N1 Reading · Test 42

Option 3 is correct. The passage states that the soft, translucent walls of trees (並木) help unify the streetscape (街並みの一体化に役立っている), and that even disjointed, uneven streets are brought together (まとめられ) by trees, achieving a loose connection (緩やかな連結). Option 3 captures this: the wall of trees brings the town into a unified, orderly state.

• 1The passage mentions '賑やかなトンネル状の壁' as a description of trees in bloom, but this is not the main effect the author emphasizes. The focus is on unifying the streetscape, not making it feel lively.
• 2The passage never mentions residents gathering to seek greenery or strengthening community ties. This is entirely unsupported by the text.
• 4While the passage mentions seasonal changes (四季折々に変化), the author's point is not about enjoying seasonal color changes. The emphasis is on how trees unify and connect the streetscape (一体化, 連結).

Option 1 is correct. The passage states that the 'Japan' of half a century ago feels like a 'foreign country' (外国) when seen from the present, and that one 'era' (時代) is itself a 'foreign country' containing a 'different culture' (異文化). In other words, as the era changes, the culture changes so much that one's own country can feel like a foreign country. Option 1 captures this idea precisely: 'When the era changes, the culture changes, and even one's own country can feel like a foreign country.'

• 2This option says it feels like there are more opportunities to encounter foreign cultures compared to half a century ago. The passage is not about increased contact with foreign cultures; it is about one's own country feeling foreign due to the passage of time and cultural change.
• 3This option says it is regrettable (惜しい) that old culture disappears with the era. The passage does not express regret or value judgment about the disappearance of old culture; it simply observes that the culture has changed so much that the past feels like a foreign country.
• 4This option says that although living in a foreign country, it feels like being in the motherland of half a century ago. This reverses the passage's point. The author is saying that their current Japan (not a foreign country) feels like a foreign country, not that a foreign country feels like old Japan.

• 消え去る（きえさる） — to disappear, to vanish
• 馴なれない — unfamiliar, unaccustomed
• 異文化いぶんか — different culture, foreign culture

Option 1 is correct. The passage explains that the music industry focuses not on 'facts' (事実) but on 'making buyers think so' (買い手にそう思わせること), i.e., 'forming perceptions' (認識の形成). 'Selling dreams' (夢を売る) means catching the 'fantasy' (ファンタジー) that buyers desire, commercializing it, and selling it. In essence, it is about making buyers want to buy by creating the perception that something is desirable or popular. Option 1, 'making buyers want to buy,' captures this core idea.

• 2This option says 'incorporating advertising methods that buyers like.' The passage is not about which advertising methods buyers prefer; it is about shaping buyers' perceptions and desires, which is a deeper concept than choosing appealing ad techniques.
• 3This option says 'listening to buyers' hopes and making them concrete.' The passage says the industry catches what buyers want BEFORE the buyers themselves realize it (先んじて), not by listening to or surveying buyers. The industry anticipates and creates the desire rather than responding to expressed requests.
• 4This option says 'catching trends before buyers do.' While the passage does mention 先んじて (doing something before anyone else), this option focuses only on the timing aspect and misses the broader concept of creating perceptions and commercializing the fantasies buyers desire. 'Selling dreams' is about making buyers want to buy through perception formation, not merely about speed in catching trends.

• 認識の形成（にんしきのけいせい） — formation of perception (creating a certain impression or belief in people's minds)
• 先さきんじて — doing something before others; here, before anyone else
• 長たけている — to be skilled at, to excel in
• ファンタジー（ふぁんたじー） — fantasy, illusion (幻想)