再掲【YouTube】TOEFL 重要単語50語 ⑤ 環境学（公式教材Official Guide Reading問題の知っておくべき学術単語）
で扱ったOfficial GuideのReading問題 Test 3 Passage 2 “The Long-Term Stability of Ecosystems” の単語の中から50語を選び、YouTube上で音声とともに確認できるようにしました。
「環境学」の問題で使われる表現は、皆さんの日常生活ではあまり出会わないものが多く、この“The Long-Term Stability of Ecosystems” のパッセージのような問題が出題されると、大きく点数を落としてしまう人がいます。
しかしながら、TOEFL iBTでは頻出の学問分野であり、このような問題パッセージをいくつも理解できるようにすると、環境学でよく使われる表現と背景知識が身につき、TOEFLの問題に対して苦手意識が軽減されていきます。
ここで扱っているパッセージはTOEFLのOfficial Guideからのものですが、TOEFL対策はしないがアカデミックな英語を身に着けたいという人はパッセージのタイトルで検索してください。中国のサイトなどパッセージを掲載しているところが見つかります。
TOEFLを受けるなら知っていなければならない基礎的な単語・表現：70語
long-term, stability, ecosystem, plant community, assemble, flexibly, particular, specific, ecologist, refer to, over time, pioneer, climax, species, may well do, relatively, replace, property, stable, organism, compose, diversity, food web, apparent, stability, complexity, extreme, farmland, dominate, crop, unstable, invasion, pest, entire, in contrast, temperate, tolerate, considerable, define, definition, alternatively, following［前置詞］, disturbance, fragile, state, associated with, maximum, mature, forest floor, ensure, mathematical, likewise, guarantee, break down, tricycle, factor, contribute to, severely, volcanic, explosion, in comparison to, aspect, resistance, relative, vary, uniform, population, extinct, immigrant, approximately
TOEFLで高得点を取るために知っておくべき単語・表現：8語
succession, successional, cumulative, resilience, adjacent, niche, vacate, intact
この問題に取り組み済みの人は覚えたい単語・表現：2語
pale in comparison to [with], patchiness
それぞれの単語の意味は下のリストにあります。
| T | long-term | 長期の、長期間にわたる |
| T | stability | （変化などに対する）安定（性）、不変性、恒常性 = the condition of being steady and not changing |
| T | ecosystem | 生態系 = all the animals and plants in a particular area, and the way in which they are related to each other and to their environment |
| 1 | plant community | 植物群落 = a group of plants of different species that coexist in a habitat under certain conditions and that may be mutually dependent on each other |
| 1 | assemble | （ある目的のために複数の人・もの）を集める［集合させる］ = bring a group of things or people together in one place for a particular purpose |
| 1 | flexibly | 柔軟に flexible = able to make changes or deal with a situation that is changing / capable of being changed or adjusted to meet particular or varied needs |
| 1 | particular | 特定の、特有の、固有の、独特の = used for emphasizing that you are talking about one specific person or thing and not anyone or anything else |
| 1 | specific | 特有の、固有の、特定の = involving or relating to only one particular thing or type of thing |
| 1 | ecologist | 生態学者；環境保護活動家 |
| 1 | term | （ある特別な意味を持つ）用語、言葉 |
| 1 | succession | [生態] 遷移 《ある環境条件下での生物群集の非周期的な変化を指す言葉。たとえば、野原に草が伸び、そのうちに木が生えてきて、いつの間にか森林になるような変化を指す》 |
| 1 | refer to | （言葉が）〜を表現する［表す、指す］；〜に言及する |
| 1 | over time | ゆっくり時間をかけて、長い期間をかけて、徐々に = if something happens over time, it happens gradually during a long period |
| 1 | pioneer | （動植物の）先駆種 《不毛だった土地に最初に生息する動物や植物》 = a species that is typically among the first to become established in a bare, open, or disturbed area |
| 1 | long-lived | 長命の、永続する = living or lasting for a long time |
| 1 | climax | 最高潮、極相 《生物群集の遷移の最終段階で見られる平衡状態のこと》 |
| 1 | successional | 連続的な、連続の = of or pertaining to a succession; existing in a regular order; consecutive |
| 1 | species | （生物学の）種 = a group of animals or plants whose members are similar and can breed together to produce young animals or plants |
| 1 | cumulative | 次第に増加［増大］する、累積［累加］する、度重なる = developing or increasing gradually as a result of more and more additions / increasing gradually as more of something is added or happens |
| 2 | may well do | 多分～だろう = used to say that there is a good reason for a reaction, question, or feeling / If you say that something may well happen, you mean that it is likely to happen |
| 2 | relatively | 比較的、相対的に = something that is relatively small, easy etc. is fairly small, easy etc. compared to other things / to a fairly large degree, especially in comparison to something else |
| 2 | unchanged | 変化していない、不変の = staying the same |
| 2 | replace | ～の後を継ぐ、～に取って代わる = take the place of especially as a substitute or successor |
| 2 | property | 特性、特質 = a quality or characteristic that something has |
| 2 | stable | 安定した、変動のない = steady and not likely to move or change / not changing frequently and not likely to suddenly become worse |
| 2 | organism | 生物、個々の小さな動物［植物］；有機体 = a living thing such as a person, animal, or plant, especially an extremely small living thing |
| 2 | compose | ～を構成する［作る、成り立たせる］ = combine together to form something |
| 3 | at one time | かつて（は）、昔、ある時には = at a time in the past but not now |
| 3 | diversity | 多様性、さまざまな種類 = the fact of including many different types of people or things / a range of many people or things that are very different from each other |
| 3 | the greater the diversity the more stable the ecosystem = the greater the diversity (is), the more stable the ecosystem (is) the 比較級, the 比較級の構文ではbe動詞が省略されることがある。ここではカンマも省略されている | |
| 3 | long-lasting | 長続きする、長持ちする |
| 3 | complex | 複雑な、複合の、入り組んだ |
| 3 | food web | [生態] 食物網 《食物連鎖全体の構造を表す言葉》 = a community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains |
| 3 | conclude | ～（だ）と結論を出す［判断を下す、断定する］ |
| 3 | apparent | 明らかな、明白な、明瞭な、はっきりした = easy to see or understand |
| 3 | stability | 安定（性）、持続、不変 |
| 3 | complexity | 複雑さ、複雑性 |
| 3 | extreme | 極端な、過激な、極度の |
| 3 | farmland | 農地、耕地、農業用地 |
| 3 | dominate | 〜で優位を占める；～を支配する = be larger and more noticeable than anything else in a place |
| 3 | crop | 作物、農作物、収穫物 = a plant such as wheat, rice, vegetable, or fruit that is grown in large quantities by farmers and used as food |
| 3 | unstable | 不安定な、安定を欠く、変わりやすい |
| 3 | invasion | 侵略、侵入 = an occasion when a large number of people or things come to a place in an annoying and unwanted way |
| 3 | pest | （農作物などに対する）害虫、有害生物 = an insect or small animal that damages plants or supplies of food |
| 3 | entire | 全体の、全部の |
| 3 | in contrast | それに比べて、これに対し（て）、その一方、対照的に、それとは違って 《あとに続く内容が既述の内容と異なることを強調するために用いる》 |
| 3 | temperate | （気候・地域が）温暖な、温和な = a temperate climate or region is never extremely hot or extremely cold |
| 3 | temperate forest | 温帯林 |
| 3 | tolerate | 〜に耐える［耐え忍ぶ、我慢する］；～を許容する = if plants or animals tolerate particular conditions, they are able to exist in those conditions |
| 3 | considerable | かなりの、相当な、少なからぬ = fairly large, especially large enough to have an effect or be important / notably large in size, amount, or extent |
| 4 | define | ～を定義する、～の意味を明確にする |
| 4 | definition | 定義、定義すること、明確にすること |
| 4 | alternatively | あるいは、また、その代わりに、もう1つの方法として 《あとに述べる事柄が記述の内容の代案や新しい提案であることを示す》 = used for suggesting something different / as another option or possibility |
| 4 | following | ［前置詞］ ～の後に［で］、～に（引き）続いて、～を受けて、〜についで = after an event or as a result of it |
| 4 | disturbance | （環境の）かく乱 《自然現象によって安定している生態系が乱され、遷移が阻害されること》；混乱させること、乱すもの = the interruption of a pleasant, calm, or peaceful situation / upsetting or disorganizing something which was previously in a calm and well-ordered state |
| 4 | resilience | （病気・不幸・困難・苦境などからの）回復力、立ち直る力、復元力 = the ability of an ecosystem to return to its original state after being disturbed / an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change |
| 4 | fragile | 脆弱な、不安定な、壊れやすい、もろい = easily broken or damaged / a fragile situation is one that is weak or uncertain, and unlikely to be able to resist strong pressure or attack |
| 4 | state | 状態、形勢、状況 |
| 5 | associated with | ～と関係がある［関連する、結びつけて考えられる］ |
| 5 | maximum | 最大の、最大限の、最高の |
| 5 | redwood | [植物] アメリカスギ、セコイア |
| 5 | mature | 成熟する、十分に成長する［発達する］ = become fully grown or developed |
| 5 | forest floor | [生態] 林床、森の地面 = the above-ground layer of a forest made up of tree roots, soil and decaying matter |
| 5 | by oneself | それだけで（は）、自分だけで、一人で、独りで = with no one or nothing else : alone |
| 5 | ensure | ～を確かにする［確実にする、 保証する］ = make certain that something will happen properly |
| 5 | mathematical | 数学の、数学で使われる、数理［数学］的な |
| 5 | likewise | 同じように、同様に、同じく = in the same way, or in a similar way |
| 5 | guarantee | ～を保証する［請け合う］ = make it certain that something will happen or exist |
| 5 | opposite | （正）反対のこと［人・物］、逆のこと |
| 5 | more likely to do | ～する可能性が高い、～する傾向が強い、〜しがちである |
| 5 | A more complicated system is, in general, more likely than a simple system to break down. = A more complicated system is, in general, more likely to break down than a simple system. | |
| 5 | break down | 正常に動かなくなる、故障する、機能停止する；壊れる、崩壊する |
| 5 | fifteen-speed | 15段変速の |
| 5 | tricycle | 三輪車 |
| 6 | factor | （ある結果・現象をもたらした）要因、要素、原因 = one of several things that influence or cause a situation |
| 6 | contribute to | ～に寄与する［貢献する］；〜の一助［一因］となる = play a significant part in making something happen / be one of the causes of something |
| 6 | severely | 激しく、ひどく、厳しく = very seriously or to a great degree |
| 6 | volcanic | 火山（性）の、火山作用による |
| 6 | explosion | 爆発、破裂、噴火 |
| 6 | Mount St. Helens | [地名] セント・ヘレンズ山 《アメリカ合衆国のワシントン州スカマニア郡にある活火山》 |
| 6 | pale | （重要性などが〜よりも）薄れる、かすむ、見劣りする、色あせる = become or seem less important or serious, especially when compared with someone or something else |
| 6 | in comparison to | ～と比べると［比較すれば］、〜よりも |
| 6 | pale in comparison to [with] | 〜と比べると大したことはない［色あせる、見劣りする］、～の前ではかすんで見える = be not nearly as good as something or someone else |
| 6 | aspect | 面、側面、様相、特徴、状況 = a particular part, feature, or quality of something |
| 6 | resistance | 抵抗力、耐性 = the natural ability of a person, animal, or plant to stop diseases or difficult conditions from harming them |
| 7 | relative | 相対的な、比較上の = having a particular quality when compared with something else |
| 7 | patchiness | 不均一性、むらがあること、寄せ集め［継ぎはぎ、まだら］であること cf. patchy = happening or existing in some areas but not in others |
| 7 | vary | 異なる、さまざまである、変わる、変化する = be different from each other in size, shape, etc. |
| 7 | uniform | 均一の、一様な、一定の = being the same in all its parts or among all its members |
| 7 | population | （一定地域の生物の）個体群、生息個体数、集団 = a group of organisms of the same species populating a given area |
| 7 | extinct | 死に絶えた、絶滅した cf. go [become] extinct 絶滅する |
| 7 | go extinct | 絶滅する |
| 7 | immigrant | 外来［帰化］植物［動物］；（外国からの）移民、移住者 = an animal or plant that lives or grows in a region to which it has recently migrated |
| 7 | adjacent | 隣り合った、隣接した、近隣の、近辺の = next to or near something else |
| 7 | Even if the new population is of a different species, …. = Even if the new population is (the population) of a different species, …. このような S be動詞 of 〜 では、Sと同じ名詞が省略されていると考えられる | |
| 7 | approximately | およそ、ぼぼ、大体、約 = used to show that something is almost, but not completely, accurate or exact; roughly |
| 7 | fill | （場所、空間）を占める［いっぱいにする、満たす］ |
| 7 | niche | [生態] 生態的地位 《自然環境の中である生物が他の生物との競争などを経て獲得した、生存を可能にする条件がそろっている場所》；市場のすき間、ニッチ = the status of an organism or population within an ecological community |
| 7 | vacate | ～を空ける［明け渡す、立ち退く、引き払う］ = leave a building, seat, etc., especially so that somebody else can use it |
| 7 | intact | 完全なままの、失われた部分がない、損なわれないで、変わっていない = not harmed, damaged, or lacking any parts as a result of something that has happened |
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