The narrator was pleased thinking their walking speed had increased (歩くのが速くなったと思って喜んでいた). But the real reason they could cross without running was that the police extended the green light time (警察が青の時間を少し長くした). Learning this disappointed them because their assumption—that they had gotten faster—was wrong. Option 1 says exactly this: 'I thought my walking had gotten faster, but actually it hadn't.'
2せっかく走って渡れるようになったのに、その必要がなくなったから ('I had finally become able to run across, but now that's unnecessary') is wrong. The narrator was happy they NO LONGER needed to run; they never wanted to run in the first place.
3自分は時間内に歩いて渡れるのに、歩行者用信号の青の時間が長くなったから ('even though I can walk across in time, the green light time got longer') misstates the cause of disappointment. The disappointment isn't about the light changing per se, but about realizing their walking speed hadn't actually improved.
4警察が、歩行者用信号の青の時間を少ししか長くしてくれなかったから ('the police only extended the green light time a little') is wrong. The text says 少し長くした ('extended a little'), but the narrator's disappointment is not about the amount of extension—it's about losing the belief that they had gotten faster.
The article states that for women, the most common answer was 「食後」(72%), and the next most common was 「食前と食後」. This means among women, 「食前と食後」is more common than 「食前」. Option 2 says exactly this: 女性は「食前と食後」に磨く人が「食前」に磨く人より多い ('Among women, those who brush both before and after meals are more numerous than those who brush before meals').
1男性は「食前」に磨く人が「食後」に磨く人より多い ('Among men, those who brush before meals are more numerous than those who brush after') is wrong. The text says 食後 is the most common for men at 64%, and 食前 is only the second most common.
3性別に関係なく、「食前」に歯を磨いている人が60%以上いる ('Regardless of gender, over 60% brush before meals') is wrong. The 64% and 72% figures are for 食後 (after meals), not 食前 (before meals).
4年齢が高くなると、「食後」に磨く人より「食前」に磨く人が多くなる ('As age increases, those who brush before meals become more numerous than those who brush after') is wrong. The text says 食後 decreases and 食前 increases with age, but 食後 remains the most common in all age groups (各年齢で一番多いのはやはり「食後」だった). It never states 食前 surpasses 食後.
Option 3 is correct. The sentence immediately after the underlined phrase states: 「家族の誕生日や家にお客さんが来る時などには、母といっしょにこの店で花を買っていた」(On occasions like family birthdays or when guests came to the house, I used to buy flowers at this shop with my mother). This directly explains what kind of memories overlap: buying flowers at the shop on special occasions. 「特別なことがある時」(when special things happen) corresponds to birthdays and guests visiting, and 「よくこの店で花を買っていたこと」(often buying flowers at this shop) matches the passage.
1This confuses the timeline. The passage says the shop opened BEFORE the writer entered elementary school (「小学校に入る前だった」), not at the time of enrollment. Also, this is not what the underlined phrase refers to — the underlined phrase is about memories of the shop overlapping with childhood memories, not about the shop's opening.
2The passage says the writer bought flowers with their MOTHER (「母といっしょに」), not with the teacher. The elementary school graduation episode involves the whole class collecting money and asking the shop uncle to make a bouquet, but the underlined phrase ① refers to the general childhood memories described right after it (buying flowers with mother on special occasions), not the graduation episode.
4The passage does not say the writer loved the uncle and therefore frequently bought flowers. The memories described are about buying flowers with the mother on special occasions. The affection for the uncle is expressed at the end of the passage, but it is not the reason for the childhood shopping memories.
重なる — to overlap, to coincide
思い出（おもいで） — memory, recollection
そのまま — as it is, just as
4.②わたしたちはどきどきしながらとあるが、どうしてどきどきしたのか。
1もうすぐ閉店する花屋のおじさんに、無理なお願いをするから。
2いやそうな顔をしているおじさんに、無理なお願いをするから。
3お店に花があまりないのに、おじさんに無理なお願いをするから。
4お金が少ししかないのに、おじさんに無理なお願いをするから。
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Answer: 4. お金が少ししかないのに、おじさんに無理なお願いをするから。
Option 4 is correct. The passage states: 「しかし、小学生のおこづかいの中から集まったお金は少しだけだった。それで、わたしたちはどきどきしながら、『大好きな先生にあげるから、できるだけ大きい花束を作ってください』とお願いした」(However, the money collected from elementary school students' allowances was only a little. So, with pounding hearts, we asked, 'We're giving it to our favorite teacher, so please make as big a bouquet as possible'). The それで (therefore/so) directly connects the small amount of money to their nervousness. They were asking for a big bouquet despite having very little money — that is why they were どきどき (nervous/anxious).
1The passage does not mention the shop closing at the time of this episode. The closing is mentioned at the beginning as the present situation, but the childhood memory took place 30+ years ago when the shop was still open. There is no indication they knew the shop would close.
2The passage actually says the opposite: 「おじさんはいやな顔もしないで」(the uncle didn't even make a displeased face), meaning he was happy to help. They were not nervous because the uncle looked annoyed — he didn't look annoyed at all.
3The passage never mentions that the shop had few flowers. The reason for their nervousness is clearly the small amount of money they had, not a lack of flowers in the shop.
どきどき — nervous, anxious, heart pounding
おこづかい — pocket money, allowance
無理なお願い（むりなおねがい） — unreasonable request
5.この文章を書いた人が一番伝えたいことは何か。
1小学校時代にとてもお世話になった先生へのお礼の気持ち。
2よい思い出を作ってくれた花屋のおじさんへの感謝の気持ち。
3大好きだった花屋さんが閉店するので、さびしいという気持ち。
4近所の花屋さんが閉店したので、とても不便だという気持ち。
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Answer: 2. よい思い出を作ってくれた花屋のおじさんへの感謝の気持ち。
Option 2 is correct. The final sentence of the passage is: 「30年以上もきれいな花束を作り続け、あたたかい思い出を作ってくれたおじさんに、『ありがとう、お疲れ様でした』と言いたい」(I want to say 'Thank you, good work' to the uncle who continued making beautiful bouquets for over 30 years and created warm memories for us). This is the concluding message and clearly the main point the writer wants to convey: gratitude toward the flower shop uncle who created good memories.
1While the elementary school graduation episode is mentioned, it is only one example of the memories with the flower shop. The passage is not primarily about thanking the teacher — the teacher episode serves to illustrate the uncle's kindness.
3The passage does mention the shop closing, but the writer's main message is gratitude, not sadness. The closing is the occasion that prompts the reflection, but the concluding sentence expresses thanks, not loneliness.
4The passage never mentions inconvenience. The focus is entirely on memories and gratitude toward the uncle, not on practical difficulties caused by the shop's closure.
一番伝えたい — most want to convey
感謝 — gratitude, appreciation
お疲れ様でした（おつかれさまでした） — thank you for your hard work (expression of appreciation)
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