Real estate investment can provide steady income over time.
(不動産投資は長期的に安定した収益をもたらす可能性があります。)
比喩的な文脈:
She has a great investment in her children’s education.
(彼女は子どもの教育に多大な努力を注いでいる。)
Article
Read the text below.
The remains of a 145-million-year-old dinosaur went under the hammer in France on November 16. Valued at millions of euros, its sale could set a new milestone in the booming market for fossils.
The discovery of the vaccine was a milestone in medical history.
(そのワクチンの発見は医学史の画期的な出来事だった。)
Dubbed “Vulcan,” the giant specimen is “the largest dinosaur skeleton ever to come to auction,” according to auction houses Collin du Bocage and Barbarossa.
The museum displayed a rare specimen of a prehistoric bird.(博物館は珍しい先史時代の鳥の標本を展示した。)
Ever
品詞: 副詞(Adverb)
意味:
「これまでに」「いつか」「常に」
文脈に応じて、最上級や疑問文で強調する役割を果たします。
文脈での役割:
「これまでに競売に出された中で最大」という意味を強調しています。
例文:
This is the best movie I have ever seen.(これは私がこれまでに見た中で最高の映画だ。)
文脈まとめ
Dubbed: 「(ヴァルカンと)名付けられた」
Specimen: 「標本(恐竜の骨格を指す)」
Ever: 「これまでに」「過去の記録全体の中で」
The remains are believed to be those of an apatosaurus, extremely large herbivores that populated North America around 150 million years ago, in what scientists call the late Jurassic period. But the sale catalog says the exact species is still unclear and that an “official scientific identification will have to take place.”
The dinosaur stretches 67 feet (20.5 meters) from tip to toe—so long that part of its tail has been detached so it fits into the room where it’s on display in a castle outside Paris, ahead of the auction.
The dinosaur was originally estimated to be worth between $4 million and $6 million. But the record sale of a stegosaurus—dubbed “Apex”—in July has since helped push up its value.
The auctioneer started the bidding at $5,000.
(競売人は5,000ドルから入札を開始した。)
Fetch
品詞: 動詞(Verb)
意味: 「(特定の価格で)売れる」「(物を)持ってくる」
文脈では「売却価格が~に達する」という意味。
例文:
The painting fetched $1 million at the auction.
(その絵画はオークションで100万ドルで売れた。)
Can you fetch me a glass of water?
(水を1杯取ってきてもらえますか?)
Double
品詞: 動詞(Verb)、名詞(Noun)、形容詞(Adjective)
意味:
動詞: 「2倍になる」「2倍にする」
名詞: 「2倍」
形容詞: 「2倍の」
文脈での意味:
「その金額が2倍になる可能性がある」という予測を指します。
例文:
The value of the house doubled in 10 years.
(その家の価値は10年で2倍になった。)
He expects the company’s revenue to double by next year.
(彼は来年までに会社の収益が2倍になると予想している。)
文脈での解釈
Auctioneer: 競売を管理するフローレント・バルバロッサ氏。
Fetch: 恐竜「ヴァルカン」が最低でも1,100万ドルで売れるだろうと予想。
Double: 最終的な価格がその2倍、つまり約2,200万ドルに達する可能性を示唆。
But the increasingly lucrative market frustrates some academic paleontologists who feel the specimens belong in museums or research centers that can’t afford huge auction prices.
Many small museums cannot afford such expensive specimens.
(多くの小さな博物館はそのような高額な標本を購入する余裕がない。)
文脈での解釈
Lucrative: 化石市場が収益性が高まっていること。
Frustrates: 学術的立場の人々が不満を感じていること。
Paleontologists: 古生物学者たちが市場の状況に懸念を抱いていること。
Specimens: 競売対象の化石標本。
Afford: 博物館や研究機関が高額の化石を購入できないことを示唆。
Collin du Bocage says the future buyer will grant scientists access to the dinosaur. “The buyer will commit to allowing public access to this dinosaur in the future. That’s why there’s no controversy. Private funds have financed its research and restoration.”
Visitor Cyril Fernandes shares his concerns about privatization: “It must be visible to as wide a public as possible. Privatizing like that, for just one person, depends on what’s being done afterward, but I’m putting it into perspective. I’m thinking, well, if it’s just for purely personal pleasure…”
Let’s put this issue into perspective before making a decision.
(決断する前に、この問題を広い視野で考えてみましょう。)
文脈での解釈
Privatization: 恐竜の標本が一部の個人所有になることへの懸念。
What’s being done afterward: 標本が個人所有された後、研究や展示のために使われるのか、それとも完全に非公開になるのかへの疑問。
Putting it into perspective: 訪問者がこの問題を冷静かつ広い視野で評価しようとしていることを示す表現。彼は個人的な利益と公共の利益のバランスを考慮しています。
This article was provided by The Associated Press.
Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
The market for fossils is increasingly lucrative. Why do you think this is so? In your opinion, is there something unique about them compared to other ancient objects? Discuss.
Do you think spending millions on a fossil is worth it? Why or why not? Why do you think people are willing to spend so much money on it? Discuss.
Discussion B
Some academic paleontologists are frustrated about the increasingly lucrative market for and the privatization of fossils. Do you think it’s okay for rare fossils to be sold to private collectors? Why or why not? Who do you think should have the right to own dinosaur fossils: museums or private individuals? Why? Discuss.
Should scientists have full access to study fossils, even if they belong to private collectors? Why or why not? How do you think private ownership might affect future scientific research on fossils? Discuss.