冬期講習　長文問題２

​意味を理解しましょう

The smile may no longer be an effective way to mask one’s true feelings.  Some psychologists have claimed that true smiles and false smiles use different muscles.  For example, in the true smile, the muscles surrounding the eyes tighten, while the cheek muscles pull the corners of the lips upward.  On the other hand, in the false smile, the muscles between the eyebrows move slightly, while the muscles around the mouth pull the corners of the lips downward.  If the psychologists’ claim is proven to be true, perhaps people will worry less about what they say and more about which muscles to use when they smile.                                                                                                

　ほほえみは，もはや本当の気持ちを隠すのに効果的な方法ではないのかもしれない。本当のほほえみと偽りのほほえみでは，異なる筋肉を使うと主張している心理学者もいる。例えば，本当のほほえみの場合，目を囲んでいる筋肉はぴんと張るのだが，ほおの筋肉は上方に唇の端を引っ張る。一方で，偽りのほほえみの場合，まゆの間の筋肉がわずかに動くのだが，口の周りの筋肉は唇の端を下方に引っ張る。もし心理学者のこの主張が真実であると証明されたら，おそらく人々は，自分が何を言うかを気にすることがより少なくなり，ほほえむ際にどの筋肉を使うべきかをもっと気にするようになるだろう。

もう一度読みましょう

​The smile may no longer be an effective way to mask one’s true feelings.  Some psychologists have claimed that true smiles and false smiles use different muscles.  For example, in the true smile, the muscles surrounding the eyes tighten, while the cheek muscles pull the corners of the lips upward.  On the other hand, in the false smile, the muscles between the eyebrows move slightly, while the muscles around the mouth pull the corners of the lips downward.  If the psychologists’ claim is proven to be true, perhaps people will worry less about what they say and more about which muscles to use when they smile.

​意味を理解しましょう

When English-speaking people talk about “hot” food, are they saying the food is spicy like curry, or are they talking about its temperature, as in “hot” coffee?  These two different meanings of “hot” may seem confusing to Japanese students, but as a matter of fact, the word is the right one for describing the way the body responds to spice and heat.  A simple explanation would go something like this: when we eat or drink, the same nerves in the mouth react both to spicy chemicals in the food and to a rise in temperature.  The English expression, therefore, reflects this fact about the human body. （106 words）

　英語を話す人たちが“hot”な食べ物について話す時，彼らはその食べ物がカレーのように香辛料がきいていると言っているのだろうか，それとも「ホット」コーヒーと言う場合のように，食べ物の温度について話しているのだろうか。こうした“hot”という単語の2つの異なる意味は，日本人の学生にとってはややこしいように思われるかもしれないが，実際のところ，この単語は，体が香辛料や熱に反応する方法を言い表すのに適切なものである。簡単な説明は次のようになるだろう。私たちが食べたり飲んだりする時，口の中にある同じ神経が，食べ物の中の香辛料の化学物質〔刺激物〕と温度の上昇の両方に反応する。したがって，この英語表現は，人体についてのこの事実を反映しているのだ。

​もう一度読みましょう

When English-speaking people talk about “hot” food, are they saying the food is spicy like curry, or are they talking about its temperature, as in “hot” coffee?  These two different meanings of “hot” may seem confusing to Japanese students, but as a matter of fact, the word is the right one for describing the way the body responds to spice and heat.  A simple explanation would go something like this: when we eat or drink, the same nerves in the mouth react both to spicy chemicals in the food and to a rise in temperature.  The English expression, therefore, reflects this fact about the human body.