大学入学共通テスト2024(R)⑨第６問A

今回は、第５問 を終えて
第６問 A に入ります。

基本的な問題の扱い方

今回、このブログでは、
共通テスト(英語)の「リーディング」の問題だけを扱うこととします。

基本的な問題の扱い方は、下記の通りにします。

①問題の提示
※基本的には「大問」毎に扱う予定ですが、問題の量などによりそれより細かく区切って取り扱うこともあります。
②模範解答の提示
③解説
④そのほかの補説

第６問A：配点１２点 ▶︎各３点(４問)

それでは、第６問 A の問題を見ていきましょう。

A  Your English teacher has assigned this article to you. You need to prepare
notice to give a short talk.

                                            Perceptions of Time

ー When you hear the word “time,” it is probably hours, minutes, and seconds
that immediately come to mind. In the late 19th century, however, philosopher
Henri Bergson described how people usually do not experience time as it is
measured by clocks (clock time). Humans do not have a known biological
mechanism to measure clock time, so they use mental processes instead. This
is called psychological time, which everyone perceives differently.
ー If you were asked how long it had taken to finish your homework, you
probably would not know exactly. You would think back and make an
estimate. In a 1975 experiment, participants were shown either simple or
complex shapes for a fixed amount of time and asked to memorize them.
Afterwords, they were asked how long they had looked at the shapes. To
answer, they used a mental process called retrospective timing, which is
estimating time based on the information retrieved from memory. Participants
who were shown the complex shapes felt the time was longer, while the people
who saw the simple shapes experienced the opposite.
ー Another process to measure psychological time is called prospective
timing. It is used when you are actively keeping track of time while doing
something. Instead of using the amount of information recalled, the level of
attention given to time while doing the actively is used. In several studies, the
participants performed tasks while estimating the time needed to complete
them. Time seemed shorter for the people doing more challenging mental
activities which required them to place more focus on the task than on time.
Time felt longer for the participants who did simpler tasks and the longed for
those who were waiting or doing nothing.
ー Your emotional state can influence your awareness of time, too. For
example, you can be enjoying a concert so much that you forget about time.
Afterwards, you are shocked that hours have passed by in what seemed to be
the blink of an eye. To explain this, we often say, “Time flies when you’re
having fun.” The opposite occurs when you are bored. Instead of being
focused on an activity, you notice the time. It seems to go very slowly as you
cannot wait for your boredom to end. Fear also affects our perception of time.
In a 2006 study, more than 60 people experienced skydiving for the first time.
Participants with high level of unpleasant emotions perceived the time spent
skydiving to be much longer than it was in reality.
ー Psychological time also seems to move differently during life stages.
Children constantly encounter new information and have new experiences,
which makes each day memorable and seem longer when recalled. Also, time
creeps by for them as they anticipate upcoming events such as birthdays and
trips. For most adults, unknown information is rarely encountered and new
experiences become less frequent, so less mental focus is required and each
day becomes less memorable. However, this is not always the case.
Daily routines are shaken up when drastic changes occur, such as changing
jobs or relocating to a new city. In such cases, the passage of time for those
people is similar to that for children. But generally speaking, time seems to
accelerate as we mature.
ー Knowledge of psychological time can be helpful in our daily lives, as it
may help us deal with boredom. Because time passes slowly when we are not
mentally focused and thinking about time, changing to a more engaging
activity, such as reading a book, will help ease our boredom and speed up the
time. The next occasion that you hear “Time flies when you’re having fun,”
you will be reminded of this.

Your notes:

問１  Choose the best option for【 39 】and 【 40 】.

① Biological mechanisms
② Effects of our feelings
③ Kinds of memory
④ Life stages
⑤ Ongoing research
⑥ Types of time

問２  Choose the best option for【 41 】.

① major lifestyle change at any age will likely make time slow down
② major lifestyle change regardless of age will likely make time speed up
③ minor lifestyle change for adults will likely make time slow down
④ minor lifestyle change for children will likely make time speed up

問３  Choose the best option for【 42 】.

① anticipating a message from a classmate
② memorizing your mother’s cellphone number
③ reflecting on how many hours you worked today
④ remembering that you have a meeting tomorrow

問４ Choose the best option for【 43 】.

① guessing how long you’ve been jogging so far
② making a schedule for the basketball team summer camp
③ running into your tennis coach at the railway station
④ thinking about your last family vacation to a hot spring

👉模範解答と解説は次のページです。