鉄板読み物教材－Millet, A Farmer and Painter
好きな西洋の画家は誰ですかと聞かれれば，モネやマネ，ゴッホ，ゴーギャンなどともに，ミレーの名前をあげるでしょう。
日本の画家で真っ先に浮かぶのは，岩手にゆかりのある萬鉄五郎です。
さて今日の読み物は，庶民の生活に光を当てた農民画家ミレーについての物語です。
楽しい英文読解教室 Millet, A Farmer and Painter
次の英文を読んで，１，２の問いに答えなさい。
Do you know about Millet? Millet was one of the great French painters. His works are very famous throughout the world. Why? Because he painted ordinary people and everyday life. He started painting when he was 19 years old.
But Millet was the son of a ① poor farmer, and ② he had to work very hard to get food.
In those days, many painters were drawing pictures of the gods and rich people. He thought, "Everyone in Paris paints gods, but no one paints the poor famers. I know ③ those people very well. I want to paint them."
He painted pictures of poor farmers on a farm, and pictures of village life. His friends said to him, "You should paint the gods, flowers and rich people. All the other painters paint ④ them. No one will buy your pictures."
Millet lived with poor people. ⑤ He loved them and found beauty in their lives. His pictures were not popular at that time, but ⑥ they changed the history of art. Millet is one of the most important artists now.
語句
Millet－ミレー / ordinary－普通の / god－神 / village－村 / work－作品 / everyday－日常の
beauty－美しさ / throughout the world－世界中で / draw－描く / at that time－その頃
問い
１ 本文の内容と合うように，各文の（ ）内で最もふさわしいものを選び，○で囲みなさい。
１ Millet was the son of ( a rich painter / a poor farmer / a famous musician ).
２ Millet painted ( rich people / the gods / village life ).
３ The history of art ( did / wasn't / was ) changed by Millet.
２ 次の質問に答えなさい。
１ 下線部①の poor と反対の意味の語を本文から探して書きなさい。
（ ）
２ 下線部②および⑤を日本語にしなさい。⑤はthemが具体的に何を示すかも明らかにすること。
② （ ）
⑤ （ ）
３ 下線部③の those people とは何を指していますか。日本語で答えなさい。 （ ）
４ 下線部④の them が指しているものを，本文中から抜き出して英語で答えなさい。
（ ）
５ 下線部⑥で they changed the history of art と言っていますが，その理由は何ですか
（ ）
答え
１
１ a poor farmer ２ village life ３ was
２
１ ① rich
２ ② 彼は食べ物を手に入れるために必死に働かなければならなかった。
⑤ 彼は貧しい人々を愛し，彼らの生活の中に美しさを見いだしていた。
３ ③ 貧しい農民
４ ④ the gods, flowers and rich people
５ ⑥ ミレーはその作品を通して，人々が貧しい農民の何気ない生活の美しさや価値に気づくきっかけを与えたこと。