学、いずれも「苦しみのあとに楽しみが来る」類のものばかりである。
いや、どんな仕事も学問でも「いきなり」おもしろく、楽しいものなどないのだ。「教育」では第一に、このことを教えなければならない。
（引用終了）
誠にごもっともと感じ入りました。ただ外国語学習においては、いつまでも基礎単語の暗記のような無味乾燥な作業ばかりが続くわけではなく、おもしろくない時期を越えれば楽しい時期がやってくることをお伝えしたいと思います。基礎的な単語と文法の習得後にはやさしい原文を読んでみると楽しさが感じられ、さらなるレベルアップが可能です。「いきなり」おもしろく、楽しいものなどないのは真実ながら、面白くない時期をできれば早くやり過ごしたいのは誰でも一緒でしょう。
そんなわけで、大人が読んでも面白い著作権の切れた童話「ドリトル先生航海記」に、シンプルで、大学入試にもTOEICにも英検にも有効な練習問題を組込んでみました。コロンで区切られているのが四語選択問題、スラッシュで区切られているのが四語整序問題です。＊印は難易度の目安で、＊印が多いほど難しい単語になっています。無印は語法・文法等の問題です。
※(84)の解答①(rows)②(display)④(fascinated)⑤(absorbed)⑥(swallowed)⑦(eaten no more than)⑧(giggle)⑨(burst into such prolonged)⑩(constitution)⑪(rolled out of bed)⑫(people to dance with) ⑬(exhibition)⑭(make hair grow in)⑮(raised)⑯(put you to sleep)⑰(stopped cuts from bleeding)⑱(was busy going over)⑲(chemistry)⑳(deserves)
(85)
THE FOURTH CHAPTER. THE SEA-SERPENT
FOR a long time after that Cabinet Meeting of which I have just told you we did not ask the Doctor ①(further / going / anything / about) home. Life in Spidermonkey Island went forward, month in month out, busily and pleasantly. The Winter, with Christmas celebrations, came and went, and Summer was with us once again ②(it / before / knew / we).
As time passed the Doctor became more and more taken up with the care of his big family; and the hours he could ③*(vary : spare : omit : arrest) for his natural history work grew fewer and fewer. I knew that he often still thought of his house and garden in Puddleby and of his old plans and ambitions; because once in a while we would ④(grow / face / his / notice) thoughtful and a little sad, when something reminded him of England or his old life. But he never spoke of these things. And I truly believe he would have spent the remainder of his days ⑤(by : from : under :on) Spidermonkey Island if it hadn't been for an accident—and for Polynesia.
The old parrot had grown very tired of the Indians and she ⑥(of / made / secret / no) it.
"The very idea," she said to me one day as we were walking on the seashore—"the idea of the famous John Dolittle spending his ⑦*(valuable : mechanical : genuine : dull) life waiting on these greasy natives!—Why, it's preposterous!"
All that morning we had been watching the Doctor superintend the building of the new theatre in Popsipetel—there was already an opera-house and a concert-hall; and finally she had got so grouchy and ⑧*(crashed : annoyed : recommended : stretched) at the sight that I had suggested her taking a walk with me.
"Do you really think," I asked as we sat down on the sands, "that he will ⑨(go / to / never / back) Puddleby again?"
"I don't know," said she. "At one time I felt sure that the ⑩*(demonstration : moment : thought : lecture) of the pets he had left behind at the house would take him home soon. But ⑪(although : unless : before : since) Miranda brought him word last August that everything was all right there, that hope's gone. For months and months I've been racking my ⑫(think / brains / up / to) a plan. If we could only hit upon something that would turn his thoughts back to natural history again—I mean something big ⑬(him / enough / get / to) really excited—we might manage it. But how?"—she shrugged her shoulders in ⑭**(usage : ratio : disgust : sanitation)—"How?—when all he thinks of now is paving streets and teaching papooses that twice one are two!"
It was a perfect Popsipetel day, bright and hot, blue and yellow. Drowsily I looked out to sea thinking of my mother and father. I wondered if they were getting ⑮*(eager : anxious : conscious : alternative) over my long absence. Beside me old Polynesia went on grumbling away in low steady tones; and her words began to mingle and mix with the gentle lapping of the waves upon the shore. It may have been the even murmur of her voice, helped by the soft and balmy air, that ⑯(me / sleep / lulled / to). I don't know. Anyhow I presently dreamed that the island had moved again—not floatingly as before, but suddenly, jerkily, as though something enormously powerful had heaved it up from its bed just once and let it down.
How long I slept after that I have no idea. I was ⑰*(fasteded : adjusted : shouted : awakened) by a gentle pecking on the nose.
"Tommy!—Tommy!" (it was Polynesia's voice) "Wake up!—Gosh, what a boy, to sleep through an earthquake and never ⑱*(beg : forgive : notice : cast) it!—Tommy, listen: here's our chance now. Wake up, for goodness' sake!"
"What's the matter?" I asked sitting up with a ⑲**(thunder : yawn : nightmare : session).
"Sh!—Look!" whispered Polynesia ⑳(out / sea / pointing / to).
解答は次回発表。ご意見、ご要望等はsuzuyasu@wmail.plala.or.jpでも承っております。
（引用開始）
近年、若者離れの著しいジャンルを眺めてみると、そのほとんどが「最初が面倒臭い」ものであることに気づく。仕事に限ったことではない。マージャン、運転免許取得、フランス語やドイツ語などの第二外国語、基礎物理、基礎化学、経済学、いずれも「苦しみのあとに楽しみが来る」類のものばかりである。
いや、どんな仕事も学問でも「いきなり」おもしろく、楽しいものなどないのだ。「教育」では第一に、このことを教えなければならない。
（引用終了）
誠にごもっともと感じ入りました。ただ外国語学習においては、いつまでも基礎単語の暗記のような無味乾燥な作業ばかりが続くわけではなく、おもしろくない時期を越えれば楽しい時期がやってくることをお伝えしたいと思います。基礎的な単語と文法の習得後にはやさしい原文を読んでみると楽しさが感じられ、さらなるレベルアップが可能です。「いきなり」おもしろく、楽しいものなどないのは真実ながら、面白くない時期をできれば早くやり過ごしたいのは誰でも一緒でしょう。
そんなわけで、大人が読んでも面白い著作権の切れた童話「ドリトル先生航海記」に、シンプルで、大学入試にもTOEICにも英検にも有効な練習問題を組込んでみました。コロンで区切られているのが四語選択問題、スラッシュで区切られているのが四語整序問題です。＊印は難易度の目安で、＊印が多いほど難しい単語になっています。無印は語法・文法等の問題です。
※(84)の解答①(rows)②(display)④(fascinated)⑤(absorbed)⑥(swallowed)⑦(eaten no more than)⑧(giggle)⑨(burst into such prolonged)⑩(constitution)⑪(rolled out of bed)⑫(people to dance with) ⑬(exhibition)⑭(make hair grow in)⑮(raised)⑯(put you to sleep)⑰(stopped cuts from bleeding)⑱(was busy going over)⑲(chemistry)⑳(deserves)
(85)
THE FOURTH CHAPTER. THE SEA-SERPENT
FOR a long time after that Cabinet Meeting of which I have just told you we did not ask the Doctor ①(further / going / anything / about) home. Life in Spidermonkey Island went forward, month in month out, busily and pleasantly. The Winter, with Christmas celebrations, came and went, and Summer was with us once again ②(it / before / knew / we).
As time passed the Doctor became more and more taken up with the care of his big family; and the hours he could ③*(vary : spare : omit : arrest) for his natural history work grew fewer and fewer. I knew that he often still thought of his house and garden in Puddleby and of his old plans and ambitions; because once in a while we would ④(grow / face / his / notice) thoughtful and a little sad, when something reminded him of England or his old life. But he never spoke of these things. And I truly believe he would have spent the remainder of his days ⑤(by : from : under :on) Spidermonkey Island if it hadn't been for an accident—and for Polynesia.
The old parrot had grown very tired of the Indians and she ⑥(of / made / secret / no) it.
"The very idea," she said to me one day as we were walking on the seashore—"the idea of the famous John Dolittle spending his ⑦*(valuable : mechanical : genuine : dull) life waiting on these greasy natives!—Why, it's preposterous!"
All that morning we had been watching the Doctor superintend the building of the new theatre in Popsipetel—there was already an opera-house and a concert-hall; and finally she had got so grouchy and ⑧*(crashed : annoyed : recommended : stretched) at the sight that I had suggested her taking a walk with me.
"Do you really think," I asked as we sat down on the sands, "that he will ⑨(go / to / never / back) Puddleby again?"
"I don't know," said she. "At one time I felt sure that the ⑩*(demonstration : moment : thought : lecture) of the pets he had left behind at the house would take him home soon. But ⑪(although : unless : before : since) Miranda brought him word last August that everything was all right there, that hope's gone. For months and months I've been racking my ⑫(think / brains / up / to) a plan. If we could only hit upon something that would turn his thoughts back to natural history again—I mean something big ⑬(him / enough / get / to) really excited—we might manage it. But how?"—she shrugged her shoulders in ⑭**(usage : ratio : disgust : sanitation)—"How?—when all he thinks of now is paving streets and teaching papooses that twice one are two!"
It was a perfect Popsipetel day, bright and hot, blue and yellow. Drowsily I looked out to sea thinking of my mother and father. I wondered if they were getting ⑮*(eager : anxious : conscious : alternative) over my long absence. Beside me old Polynesia went on grumbling away in low steady tones; and her words began to mingle and mix with the gentle lapping of the waves upon the shore. It may have been the even murmur of her voice, helped by the soft and balmy air, that ⑯(me / sleep / lulled / to). I don't know. Anyhow I presently dreamed that the island had moved again—not floatingly as before, but suddenly, jerkily, as though something enormously powerful had heaved it up from its bed just once and let it down.
How long I slept after that I have no idea. I was ⑰*(fasteded : adjusted : shouted : awakened) by a gentle pecking on the nose.
"Tommy!—Tommy!" (it was Polynesia's voice) "Wake up!—Gosh, what a boy, to sleep through an earthquake and never ⑱*(beg : forgive : notice : cast) it!—Tommy, listen: here's our chance now. Wake up, for goodness' sake!"
"What's the matter?" I asked sitting up with a ⑲**(thunder : yawn : nightmare : session).
"Sh!—Look!" whispered Polynesia ⑳(out / sea / pointing / to).
解答は次回発表。ご意見、ご要望等はsuzuyasu@wmail.plala.or.jpでも承っております。
