N3 Reading · Test 40

The passage states: 英語も中国語も同じように話せる人に、それぞれの言語に翻訳された、ある日本の小説を読んでもらって録音する. This means one person who can speak both English and Chinese equally well read a Japanese novel translated into each language and recorded it. Option 2 correctly captures that a single person read the same novel in both English and Chinese.

• 1The passage clearly states that one person (一人の人) who can speak both languages did the recording, not two different people. This option incorrectly says 別の人 (another person) read the Chinese version.
• 3The passage says the novel was translated into each language separately and read in each language, not mixed together. There is no mention of Japanese being included in the recording.
• 4The passage says the novel was translated into English and Chinese, not Japanese. The original was Japanese but the recordings were in English and Chinese. This option incorrectly includes Japanese as one of the recorded languages.

• 翻訳ほんやくする — to translate
• 録音ろくおんする — to record (audio)
• 文鳥ぶんちょう — Java sparrow (a type of bird)

The passage states: 英語を聞いてもう 1 本の棒に移ったら、えさをやる (when the bird heard English and moved to the other perch, it was given food). Option 1 correctly describes this: when the bird heard English and moved from one perch to the other, it received food.

• 2The passage explicitly states that when the bird heard Chinese and moved to the other perch, it was NOT given food (中国語を聞いてもう 1 本の棒に移っても、えさはやらない).
• 3The bird only received food when it heard English and moved, not when it heard Chinese and moved. This option incorrectly includes both languages as triggers for food.
• 4The bird received food when it heard English AND moved, not when it stayed still. Staying still was only correct (正解) for Chinese, but food was given specifically for the English-and-move combination.

• 棒ぼう — stick, perch
• 移うつる — to move (to another place)
• えさ — food, bait (for animals)

The passage concludes that the bird could distinguish between the two languages about 75% of the time, and that this ability was demonstrated even with a different novel. However, the passage explicitly states 文鳥がなぜ区別できるのかまだわからない (it is still unknown why the bird can distinguish). So what was discovered is THAT the bird can distinguish two languages, not WHY. Option 4 correctly states this.

• 1The passage explicitly says the reason is still unknown (なぜ区別できるのかまだわからない). The experiment did not reveal the reason, only the fact.
• 2The bird did not follow human verbal instructions; it learned to associate English with moving and getting food through training. The experiment showed language discrimination ability, not obedience to human speech.
• 3Again, the passage clearly states the reason (理由) is still unknown. The experiment demonstrated the ability to distinguish, but did not explain the mechanism.

• 区別くべつする — to distinguish, to differentiate
• 謎なぞ — mystery, riddle
• 鍵かぎ — key