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次の文章は，2010年9月16日にTHE DAILY YOMIURIに掲載された“NPOs, firms help pay for needy students”という見出しの記事である。これを読み，以下の設問に答えよ。
(A)With increasing numbers of children unable to attend cram schools because of financial or family reasons, support programs―such as NPO-organized free classes focusing on entrance exams―are becoming more common.
On Aug. 9, while other kids were enjoying their summer holiday, 37 middle school students gathered at a building in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district to take free classes focusing on Tokyo’s public high school entrance examinations.
The classes, “(1)Tada-zemi” (Free seminars), were organized by nonprofit organization Kids’ Door. The NPO offered free English and mathematics classes over a five-day period for students who hoped to advance to a public high school in Tokyo but could not attend cram school or summer intensives due to financial reasons.
Twenty-one university students, who had taken the entrance exams for Tokyo’s public high schools, volunteered as teachers, and made their own learning materials for the participants.
“I’d given up on going to a cram school because my mother said we didn’t have money,” a 15-year-old girl from Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, said. “So, the classes were really helpful.”
The NPO only accepted students who had not previously enrolled in paid education services such as those offered by cram schools. Among the 40 students ( a ) into the program, 80 percent were from single-parent families.
“Children can’t do anything about their families’ economic situations, so other adults ( b ) in their lives need to help them,” Hideyuki Katagai, an official at the NPO, said.
Another nonprofit organization “Wink,” which supports single-mother households, ( c ) distance learning assistance by fax and e-mail.
One of the organization’s board members, Ayumi Mitsumoto, 22, grew up in a single-mother household. She began the service with her friends in April, hoping to support children who had no choice but to study on their own.
Mitsumoto works for a cram school in Shizuoka Prefecture and is in charge of managing its classes.
Wink offers its services to students from primary school through high school. If students ask questions by e-mail or fax, Mitsumoto or other staff ( d ) in teaching at cram schools respond. Students hoping to use the service have to pay a monthly fee of 2,000 yen.
(B)The nonprofit sector is not alone in its efforts to bridge the education gap resulting from families’ differing financial situations. Private companies, too, are offering support as a means of contributing to society.
Goldman Sachs Japan and the Tokyo Council of Social Welfare are planning a joint project to help children in foster care study for entrance exams. Members of nonprofit organizations and university students will visit such institutions and hold a lecture for a total of 240 primary and middle school students to boost their motivation for learning or receiving higher education.
Also, the project will provide financial assistance for cram school fees or summer and winter intensives for 12 high school students who hope to advance to university. ( e ), the project will financially support three university students for four years, while a caseworker will provide personal and educational counseling.
Recent surveys indicate that the education gap has become a growing social problem over the past several years.
According to a survey conducted last autumn by nonprofit organization Single Mothers’ Forum, the (2)average annual income of the 233 single mothers who have at least one child attending middle or high school was 2.66 million yen, less than 40 percent of the average annual income of households with children.
The survey also found that 88 percent of the respondents had day-to-day financial difficulties, and 76 percent had trouble paying for their children’s education.
Rikkyo University Prof. Naomi Yuzawa, an expert in children’s poverty issues, said, “Education costs are squeezing household budgets. These circumstances have necessitated increased efforts [from the nonprofit sector] to support children’s learning.
“The government should do more to ease the educational financial burden, such as making (3)private high school or university education free or expanding the provision of scholarships,” Yuzawa added.
| 〔設問〕 |
| 問１ |
下線部(A),(B)を日本語に訳しなさい。 |
| 問２ |
下線部(1)の具体的内容を50字以内で説明しなさい。 |
| 問３ |
空所( a )〜( d )に入れるべき動詞を次の中から選び、必要があれば最も適切な形に変えなさい。なお、同じものを２回以上用いてはいけません。 |
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involveprovideexperienceaccept |
| 問４ |
空所( e )に入れるべきものとして最も適切なものを(ア)〜(エ)から一つ選びなさい。 |
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(ア) However(イ) Therefore(ウ) Indeed(エ) Furthermore |
| 問５ |
下線部(2)とアクセントの位置が同じものを(ア)〜(エ)から一つ選びなさい。 |
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(ア) apparel(イ) catalog(ウ) entertain(エ) interpret |
| 問６ |
“Single Mothers’ Forum”の調査結果から分かることとして最も適切なものを(ア)〜(エ)から一つ選びなさい。 |
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- (ア) 小学生の子どもがいる233人の母子家庭の母親の平均年収は300万円に満たないものであった。
- (イ) 子どものいる世帯の平均年収は母子家庭の母親の平均年収より３倍以上高くなっている。
- (ウ) 回答者の７割以上は日々の家計のやりくりや子どもの教育費の支払いに苦労している。
- (エ) 回答者の８割近くは私立高校の授業料を無料にすべきだと考えている。
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| 問７ |
下線部(3)と同じ用法のprivateを(ア)〜(エ)から一つ選びなさい。 |
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- (ア) My grandfather was admitted into the private hospital yesterday.
- (イ) In my private opinion, he is not so good at making speeches.
- (ウ) May I have a private conversation with you?
- (エ) Shall we go to a place where we can be more private?
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| 問８ |
本文の内容と一致しているものを(ア)〜(オ)から一つ選びなさい。 |
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- (ア) Every student is allowed to participate in Tada-zemi regardless of their history of attending a cram school.
- (イ) Wink offers educational services to single-mother families for free by way of e-mail or fax.
- (ウ) Professor Yuzawa insists that the government should take more measures to reduce the burden on families of educational costs.
- (エ) Major corporations often hesitate to offer support to economically-disadvantaged families.
- (オ) Many single mothers don’t think it good to rely heavily on NPO’s assistance.
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