京大英語 2017年度 第1問

長文読解
  1. 問題
  2. 解説
    1. 第1段落
      1. The most common conception of deserts and arid lands, as embodied by the 1994 UN Convention to Combat Desertification, innumerable national development agencies, and many nongovernmental organizations, is that they are barren, deforested, overgrazed lands — wastelands with little value that need to be repaired and improved.
      2. Up to 70% of global arid and semiarid lands are frequently claimed to be suffering from varying degrees of desertification.
      3. Yet the word “desertification” has no agreed definition, measures of desertification are not standardized, and it is very difficult to differentiate degradation caused by humans from the effects of drought in the drylands, which makes such estimates of desertification questionable at best.
      4. Indeed, academic research has shown for more than 25 years that estimates of desertification have been significantly exaggerated and that most of the world’s drylands are not being invaded by spreading deserts caused by deforestation, burning, and overgrazing as claimed since the word was first invented nearly one hundred years ago.
      5. This has led a majority of arid lands ecologists to conclude that there is insufficient scientific evidence of large-scale permanent desertification.
    2. 第2段落
      1. Desertification as a concept is extremely important, however, not least because the fear it generates drives a multimillion-dollar global anti-desertification campaign that impacts the lives of millions of people.
      2. Desertification is also important because it was the first major environmental issue to be recognized as occurring on a global scale.
      3. As such, the way that the “crisis of desertification” was conceptualized, framed, and tackled as a policy problem shaped in numerous ways our reactions to subsequent environmental crises such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change.
      4. Global concern about desertification is most commonly dated to the 1970s when a great drought and famine hit the sub-Saharan region with terrible suffering and mortality, and resulted in coordinated global action in the form of the 1977 UN Conference on Desertification.
      5. Fear of desertification, though, has driven global dryland policy for much longer, dating to the mid-twentieth century with UNESCO’s Arid Zone Program and to various colonial adventures in the world’s drylands long before that.
    3. 第3段落
      1. Indeed, before the word “desertification” was invented in the 1920s by a French colonial forester, western imperial powers had executed many different programs to try to restrain the perceived spread of desert regions and also to try to “restore” the drylands to productivity according to capitalist goals.
      2. Underlying these attempts was a complex, long-standing, and primarily Anglo-European understanding of deserts which equated them with ruined forests much of the time.
      3. Examining how these ideas about deserts have changed over the long duration will reveal that many of the worst cases of degradation in the drylands have been the result of policies based on the old ideas that deserts are without value and that desertification is caused primarily by “traditional” uses of the land by local populations.
      4. Societies in arid lands have, in fact, lived successfully in these unpredictable environments for thousands of years using ingenious techniques.
      5. The assumption that the world’s drylands are worthless and deforested landscapes has led, since the colonial period, to programs and policies that have often systematically damaged dryland environments and marginalized large numbers of indigenous peoples, many of whom had been using the land sustainably.

問題

 次の文章を読み, 下の設問(1)~(3)に答えなさい。

 The most common conception of deserts and arid lands, as embodied by the 1994 UN Convention to Combat Desertification, innumerable national development agencies, and many nongovernmental organizations, is that they are barren, deforested, overgrazed lands — wastelands with little value that need to be repaired and improved. Up to 70% of global arid and semiarid lands are frequently claimed to be suffering from varying degrees of desertification. Yet the word “desertification” has no agreed definition, measures of desertification are not standardized, and it is very difficult to differentiate degradation caused by humans from the effects of drought in the drylands, which makes (a)such estimates of desertification questionable at best. Indeed, academic research has shown for more than 25 years that estimates of desertification have been significantly exaggerated and that most of the world’s drylands are not being invaded by spreading deserts caused by deforestation, burning, and overgrazing as claimed since the word was first invented nearly one hundred years ago. This has led a majority of arid lands ecologists to conclude that there is insufficient scientific evidence of large-scale permanent desertification.
 Desertification as a concept is extremely important, however, not least because the fear it generates drives a multimillion-dollar global anti-desertification campaign that impacts the lives of millions of people. Desertification is also important because it was the first major environmental issue to be recognized as occurring on a global scale. (b)As such, the way that the “crisis of desertification” was conceptualized, framed, and tackled as a policy problem shaped in numerous ways our reactions to subsequent environmental crises such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Global concern about desertification is most commonly dated to the 1970s when a great drought and famine hit the sub-Saharan region with terrible suffering and mortality, and resulted in coordinated global action in the form of the 1977 UN Conference on Desertification. Fear of desertification, though, has driven global dryland policy for much longer, dating to the mid-twentieth century with UNESCO’s Arid Zone Program and to various colonial adventures in the world’s drylands long before that.
 Indeed, before the word “desertification” was invented in the 1920s by a French colonial forester, western imperial powers had executed many different programs to try to restrain the perceived spread of desert regions and also to try to “restore” the drylands to productivity according to capitalist goals. Underlying these attempts was a complex, long-standing, and primarily Anglo-European understanding of deserts which equated them with ruined forests much of the time. Examining how these ideas about deserts have changed over the long duration will reveal that many of the worst cases of degradation in the drylands have been the result of policies based on the old ideas that deserts are without value and that desertification is caused primarily by “traditional” uses of the land by local populations. Societies in arid lands have, in fact, lived successfully in these unpredictable environments for thousands of years using ingenious techniques. (c)The assumption that the world’s drylands are worthless and deforested landscapes has led, since the colonial period, to programs and policies that have often systematically damaged dryland environments and marginalized large numbers of indigenous peoples, many of whom had been using the land sustainably.

(1) 下線部(a)の指す内容を具体的に日本語で述べなさい。

(2) 下線部(b)を, “As such”の指す内容が具体的にわかるように和訳しなさい。

(3) 下線部(c)を和訳しなさい。

解説

第1段落

The most common conception of deserts and arid lands, as embodied by the 1994 UN Convention to Combat Desertification, innumerable national development agencies, and many nongovernmental organizations, is that they are barren, deforested, overgrazed lands — wastelands with little value that need to be repaired and improved.

解説
  • aridとovergrazeは知らなくてよい。
  • deforestは, 否定の接頭辞de-にforestが付いていることと, 受身形になっているので動詞と判断できることから, 「森を減らす, 伐採する」などと訳せる。
  • 最後の関係代名詞節が, 直前のvalueにかかるのか, さらに前のwastelandsにかかるのか, 明確には判断できないので, 原則として近いほうのvalueにかけて訳しておく。
英語構造解析

The most common conceptionS of deserts and arid lands, as embodiedV’ by the 1994 UN Convention to Combat Desertification, innumerable national development agencies, and many nongovernmental organizations, isV that theyS” areV” barren, deforested, overgrazed landsC”wastelands with little value that need to be repaired and improvedV”’.

日本語構造解析

1994のCombat Desertificationに対するUNのConventionや, 数えきれない自然の発展の機関や, 多くの非政府の組織によって具現化されるV’ように, 砂漠やaridな土地の最も普通のコンセプトSは, それらS”不毛で, deforestされて, overgrazeされた土地C”である, つまり, 修復され向上させられる必要があるV”’ような極小の価値を持ったwastelandである, ということだ。

意訳例

1994年の国連砂漠化対処条例(UNCCD)や, 多数の国家開発機関, 非政府組織によって具体的に述べられているように, 砂漠や乾燥地帯の最も普遍的な定義は, 不毛で, 森林が無く, 過剰に放牧されている土地である。つまり, 修復し改善する価値がほとんどない無駄な土地である。

Up to 70% of global arid and semiarid lands are frequently claimed to be suffering from varying degrees of desertification.

解説
  • up to Aは, 「Aまで, A次第で, Aをたくらんで」などの意味がある多義イディオム。
  • desertificationは, desertifyの名詞化で, desertifyはdesertの動詞化だと推測できるので, desert「砂漠」→desertify「砂漠にする」→desertification「砂漠にすること, 砂漠化」などと訳せる。
英語構造解析

Up to 70%S of global arid and semiarid lands are frequently claimed to be suffering fromV varying degreesO of desertification.

日本語構造解析

地球のaridと半aridの土地の70%までS頻繁に, desertificationの変わる程度O苦しんでいると主張されるV

意訳例

地球の乾燥地帯や半乾燥地帯のうち, 多くて70%の土地が, 程度の差はあれ砂漠化に苦しんでいると, よく言われている。

Yet the word “desertification” has no agreed definition, measures of desertification are not standardized, and it is very difficult to differentiate degradation caused by humans from the effects of drought in the drylands, which makes such estimates of desertification questionable at best.

解説
  • differentiate A from B(= tell[distinguish] A from B)「AとBを区別する」が名詞化されているので, differentiateとfromの対応関係を見抜く。
  • such estimates「そのような推定」の内容は, もちろん前文のUp to 70% ~「多くて70%が~」である。
英語構造解析

Yet the word “desertification”S1 hasV1 no agreed definitionO1, measuresS2 of desertification are not standardizedV2, and itS3 isV3 very difficultC3 to differentiate degradationS3 caused by humans from the effects of drought in the drylands, which makesV’ such estimatesO’ of desertification questionableC’ at best.

日本語構造解析

しかし, 「砂漠化」という語S1は, 同意された無の定義O1持ってV1いて, 砂漠化の測定S2標準化されていなくV2て, 乾燥土地の干ばつの効果から人間によって引き起こされたdegradationを区別することS3とても難しいC3そしてそれは, 砂漠化のそのような推定O’ベストな点で疑問的C’するV’

意訳例

しかし, 「砂漠化」という単語は明確な定義はなく, 規格化された測定基準もなく, 砂漠化が乾燥地域での干ばつの影響なのか, それとも人間によって引き起こされたことなのかを区別することも非常に難しい。したがって, 砂漠化に関するそのような推定は, どれだけよく見積もっても, 疑問が残る。

Indeed, academic research has shown for more than 25 years that estimates of desertification have been significantly exaggerated and that most of the world’s drylands are not being invaded by spreading deserts caused by deforestation, burning, and overgrazing as claimed since the word was first invented nearly one hundred years ago.

英語構造解析

Indeed, academic researchS has shownV for more than 25 years that estimatesS’ of desertification have been significantly exaggeratedV’ and that mostS” of the world’s drylands are not being invadedV” by spreading deserts caused by deforestation, burning, and overgrazing as claimed since the wordS”’ was first inventedV”’ nearly one hundred years ago.

日本語構造解析

確かに, 学術的な研究S25年以上の間, 砂漠化の推定S’重要に誇張されてきたV’ということと, 世界の乾燥地のほとんどS”は, 約100年前にその言葉S”’最初に発明されたV”’以来, 主張されるように, deforestation, 焼くこと, overgrazeすることによって引き起こされた広がる砂漠によって侵略されていないV”ということ示してきたV

意訳例

実際, 25年間以上にわたる学術研究は, 砂漠化の推定はかなり誇張されているということを示している。また, 砂漠化という言葉が約100年前につくられてから主張されてきたように, 森林伐採, 森林焼却, 過放牧が原因で砂漠地帯が広がったことにより, 世界の乾燥地帯の大部分が砂漠化に進んでいる, という事実があるわけではないことも示している。

This has led a majority of arid lands ecologists to conclude that there is insufficient scientific evidence of large-scale permanent desertification.

解説
  • lead A to do「Aが~するように導く」, lead to A「Aまで導く, Aの結果をもたらす」。toが不定詞か前置詞かの違いに注意。
英語構造解析

ThisS has ledV a majorityO of arid lands ecologists to concludeto do that there isV’ insufficient scientific evidenceS’ of large-scale permanent desertification.

日本語構造解析

これSは, 乾燥地の生態学者の多数派Oを, 大規模な永久の砂漠化の不十分な科学的な証拠S’あるV’ということ結論づけるto doように導いてきたV

意訳例

これらのことから, 乾燥地を研究している生態学者のほとんどは, 大規模な砂漠化が恒久的に起こっているという科学的証拠は十分にはないと結論付けている。

第2段落

Desertification as a concept is extremely important, however, not least because the fear it generates drives a multimillion-dollar global anti-desertification campaign that impacts the lives of millions of people.

解説
  • not leastは「とりわけ」と訳すのが通例だが, 難しいので知らなくてよい。precisely becauseやpartly becauseなどのように, because節を修飾しているということが分かればよい。
英語構造解析

DesertificationS as a concept isV extremely importantC, however, not least because the fearS’ itS” generatesV” drivesV’ a multimillion-dollar global anti-desertification campaignO’ that impactsV”’ the livesO”’ of millions of people.

日本語構造解析

しかし, コンセプトとしての砂漠化Sは, 極端に重要Cだ。not leastなぜなら, それS”生み出すV”ような恐れS’は, 百万の人々の生活O”’インパクトを与えるV”’ような百万ドルの地球のアンチ砂漠化キャンペーンO’駆り立てるV’からだ

意訳例

しかし, 概念としての砂漠化は, 極めて重要である。なぜなら, 砂漠化の概念によって生じる不安は, 大金が絡んだ世界規模の反砂漠化運動を引き起こし, それによって非常に多くの人々の生活が影響を受けるからだ。

Desertification is also important because it was the first major environmental issue to be recognized as occurring on a global scale.

英語構造解析

DesertificationS isV also importantC because itS’ wasV’ the first major environmental issueC’ to be recognized as occurring on a global scale.

日本語構造解析

砂漠化Sまた重要Cだ。なぜなら, それS’地球規模で起きているとして認識された最初の主要な環境問題C’だからだ。

意訳例

砂漠化は, 地球規模で起こっていると認められた最初の大きな環境問題であったので, その点でも重要である。

As such, the way that the “crisis of desertification” was conceptualized, framed, and tackled as a policy problem shaped in numerous ways our reactions to subsequent environmental crises such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change.

解説
  • 文頭のAs suchは見慣れないので, 「そのように」と訳しておいて, 前後の文脈を見て適切に補う。実は「したがって」と訳すのが適切だが, 文脈から考えてもなかなかその訳は出てこないので, ここは間違えても仕方がないところ。the way以下の訳ができていれば全く問題ない。
英語構造解析

As such, the wayS that the “crisis of desertification”S’ was conceptualized, framed, and tackledV’ as a policy problem shapedV in numerous ways our reactionsO to subsequent environmental crises such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change.

日本語構造解析

そのように, 「砂漠化の危機」S’政策の問題として概念化され, フレーム化され, 取り組まれたV’ような方法Sは, 多くの方法で, 森林伐採, 生物多様性の喪失, 気候変動のような続く環境の危機に対する私たちの反応O形作ったV

意訳例

したがって, 「砂漠化の危機」を, 政策課題としてどのように概念化し, 枠組みを作り, 取り組んできたかということが, それ以降の森林伐採, 生物多様性の減少, 気候変動などの環境問題に対する人々の反応を, 様々な点で方向づけた。

Global concern about desertification is most commonly dated to the 1970s when a great drought and famine hit the sub-Saharan region with terrible suffering and mortality, and resulted in coordinated global action in the form of the 1977 UN Conference on Desertification.

解説
  • date to A「A[時代]までさかのぼる」
英語構造解析

Global concernS about desertification is most commonly dated toV the 1970sO when a great drought and famineS’ hitV’1 the sub-Saharan regionO’1 with terrible suffering and mortality, and resulted inV’2 coordinated global actionO’2 in the form of the 1977 UN Conference on Desertification.

日本語構造解析

砂漠化に関する地球の関心Sは, ひどい苦しみと死亡とともにすごい干ばつと飢饉S’が, サハラ以南の地域O’1ヒットしV’1て, 1977のUNのConference on Desertificationの形で調和させられた地球の行動O’2結果になったV’2ような1970年代O最も普通にさかのぼられるV

意訳例

砂漠化に関する地球規模の関心は, 一般的には1970年代にさかのぼると言われる。当時は, 深刻な干ばつと飢饉がサハラ以南の地域を襲い, 大変な被害と死者を出した。その結果, 1977年に国連砂漠防止会議(UNCD)という形で, 地球規模の協調的な行動につながった。

Fear of desertification, though, has driven global dryland policy for much longer, dating to the mid-twentieth century with UNESCO’s Arid Zone Program and to various colonial adventures in the world’s drylands long before that.

英語構造解析

FearS of desertification, though, has drivenV global dryland policyO for much longer, dating toV’ the mid-twentieth centuryO’1 with UNESCO’s Arid Zone Program and to various colonial adventuresO’2 in the world’s drylands long before that.

日本語構造解析

しかし, 砂漠化の恐怖Sよりずっと長い間地球の乾燥地のポリシーO駆り立ててきたVそして, ユネスコのArid Zone Programとともに20世紀中盤O’1, そしてあれの長く前の世界の乾燥地の中の様々な植民地の冒険O’2さかのぼるV’

意訳例

しかし, 砂漠化の不安は, もっと長い間, 地球規模の乾燥地帯に関する政策を突き動かしてきた。これは, ユネスコの乾燥地帯計画が始まった20世紀中頃や, それよりずっと前の, 世界の乾燥地での様々な植民地時代の冒険にまでさかのぼる。

第3段落

Indeed, before the word “desertification” was invented in the 1920s by a French colonial forester, western imperial powers had executed many different programs to try to restrain the perceived spread of desert regions and also to try to “restore” the drylands to productivity according to capitalist goals.

解説
  • restore A to B「AをBに返す, 戻す」の用法を知っていると楽だが, restore「~を取り返す, 修復する」しか知らなくてもよい。
英語構造解析

Indeed, before the word “desertification”S’ was inventedV’ in the 1920s by a French colonial forester, western imperial powersS had executedV many different programsO to try to restrainv1 the perceived spreado1 of desert regions and also to try to “restore”v2 the drylandso2 to productivity according to capitalist goals.

日本語構造解析

確かに, 「砂漠化」という語S’フランスの植民地の森の人によって1920年代に発明されたV’前は, 西の帝国の力Sは, 砂漠地域の知覚された広がりo1制限しようとするv1ために, そしてまた, 資本主義者のゴールに従って生産性に対して乾燥地o2「修復」しようとするv2ために, 多くの異なるプログラムO実行してきたV

意訳例

実際, 「砂漠化」という言葉が1920年代にフランスの植民地森林官によって生み出される以前は, 西洋の権力者は多種多様な計画を行っていた。これは, 砂漠地域の拡大を抑制するためであり, また資本主義の目的に沿って, 乾燥地帯を生産性のある場所へと「復帰」させようとするためであった。

Underlying these attempts was a complex, long-standing, and primarily Anglo-European understanding of deserts which equated them with ruined forests much of the time.

解説
  • equate A with Bの形になっていることに気づき, equateはequalやequationと関係があることに注意すれば, equate A with B = identify A with B「AとBを同一視する」のように訳せるかもしれない。
英語構造解析

UnderlyingV these attemptsS wasV a complex, long-standing, and primarily Anglo-European understandingO of deserts which equatedV’ themO’ with ruined forests much of the time.

日本語構造解析

これらの試みSは, それらO’時間のほとんどで破壊された森と一緒にequateしたV’ような砂漠の複雑で, long-standingで, 主にアングロヨーロッパの理解O下にあったV

意訳例

これらの試みは, 砂漠を破壊された森とたいていの場合同じと見なすという, 複雑で長期にわたる, アングロヨーロッパ系の人々の理解がもととなっていた。

Examining how these ideas about deserts have changed over the long duration will reveal that many of the worst cases of degradation in the drylands have been the result of policies based on the old ideas that deserts are without value and that desertification is caused primarily by “traditional” uses of the land by local populations.

英語構造解析

ExaminingS how these ideasS’ about deserts have changedV’ over the long duration will revealV that manyS” of the worst cases of degradation in the drylands have beenV” the resultC’ of policies based on the old ideas that desertsS”’ areV”’ without value and that desertificationS”” is causedV”” primarily by “traditional” uses of the land by local populations.

日本語構造解析

砂漠に関するこれらのアイデアS’長い期間の上でどのように変わってきたV’かということ調査することSは, 乾燥地のdegradationの最も悪いケースのほとんどS”は, 砂漠S”’価値がないものであるV”’という, そして砂漠化S””地域の人々による土地の「伝統的な」利用によって主に引き起こされたV””という古いアイデアに基づいたポリシーの結果C”あったV”ということ明らかにするだろうV

意訳例

このような砂漠についての考え方の, 長期にわたる変化の様子を調べることによって, 乾燥地帯の土地の劣化のほとんどは, 砂漠は価値が無く, 砂漠化は地域住民の「伝統的な」土地利用が主に原因であるという古い考えに基づいた政策の結果であるということが明らかになるだろう。

Societies in arid lands have, in fact, lived successfully in these unpredictable environments for thousands of years using ingenious techniques.

英語構造解析

SocietiesS in arid lands have, in fact, livedV successfully in these unpredictable environments for thousands of years using ingenious techniques.

日本語構造解析

乾燥地の中の社会S実際に, 独創的なテクニックを使って数千年の間これらの予測できない環境の中で上手に生きてきたV

意訳例

実際は, 乾燥地域の社会は, 巧妙な技術を用いて, 何千年もの間, このような予測不可能な環境を生き延びてきた。

The assumption that the world’s drylands are worthless and deforested landscapes has led, since the colonial period, to programs and policies that have often systematically damaged dryland environments and marginalized large numbers of indigenous peoples, many of whom had been using the land sustainably.

解説
  • lead to A「Aまで導く, Aの結果をもたらす」, lead A to do「Aが~するように導く」
英語構造解析

The assumptionS that the world’s drylandsS’ areV’ worthlessC’1 and deforested landscapesC’2 has ledV, since the colonial period, to programs and policies that haveV” often systematically damagedV”1 dryland environmentsO”1 and marginalizedV”2 large numbersO”2 of indigenous peoples, many of whom had been usingV”’ the landO”’ sustainably.

日本語構造解析

世界の乾燥地S’無価値C’伐採された風景C’であるという仮定Sは, 植民地の時代以来, しばしばシステマチックに乾燥地の環境O”1ダメージを与えV”1て, 先住の人々の多数O”2余白化してきたV”2ようなプログラムとポリシーまで導いてきたVそして彼らの多くは, 土地O”’持続可能に使ってきたV”’

意訳例

植民地の時代以降, 乾燥地は無価値で, 伐採された土地であるという考えが, 様々な計画や政策をもたらした。それらはしばしば, 乾燥地の環境を体系的に破壊し, その土地に住んでいた人々の大部分を他の場所に追いやってきた。しかし彼らのほとんどは, それまでずっと, その土地を持続可能な方法で利用していたのだ。

長文読解
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