日大医学部の予想問題 ─ 長文読解
日本大学医学部の英語問題、2017年はこれまでと出題形式が変わってビックリしました。試験会場でこれを見た生徒さんのショックが思いやられて、胸が痛いです。
これまでは常識的な文法問題が多くて、他大学よりずいぶん御しやすかったのですが...。ちょっと英語が出来る人だと満点が狙えるようなのではダメだ、という方針になったのかもしれませんね。日大は英語が出来る学生は要らないのでは？と思える簡単さでしたから。
さて今回の問題傾向の変更を受け、2017年の形式に合わせて2月17日のAP通信の記事から長文問題を出題します。質問文からして英文という感じの悪さですが、そのように変わってしまったものは仕方ありません。覚えていますか、英語では「仕方ないね」はIt is what it is.というのでした。それでは頑張りましょう。制限時間は15分です。Give it a try!
（実はこの写真もヒント！）
Use the content from this passage, separated into 13 sections, to answer the following questions.
- The drug carfentanil, so A it is considered a terrorist threat, has been legal in China - until now.
- Beijing will ban it and three similar drugs as of March 1, China's Ministry of Public Security said Thursday, closing a major regulatory loophole in the fight to end America's opioid epidemic.
- "It shows China's attitude as a responsible big country", said Yu Haibin, the director of the Office of the National Narcotics Control Committee.
- "It will be a strong deterrent."
- He added that China is considering other substances for sanction, including U-47700, an opioid marketed as an alternative to banned fentanyls.
- China said the March 1 ban will also apply to carfentanil's less-potent cousins furanyl fentanyl, acryl fentanyl and valeryl fentanyl.
- The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) called Chinas move a potential game-changer that is likely to have a big impact in the U.S., where opioid demand has driven the proliferation of a new class of deadly drugs made by nimble chemists to stay one step ahead of new rules like this one.
- After China controlled 116 synthetic drugs in October 2015, seizures in the United States of compounds on that list plunged.
- "It's a substantial step in the fight against opioids here in the United States," said Russell Baer, a DEA special agent in Washington.
- "We're persuaded it will have a definite impact.”
- Legally used as an anaesthetic for elephants and other large animas, carfentanil burst into the North American drug supply last summer, causing hundreds of unsuspecting drug users to overdose.
- The DEA confirmed more than 400 seizures of carfentanil across eight U.S. states from July through October.
- So lethal that an amount smaller than a poppy seed can ill a person, carfentanil was researched for years as a chemical weapon and was used by Russian forces to subdue Chechen separatists at a Moscow theater in 2002.
Vocabulary:
loophole = an ambiguity or inadequacy in the law or a set of rules
epidemic = a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time
fentanyl = a potent, synthetic opioid pain medication with a rapid onset and short duration of action
opioid = a substance that produces a morphine-like effect
proliferation = a rapid and often excessive spread or increase
Questions:
Q1. According to the passage, which of the following is FALSE about carfentanil?
a. It is an extremely powerful opioid that should be controlled in the U.S.
b. If used in a right manner, carfentanil can be a safe medicine.
c. It is so powerful that a very small doze can kill a person and thus can be a real hazard to the society.
d. Chinese government should ban carfentanil so that it will not do further damage to the U.S.
Q2. Which section answers the following question: How much damage has carfentanil done in the U.S. since it was brought in from China?
a. Section 3
b. Section 5
c. Section 11
d. Section 12
Q3. In section 1, which of the following is the best fit for A ?
a. deadly
b. effective
c. strong
d. powerful
Q4. In section 4, which of the following is most similar in meaning to “a strong deterrent”?
a. a powerful accelerator
b. a mild mediator
c. an effective preventive measure
d. a critical detective control
Q5. In section 6, which of the following is most similar in meaning to “less-potent”?
a. smaller
b. weaker
c. as effective as
d. stronger
Q6. In section 7, which of the following does “this one” mean?
a. Using carfentanil as a chemical weapon
b. Seizures of carfentanil or similar drugs in the U.S.
c. Using carfentanil to put elephants to sleep
d. Banning carfentanil and its cousin opioids
Q7. Which of the following is NOT a synonym to the word “significant”?
a. major
b. little
c. considerable
d. material
Q8. Which of the following best reflects the content of the passage?
a. Carfentanil is a very powerful, damaging drug. However, it has not done much damage in the U.S. compared to what it did in China since U.S. agencies have been effective in seizing them.
b. Since carfentanil is a very deadly drug with a swift effect, it is a good idea to keep on using it as a chemical weapon just like it was used in Russia to overpower a terrorist attack.
c. Given how powerful and deadly carfentanil is, governments should work closer to control them and prevent opium epidemic.
d. It is positive that China finally decided to ban carfentanil and its cousin drugs. U.S. officials welcome such a decision, believing that it will reduce the amounts of the opioid available in their country.
