背景知識
Reading Day — 火曜
今日は Academic Reading — Science & Technology（バイオミミクリー / 生物模倣） の練習です。テーマは Biomimicry（自然界の構造・仕組みを工学に応用する分野） — 科学・技術・環境が交差する IELTS 頻出のアカデミックトピックです。
| 設問形式 | 今日の出題数 | 攻略ポイント |
|---|---|---|
| Matching Information | 4問（Q1〜4） | 「特定情報の在り処」を探す（段落主題ではない） |
| Yes / No / Not Given | 5問（Q5〜9） | 筆者の「主張・意見」と一致するか判定 |
| Summary Completion | 4問（Q10〜13） | 語群 A–H から品詞と文脈で選ぶ |
今日のテーマ: バイオミミクリー（Biomimicry）
Velcro（面ファスナー）・Shinkansen × kingfisher（新幹線とカワセミ）・termite mounds（シロアリの塚）・lotus / gecko / spider silk といった有名な事例が登場します。エンジニアとして「自然の設計を工学に応用する」発想は設計思想にも通じます。
Velcro（面ファスナー）・Shinkansen × kingfisher（新幹線とカワセミ）・termite mounds（シロアリの塚）・lotus / gecko / spider silk といった有名な事例が登場します。エンジニアとして「自然の設計を工学に応用する」発想は設計思想にも通じます。
Yes / No / Not Given 採点基準
| 判定 | 条件 | 判定方法 |
|---|---|---|
| YES | 筆者の主張と一致する | 本文に筆者の同じ見解がある |
| NO | 筆者の主張と矛盾する | 本文に逆の見解が明確にある |
| NOT GIVEN | 筆者の見解が不明 | その点について筆者が述べていない |
T/F/NG との違い: Y/N/NG は「事実」ではなく 筆者の主張・意見（claims / views） との一致を問う。設問に "the writer believes / argues / suggests" が含まれることが多い。
最頻出ミス: 常識や推論で判断する → 本文に筆者の見解がなければ必ず NOT GIVEN。
最頻出ミス: 常識や推論で判断する → 本文に筆者の見解がなければ必ず NOT GIVEN。
パッセージ
⏰ 目安: パッセージ読解 8分 / 設問 12分
READING PASSAGE
BIOMIMICRY — DESIGN INSPIRED BY NATURE
A
Every living organism on Earth is the product of billions of years of evolution — a relentless process of trial and error that has generated astonishingly efficient solutions to the challenges of survival. Biomimicry, a term popularised by the biologist Janine Benyus in her 1997 book, refers to the practice of studying these natural designs and deliberately imitating them to solve human problems. Crucially, biomimicry is concerned not merely with how nature looks but with how it works: it seeks to emulate the underlying functions, strategies and systems that make living things so remarkably adapted to their environments, rather than simply copying their outward appearance.
B
The impulse to learn from nature is far from new. In the fifteenth century, Leonardo da Vinci filled notebooks with sketches of flying machines modelled on the wings of birds and bats, although none of his designs was ever successfully constructed. A more fruitful example emerged in 1941, when the Swiss engineer George de Mestral returned from a walk and noticed that the burrs of the burdock plant clung stubbornly to his clothing and to his dog’s fur. Examining the tiny seeds under a microscope, he observed that they were covered in minuscule hooks, and this discovery eventually led to the invention of Velcro — one of the most commercially successful nature-inspired products ever made.
C
Perhaps the most celebrated modern case of biomimicry involves the Japanese Shinkansen, or bullet train. In the 1990s, engineers faced a persistent problem: as the train emerged from tunnels at high speed, the sudden change in air pressure produced a loud booming noise that disturbed nearby residents. The chief engineer, an avid birdwatcher, recalled how a kingfisher could dive from air into water — two media of very different density — with barely a splash. By redesigning the train’s nose to mimic the shape of the kingfisher’s beak, the team not only reduced the noise but also lowered energy consumption and increased speed.
D
Architecture has also drawn heavily on biological models. The Eastgate Centre, an office and shopping complex in Harare, Zimbabwe, was designed to regulate its internal temperature in the same way that termites cool their towering mounds — by channelling air through a network of vents and chimneys rather than relying on conventional air conditioning. As a result, the building uses roughly ninety per cent less energy for cooling than a comparable conventional structure of its size, demonstrating that observing humble insects can yield substantial economic and environmental benefits.
E
Some of the most exciting applications of biomimicry lie in the field of materials science. The leaves of the lotus plant are covered with microscopic bumps that cause water to bead and roll away, carrying dirt with it; engineers have replicated this self-cleaning surface in paints and fabrics. Similarly, the feet of the gecko, which allow the lizard to cling effortlessly to smooth vertical surfaces, have inspired a new generation of powerful dry adhesives. Researchers have long marvelled, too, at spider silk, a material that is, weight for weight, stronger than steel yet remains flexible and biodegradable.
F
For its most enthusiastic advocates, biomimicry is more than a source of clever inventions; it is a philosophy of sustainable design. Benyus famously described nature as “model, measure and mentor” — a model to imitate, a standard against which to measure our own creations, and a mentor from whom to learn. Natural ecosystems, its supporters point out, produce no waste, run entirely on renewable energy and recycle their materials endlessly. If human industry could be reorganised along the same principles, they argue, many of our environmental problems might be resolved.
G
Yet biomimicry is not without its critics. Some point out that a solution which works elegantly at the scale of a beetle or a leaf cannot always be scaled up to industrial levels, where different physical forces come into play. Others warn that the growing popularity of the term has encouraged a wave of superficial marketing, in which products are labelled “bio-inspired” or “natural” for promotional purposes without any genuine ecological benefit — a practice sometimes described as greenwashing. Despite these reservations, few would deny that, used rigorously, the careful study of living things offers one of the most promising routes towards a more sustainable technology.
設問
Questions 1–4: Matching Information
The passage has seven paragraphs, A–G. Which paragraph contains the following information?
NB You may use any letter more than once.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
1
a reference to a product developed after studying plant seeds
2
an example of a building that uses far less energy than a conventional one
3
the origin of the term used to describe this field of study
4
a warning about the misleading use of nature-related labels
Questions 5–9: Yes / No / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in the passage?
Write YES if the statement agrees with the writer’s claims
Write NO if the statement contradicts the writer’s claims
Write NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks
Write YES if the statement agrees with the writer’s claims
Write NO if the statement contradicts the writer’s claims
Write NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks
5
Biomimicry is concerned with more than just the outward appearance of living things.
6
Leonardo da Vinci successfully built a flying machine based on birds.
7
The kingfisher-inspired redesign made the bullet train the fastest in the world.
8
The writer believes that every biological solution can be applied to human technology.
9
Biomimicry has greater commercial potential in architecture than in materials science.
Questions 10–13: Summary Completion
Complete the summary below using the list of words A–H.
Biomimicry in materials and its wider vision
Researchers have developed remarkable materials by copying biological structures. For instance, the microscopic surface of the (10)______ leaf has inspired paints and fabrics that clean themselves, while the feet of the (11)______ have led to powerful new adhesives. Beyond individual products, advocates present nature as a (12)______ for sustainable design, claiming that natural systems waste nothing. Critics, however, caution that not every natural mechanism can be (13)______ up to industrial levels.
| List of Words | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| A. lotus | B. gecko | C. spider | D. model |
| E. scaled | F. measured | G. reduced | H. termite |
有用な語彙・表現
| 語彙・表現 | 日本語訳 | 使用例 |
|---|---|---|
| biomimicry | 生物模倣 | biomimicry seeks to emulate natural functions |
| emulate | 模倣する・見習う | emulate the underlying functions of living things |
| relentless | 容赦ない・絶え間ない | a relentless process of trial and error |
| cling to | 〜にしがみつく | the burrs clung stubbornly to his clothing |
| channel (v.) | （空気を）導く・流す | channelling air through a network of vents |
| yield (v.) | 生み出す・もたらす | yield substantial economic benefits |
| bead (v.) | （水が）玉になる | microscopic bumps cause water to bead |
| adhesive | 接着剤 | a new generation of powerful dry adhesives |
| scale up | 規模を拡大する | cannot always be scaled up to industrial levels |
| greenwashing | 環境配慮を装う虚偽広告 | a practice sometimes described as greenwashing |
ヒント
設問の キーワード を先にマークし、パッセージをスキャンして「特定情報の在り処」を探す。Matching Headings と違い「段落全体の主題」ではなく「細部の情報」を探す設問。
- Q1: "plant seeds"（植物の種）→ 顕微鏡で観察された話がある段落を探す。
- Q2: "building" + "less energy"（省エネな建物）→ 建築の段落を探す。
- Q3: "the term" + "origin"（用語の起源）→ 人名と年代がある段落を探す。
- Q4: "misleading" + "labels"（誤解を招くラベル）→ 批判の段落を探す。
Y/N/NG は 筆者の主張・意見 との一致を問う。書かれていない主張は必ず NOT GIVEN。
- Q6: ダ・ヴィンチの飛行機は「製作に成功した」か? パッセージの記述を確認。
- Q7: 新幹線は「世界最速になった」と書いてあるか? "increased speed" との違いに注意。
- Q9: 建築と材料科学の「商業性の比較」はパッセージにあるか?
Summary のコツ: 空所の前後を読んで 品詞（名詞か動詞か）を確定し、語群 A–H から文脈に合う語を選ぶ。
- Q10・Q11: 段落 E。自己洗浄する葉 = lotus、接着剤の足 = gecko。
- Q12: 段落 F。Benyus の "model, measure and mentor" のうち「模倣する対象」= model。
- Q13: 段落 G。"cannot always be ___ up to industrial levels" にそのまま入る動詞 = scaled。
解答・解説
| 問 | 段落 | パッセージの根拠 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B |
"Examining the tiny seeds under a microscope... led to the invention of Velcro"
burdock の種を観察 → Velcro という製品が誕生
|
| 2 | D |
"the building uses roughly ninety per cent less energy for cooling than a comparable conventional structure"
Eastgate Centre = 従来型より約90%省エネな建物
|
| 3 | A |
"a term popularised by the biologist Janine Benyus in her 1997 book"
Biomimicry という用語の起源（Benyus / 1997）
|
| 4 | G |
"products are labelled 'bio-inspired' or 'natural'... without any genuine ecological benefit — greenwashing"
自然関連ラベルの誤解を招く使い方への警告
|
| 問 | 解答 | パッセージの根拠 |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | YES |
Paragraph A: "not merely with how nature looks but with how it works"
見た目以上のもの（機能）を扱う = 設問と一致
|
| 6 | NO |
Paragraph B: "none of his designs was ever successfully constructed"
「製作に成功した」は本文と正反対
|
| 7 | NOT GIVEN |
Paragraph C: "increased speed" とはあるが「世界最速(fastest in the world)」の記述はない
速度向上 ≠ 世界最速 → 判断不可 = NOT GIVEN
|
| 8 | NO |
Paragraph G: "a solution... cannot always be scaled up to industrial levels"
「全ての生物的解決策が応用可能」は筆者の見解と矛盾
|
| 9 | NOT GIVEN |
建築と材料科学の「商業的潜在力」を比較する記述は本文に一切ない
両分野の比較は述べられていない → NOT GIVEN
|
| 問 | 解答 | 根拠（パッセージ） |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | A. lotus | Paragraph E: "The leaves of the lotus plant... this self-cleaning surface in paints and fabrics" |
| 11 | B. gecko | Paragraph E: "the feet of the gecko... have inspired a new generation of powerful dry adhesives" |
| 12 | D. model | Paragraph F: nature as "model, measure and mentor" — 持続可能な設計の「模倣する対象」 |
| 13 | E. scaled | Paragraph G: "cannot always be scaled up to industrial levels" |
引っかけ語（distractors）: C. spider（silk は登場するが接着剤の足は gecko）/ H. termite（建築の段落 D で登場）/ F. measured・G. reduced（文脈・品詞に合わない）。品詞（Q10-12 は名詞、Q13 は動詞の過去分詞）で候補を絞るのが鍵。
よくある日本人のミス
| ミス | 原因 | 正しいアプローチ |
|---|---|---|
| Q7 を YES にしてしまう | 「速度が上がった」から「世界最速」と推論する | "fastest in the world" の記述なし → NOT GIVEN |
| Q9 を NO にしてしまう | 材料科学の例が多い印象で判断する | 商業性の比較は本文にない → NOT GIVEN |
| Matching Information で段落主題を探す | Matching Headings と混同する | 「特定情報の在り処」を細部のキーワードでスキャン |
| Summary の空所に語群外の語を入れる | word list を無視して自分の語を書く | 必ず A–H から選ぶ。品詞と文脈で確定する |
| 全文を精読してから設問へ | 時間管理の意識が低い | 設問キーワード先読み → スキャン。20分で13問（約1.5分/問） |
次のステップ
発展: 段落 G の批判的視点（scaling の限界 / greenwashing）を踏まえ、「Should governments fund biomimicry research?」で Writing Task 2 の Outline を書いてみる（"I believe biomimicry research deserves public funding because…"）
次回予告（水曜）: Vocabulary & Grammar — AWL 語彙（Science & Environment）+ 名詞化（Nominalization）
次回予告（水曜）: Vocabulary & Grammar — AWL 語彙（Science & Environment）+ 名詞化（Nominalization）
自己評価
問題を解いた後に記入してください。データはブラウザのローカルストレージに保存されます。
気づき・メモ（間違えた問題・理由・次回への課題）: