模擬TOEFL iBT008 リスニング問題 - ツーリズム科目の最終日
録画していた『 地球ドラマチック 』の「スペースデブリ 〜宇宙の新たな脅威〜」を鑑賞して、宇宙旅行が近いようにも遠いようにも思えた。まあ、遠いのだろう。ということは「これをトピックにしたパッセージなら陳腐化しにくいのではないか？」と思い、作ってみたのが以下のリスニング問題。もちろんＡＩ（Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT）の力は借りているが、いくつか散りばめられた言葉遊びはＣＪが考えたもの。一部の元ネタはジェームズ・Ｐ・ホーガンの『 内なる宇宙 』のハントとジーナのやりとりだったりする。Without a further ado, enjoy!
Question 01
According to the professor, when is this lecture being given?
(A) At the onset of the term
(B) In the middle of the term
(C) At the end of the term
(D) Not mentioned
Question 02
According to the lecture, where is the start of space?
(A) 10 to 15 miles from ground
(B) 50 miles above ground
(C) 60 miles above ground
(D) 100 miles above ground
Question 03
Listen again to part of the discussion. Then, answer the question.
(A) To admonish the student about how to properly ask a question.
(B) To make sure that the class is about tourism, not about economics.
(C) To remind the student what is being discussed is not space trips but ground trips.
(D) To add a pinch of humor to the exchange in relation to the topic.
Question 04
Listen again to part of the discussion. Then, answer the question.
(A) It will cost shockingly large amounts of money.
(B) Reaching orbit requires knowledge of both astronomy and literature.
(C) Only astronomers can answer the question.
(D) One has to go through the literature of astronomical data to find out about it.
Question 05
What negative aspects does the professor mention about cis-lunar trips? Choose two answers.
(A) They won’t offer much entertainment.
(B) They are available only to researchers.
(C) There are legal issues that remain unsolved.
(D) They will charge an exorbitant price.
正解
Question 01 (C)
Question 02 (C)
Question 03 (D)
Question 04 (A)
Question 05 (A), (D)
オーディオ・スクリプト
Listen to part of a discussion in a tourism class.
Professor: OK, class. Thank you for attending the last session of this academic term. Over the course of this term, we have been examining tourism from various perspectives. Today, to conclude, I want to introduce you to the final frontier of tourism: space tourism. Has anyone heard about this? Kevin?
Male Student: Yes, but my understanding is mostly from TV shows, and I have probably only scratched the surface of it. Traveling to space for tourism sounds like something out of a science fiction movie.
Professor: You bet. It’s a completely new industry. It’s no surprise that space seems like something beyond our direct experience. So, today, what I’m going to do is give you an overview of this emerging business. There are essentially four types of space tourism. The first is suborbital space flight. Can you guess what this involves, Celina?
Female Student: Umm, judging by the name, it sounds like a trip to space, but not reaching orbit? I'm not exactly sure what orbit refers to here.
Professor: That's a good guess, Celina. Suborbital space flight refers to a flight that reaches space but does not achieve orbit. While defining where space begins can be tricky, most experts agree that space starts around 60 miles above ground level. Suborbital flights typically operate between 60 and 100 miles above ground.
Male Student: I have a question, professor. What can you experience on a suborbital space flight? There must be some appeal, or else it wouldn’t be pursued as a business.
07Professor: Exactly. One main attraction is experiencing 10 to 15 minutes of weightlessness. Currently, there are services where jet aircraft fly in a series of parabolic arcs, allowing passengers to feel weightless for brief periods, around 20 to 30 seconds each, repeated several times. However, this is technically freefall, not a true space experience. Now, onto the next type: orbital space flight. This involves reaching an altitude of at least 100 miles and achieving orbital velocity. Orbital velocity is the speed at which the gravitational pull and the object's inertia are balanced, keeping the spacecraft in orbit. Near Earth’s surface, this speed is about 17,500 mph, or Mach 23. Passengers can experience prolonged periods of weightlessness, with trips lasting from a few hours to even several days.
Female Student: Unbelievable! But, what on earth will that trip cost?
Professor: Good question. But “How much will that trip cost, for heaven's sake?” might be a more suitable way to put it. Well, the answer is, astronomical, literally. A flight to actual orbit can cost more than 50 million dollars per seat. This is far from affordable to the general public, so efforts are ongoing to reduce costs. OK, the third one. That is, a cis-lunar trip. This might be unfamiliar to many of you. But I’m assuming you can guess what this is.
Male Student: Umm, based on the lecture so far, it sounds like a trip to space between the Earth’s orbit and the moon.
Professor: Precisely. You made such a wild guess, didn’t you? Well, cis-lunar trips are, at least at this point, far more expensive and technologically challenging than suborbital and orbital flights. Furthermore, there is not much entertainment to be had out there.
I believe many of you are familiar with the Apollo 8 mission, which was probably the most well-known cis-lunar trip. Apollo 8 made it to the moon’s orbit, made ten trips around the moon, but did not land on the moon. Now, finally, the fourth one. Can anyone tell me what it is?
Female Student: Well, the third one was a cis-lunar trip, so the fourth one must be a lunar trip.
Professor: Exactly. You made a logical guess, Celina. So, the difference between cis-lunar trips and lunar trips would be...
Female Student: The former won’t put you on the moon, but the latter will.
Professor: Correct. Now, imagine. People go to the moon, not for scientific research purposes, but for leisure. There will be numerous hurdles to jump before this becomes reality, but once it does, I’m sure the word “honeymoon” will take on a whole new meaning.