英検２級(TOEFL iBT 45～50, CEFR B1～B2, TOEIC 650～750点程度のレベル)の長文読解問題です。
The Scientific Promise of Hypnosis and Mental Imagery
Many people assume that hypnosis and mental imagery are little more than superstition or wishful thinking. However, modern research suggests that this view is too simple. In sports psychology and medicine, these methods are now studied as mind-body techniques that may influence pain, anxiety, attention, and performance. They do not work like magic, but they may change how the brain guides the body. This essay examines the scientific promise of hypnosis and mental imagery.
One important line of evidence comes from studies on muscle strength. In these studies, participants imagine themselves contracting a muscle or performing a strength exercise without actual movement. Reviews of this research report that such mental practice can produce moderate gains in strength, although real physical training usually has a larger effect. Researchers believe that motor imagery activates some of the neural pathways involved in movement. Therefore, repeated mental practice may help prepare the body for action.
Mental imagery has also been used in sports rehabilitation. Studies on injured athletes suggest that imagery, when combined with regular physical therapy, may reduce fear of re-injury and improve psychological readiness. During recovery, athletes can mentally rehearse timing, balance, and movement patterns even when physical practice is limited. This may help them stay connected to their sport and return with greater confidence. For this reason, imagery is often seen as a useful support rather than a replacement for rehabilitation.
Hypnosis has shown promise in medical settings as well. Systematic reviews of cancer patients, for example, suggest that hypnosis may help reduce pain and anxiety in many cases. Some studies also report benefits during painful procedures and in longer-term symptom management. Even so, researchers usually describe hypnosis as an additional therapy, not a substitute for medicine or surgery. Its value lies in helping patients feel calmer, more in control, and better able to cope with treatment.
These findings seem less mysterious when we remember how closely the brain and body are connected. Self-suggestion and relaxation methods can affect attention, breathing, muscle tension, and emotional state. Reviews of autogenic training, a self-induced relaxation method based on autosuggestion, have reported reductions in anxiety and some improvement in sleep and mild-to-moderate depression. When people become calmer and more focused, they may also handle pain, stress, or practice more effectively. In this sense, mental training often works through natural psychological and physiological processes.
The future of hypnosis and mental imagery appears promising. As researchers learn more about the brain, these techniques may become more common in education, health care, and athletic training. They are attractive because they are relatively low-cost and can often be practiced safely with proper guidance. However, they should be used realistically and supported by evidence, not exaggerated claims. The wisest view is that mental training can complement physical training and medical care in meaningful ways.
Question 1:
What is the main focus of this essay?
A) Why all medical treatment should be replaced by hypnosis
B) How hypnosis and mental imagery may help the body through scientifically studied mind-body processes
C) Why superstition is still more reliable than science
D) How athletes should avoid using mental training
Question 2:
According to Paragraph 2, what have reviews of motor imagery research reported?
A) Mental practice is always stronger than physical exercise
B) Muscle strength cannot change without visible movement
C) Mental practice may lead to moderate strength gains, though physical training usually has a larger effect
D) Neural pathways are unrelated to movement
Question 3:
According to Paragraph 3, why is mental imagery considered useful during rehabilitation?
A) It completely removes the need for physical therapy
B) It may reduce fear and help injured athletes stay mentally prepared during recovery
C) It guarantees that athletes will win after returning
D) It works only when athletes are already healthy
Question 4:
What important point does Paragraph 4 make about hypnosis in medicine?
A) It should replace all standard medical treatment
B) It is mainly used to improve athletic skill
C) It may be helpful, but it is usually treated as an additional therapy rather than a substitute for medicine
D) It works only during surgery
Question 5:
Why do the results described in Paragraph 5 seem less mysterious?
A) Because they are caused by chance alone
B) Because they can be understood through the natural connection between the brain and the body
C) Because only doctors can understand them
D) Because they are unrelated to emotion or attention
Question 6:
What final view does the author present in Paragraph 6?
A) Mental training should replace all physical and medical treatment
B) These techniques should be ignored because they are too weak
C) Mental training can be valuable when used realistically as a complement to physical training and medical care
D) These techniques are useful only for professional athletes
解答
1 = B
解説（日本語）：第1段落では、催眠術やイメージトレーニングが迷信ではなく、科学的に研究されている心身技法であり、痛み・不安・注意・パフォーマンスに影響を与える可能性があると述べている。したがって、本文全体の主題を最もよく表すのはB。
2 = C
解説（日本語）：第2段落の3文目で、メンタル練習は筋力の中程度の向上をもたらしうるが、通常は実際の身体トレーニングのほうが効果が大きいと述べられている。よってCが正解。Aは「常に」と言っていて強すぎ、BとDは本文と反対。
3 = B
解説（日本語）：第3段落では、イメージトレーニングは再受傷への不安を減らし、回復中でも競技への心理的準備を保つ助けになると述べられている。したがってBが正解。Aは本文で否定されており、Cは言いすぎ、Dも誤り。
4 = C
解説（日本語）：第4段落の4文目で、催眠は薬や手術の代わりではなく、追加的・補助的な治療法として説明されることが多いと明示されている。したがってCが正解。Aは本文と逆、BとDも内容不一致。
5 = B
解説（日本語）：第5段落の第1文と最終文で、これらの効果は脳と身体の自然なつながり、つまり心理的・生理的過程によって説明できると述べている。よってBが正解。A・C・Dはいずれも本文と合わない。
6 = C
解説（日本語）：第6段落の最後の文で、メンタルトレーニングは身体トレーニングや医療を置き換えるのではなく、それらを補完するものとして有意義であるとまとめている。したがってCが正解。
単語・表現リスト
assume = ～だと思い込む
little more than = ほとんど～にすぎない
superstition = 迷信
wishful thinking = 希望的観測
suggest = 示唆する
mind-body technique = 心身相関の技法
influence = 影響を与える
line of evidence = 証拠の系統
participant = 参加者、被験者
contract a muscle = 筋肉を収縮させる
moderate gain = 中程度の向上
neural pathway = 神経経路
combine A with B = AをBと組み合わせる
psychological readiness = 心理的準備状態
rehearse = 繰り返し練習する、頭の中で反復する
show promise = 有望である
medical setting = 医療現場
systematic review = 系統的レビュー
anxiety = 不安
symptom management = 症状管理
substitute for = ～の代わり
cope with = ～に対処する
self-suggestion = 自己暗示
muscle tension = 筋肉の緊張
emotional state = 感情状態
autosuggestion = 自己暗示
physiological process = 生理的過程
appear promising = 有望に思われる
health care = 医療、健康管理
athletic training = 運動トレーニング
relatively low-cost = 比較的低コストの
proper guidance = 適切な指導
realistically = 現実的に
supported by evidence = 根拠に支えられた
complement = 補完する
紹介：
この度は当ブログにお越しいただきましてありがとうございます。管理者のみっちです。私は italki というオンライン語学学習プラットフォームで、プロ認定講師として日本語と英語を教えています。その傍ら、電子書籍も書いています。そこで、今回はちょっとだけ私の書いたバイリンガル小説を紹介させてください。
今回ご紹介させていただくのは、私の自信作の１つ、『英語-日本語バイリンガル小説 アンジーとネメシス７』と言う小説です。青春・友情・挫折がぎゅっとつまった、ほっこり＆ドキドキ系のバイリンガルストーリーです。
英検３級合格レベル（中３修了レベル）の英語と日本語が自然に織り交ぜられていて、英文だけでも、日本語と行き来しながらでも読めるように工夫してあります。さらに、各章のはじめには英検準２級レベル以上の単語や表現をまとめた「Word / Expression List」付きなので、ストーリーを楽しみながらボキャブラリーも着実に増やせます。
問題集やドリル形式の勉強は苦手だけれど、「ちゃんとした物語を楽しみながら英語を身につけたい」という方には特におすすめです。夢を追いかけるアンジーと、10年前に喧嘩別れした親友・小林優子との再会、そして二人の関係の変化を通して、読者も自分の「夢」や「友情」について考えさせられる内容になっています。
「英語学習も物語も、どちらも楽しみたい」という方は、ぜひこの機会に『アンジーとネメシス７』のKindle版をチェックしてみてください↓
