4. 要約問題
Summary Completion（要約問題）
要約問題を実際に解いてみて、どのような問題傾向かを実感しましょう：
サンプル問題 – Google Document
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MP3 – Youtube
Answer Key
- common
- woodland/woods/forest(s)
- tail
- grey/gray
- humans/people
- memory
- hearing
- birds
- year
- water
Transcript
| Expert: | Good evening everyone. You’re all likely to be familiar with pictures of the Tawny Owl, Q1 because of all the owl species in the UK it’s actually the most common one. But the chances are that you’re more likely to have heard one than actually seen one, as it’s also strongly nocturnal. This means that it normally ventures out at night. |
| So, what kind of habitat does the tawny owl prefer? Well, a survey carried out in the nineteen eighties confirmed that Q2 this owl is most likely to be found in woodland. If you look at a map of Tawny Owl distribution across Britain, you’ll only see gaps in the treeless marshy areas of eastern England, and in some of the more upland parts of north-west Scotland. However, you can sometimes find populations of tawny owls in urban areas too, either in parks or in large gardens. | |
| The Tawny Owl shows some obvious adaptations to its natural habitat. For example, Q3 both its wings and its tail are short, which helps it to maneuver through the trees. Also Q4 the bird’s plumage is a mixture of brown and grey, and this provides suitable camouflage for when the owl perches up against a tree trunk. | |
| Then, Q5 there are its large eyes. The Tawny Owl’s visual capacities are considerably better than those of humans, and although it can’t see in complete darkness, it’s sufficiently well equipped to be able to navigate its way around woodland on all but the most overcast nights. | |
| Another factor that contributes to the Tawny Owl’s success as a hunter, is Q6 its excellent memory of the layout of different areas. If you combine this ability with the owl’s strongly territorial and sedentary nature – most populations of Tawny Owl are ‘sit and wait’ predators – you realize that it has a good opportunity to predict where prey might be found. Finally, as well as having large eyes, Q7 the owl’s sense of hearing is excellent, and this helps it to locate potential prey as it sits on its perch. | |
| Turning now to the Tawny Owl’s diet. Woodland Tawny Owls feed mainly on mammals, especially small ones such as wood mice and bank voles. But they’ll also take things like frogs, or bats or even fish, if they happen to be available. Q8 In urbanized landscapes, the owls seem to prey more on birds. So there are some differences there. | |
| Let’s just look briefly now at survival rates in the Tawny Owl. Young Tawny Owls face a difficult time once they leave home, and Q9 two out of every three are likely to die within their first year. So with such high mortality levels it’s a good job that established breeding pairs can produce young over a number of seasons, and maximize their chances of passing their genes onto the next generation of owls. | |
| I’ve already mentioned the sedentary nature of the Tawny Owl. But it’s not just adult Tawny Owls that are sedentary in their habits. Young birds, dispersing away from where they were born, rarely move far – the average distance is just four kilometres. Q10 There also appears to be some reluctance to cross large bodies of water – the owl is absent from many of the islands around our shores, with only occasional sightings in Ireland and the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. | |
| Right, well, now I’ll show you some photographs that have been taken in … |
要約問題のコツ
要約問題を対策する上で大切なことは、問題用紙の情報から「類義表現（パラフレーズ）」を事前に予測することです。
例えば今回の場合、
| 問題用紙 | トランスクリプト |
| Most 1.______ owl species in UK | …because of all the owl species in the UK it’s actually the most common one. |
| Mainly lives in 2.______ | …this owl is most likely to be found in woodland. |
| Short wings and 3.______, for navigation | …which helps it to maneuver through the trees. |
| Brown and 4.______ feathers, for camouflage | Also, the bird’s plumage is a mixture of brown and grey… |
| Large eyes (more effective than those of 5.______) | …considerably better than those of humans |
| Very good spatial 6.______ | …its excellent memory of the layout of different areas. |
| Excellent 7.______, for locating prey from a perch | …this helps it to locate potential prey as it sits on its perch. |
| Owls in urban areas eat more 8.______ | …the owls seem to prey more on birds. |
| Two thirds of young owls die within a 9.______ | …are likely to die within their first year. |
| Owls seem to dislike flying over large areas of 10.______ | …some reluctance to cross large bodies of water. |
のように、問題用紙とは異なる表現で内容を説明しています。
唯一パラフレーズされていないQ1も、問題用紙と構文を変えて “common” というキーワードを文章の最後にもってくることで、受験生の理解力を評価しようとしていることが分かります。
“maneuver” や “plumage” などの高度な語彙から分かるように、回答するためにはかなり高い語彙力。そして、文脈から語彙を予測する力が必要になります。