← 一覧B2 · 1 min · 224 words

Why Cities Are Getting Greener

都市が緑を増やしている、その背後にある気候・健康・経済の三層の動機。

本文を読んでから訳を確認するのがおすすめ。

Walk through almost any major city today and you will notice something that would have surprised a visitor from twenty years ago: trees, gardens, and entire parks where there used to be parking lots. Singapore has covered its roofs with rice paddies and orchards. Paris has pledged to plant 170,000 trees by 2026. Even cities better known for concrete, like Houston and Seoul, have begun tearing up highways and replacing them with green corridors. What is driving the change? At the surface, it is climate. Cities are heat islands, often several degrees warmer than the countryside that surrounds them. Trees lower temperatures by shading streets and releasing water vapor; a single mature oak can cool the air around it by as much as a small air conditioner. But that is only part of the story. Studies have linked urban greenery to lower rates of depression, faster recovery in hospitals, and even slightly longer lifespans for people who live near parks. There is also a quieter economic logic. Streets lined with trees raise property values and attract foot traffic; storefronts on green blocks survive longer than those on bare asphalt. The greenest cities, in other words, are not greener by accident. They have realized that the same investment can answer three different questions — about heat, about health, about wealth — at the same time.

重要表現と解説

この記事で押さえたい表現。タップで単語帳に追加でき、復習時に出てきます。

you will notice something that would have surprised a visitor from twenty years ago文法
20年前の訪問者なら驚いただろうものに気づくはずだ
〈something that + 過去仮定法〉= 『〜だっただろうもの』、複合的な仮定法。
where there used to be parking lots文法
以前は駐車場だった場所
〈used to + 動詞原形〉= 『以前は〜だった』、過去の習慣・状態。〈where〉は関係副詞。
has pledged to plant 170,000 trees by 2026表現
2026年までに17万本の木を植えると公約した
〈pledge to + 動詞〉= 『〜することを公約する』。〈by + 期限〉= 『〜までに』。
Even cities better known for concrete, like Houston and Seoul文法
ヒューストンやソウルのようにコンクリートで知られる都市でさえ
〈better known for〉= 『〜でより有名』、過去分詞句で名詞を後置修飾。
What is driving the change?語彙
何がこの変化を駆動しているのか?
〈drive + 名詞〉= 『〜を駆動する/推進する』、抽象用法。エッセイで原因を問う典型疑問文。
Cities are heat islands, often several degrees warmer than the countryside文法
都市はヒートアイランドであり、周囲の田舎よりも数度暖かいことが多い
〈X is Y, often Z〉のコンマ並置で定義 + 例示を一文化。〈several degrees〉= 数度。
by as much as a small air conditioner文法
小さなエアコン1台分くらい
〈by + 数量〉= 『〜の差で』。〈as much as〉= 『〜ほど』、量の比較。
Studies have linked urban greenery to lower rates of depression表現
研究は、都市の緑をうつ病の発症率の低さと結びつけてきた
〈link A to B〉= 『A を B と結びつける』。研究結果を提示する学術動詞。
There is also a quieter economic logic.語彙
もっと静かな経済論理もある。
〈quieter〉= 比較級。エッセイで『目立たないが重要な側面』を導入する形容詞。
Streets lined with trees raise property values表現
木が並ぶ街路は不動産価値を上げる
〈lined with〉= 『〜が並ぶ』、過去分詞句で名詞を後置修飾。
are not greener by accident表現
偶然そうなっているわけではない
〈by accident〉= 『偶然に』、副詞句。否定文で『偶然ではない/意図がある』を強調。
the same investment can answer three different questions文法
同じ投資が3つの異なる問いに答えうる
〈X can answer Y〉= 抽象主語 + answer + 抽象目的語の論理動詞構文。エッセイの結論で多用。

次: My First Library Card →