NHKニュースで学ぶ現代英語 2026年2月勉強分②

2026-02-18ニュースで学ぶ現代英語ニュース記事

ことし最大のリスクは“米の政治革命”

< 見出し>LEADING FORECASTERS WARN OF 'U.S. POLITICAL REVOLUTION’
・leading：主要な
・forecaster：（仕事として）将来・未来を予測する人

Trump’s recent actions have put a group of political forecasters on edge.
・put ～ on edge：～を緊張状態に置く、緊張させる、不安にさせる

They say a political revolution led by the president himself is this year’s biggest risk.

Officials at the U.S.-based Eurasia Group have released their annual Top Risks report.

They say Trump is attempting to “dismantle” checks on his power, and they believe the United States is “unwinding its own global order.”
・dismantle：取り壊す、解体する、（組織や制度などを）廃止する
・check：歯止め、抑制するもの
・unwind：（巻いてあったものを）ほどく、解く

“We would make a bet that the political revolution will eventually fail, not succeed, but there’s a lot of damage that will be done, much of which will be permanent.”
・make a bet：「賭けをする」→「見込む、間違いないと思う」

Trump did not just take top spot.
・top spot：トップの座、首位

The forecasters say his so-called “Donroe Doctrine” is this year’s third-biggest risk.
・doctrine：主義、原理
・(D)Monroe Doctrine：モンロー主義
　※およそ２００年前の第５代大統領ジェームズ・モンローが、南北アメリカ大陸と周辺に当時のヨーロッパの大国との相互不干渉を唱えた方針。

The report says Trump’s military operation in Venezuela is the centerpiece of his new foreign policy.
・centerpiece：中心的存在、最重要項目

The forecasters say the doctrine does not just seek to limit China, Russia, and Iran in the Western Hemisphere.
・limit：(動)抑える、制限する、制約する
・hemisphere：半球

They say it also aims to assert “American primacy” through means including Trump’s “personal score-settling.”
・assert：強く主張する
・primacy：第一位、首位
・score-settling：報復、仕返し
　※"settle a score (with someone)"「（誰かへの）借りを返す、（誰かに）報復する・復しゅうする」という表現から来ている。

セブ島 ゴミの山崩れる事故

< 見出し>PHILIPPINE TRASH COLLAPSE KILLS 1, DOZENS MISSING

Now to the Philippines, where an avalanche on a massive mound of garbage has killed at least one person.
・avalanche：雪崩

Rescue workers are searching for dozens of people feared trapped.
・fear：(動)懸念する、恐れる
　※「feared ＋過去分詞（もしくは形容詞）」で「～という状態と思われる、～と懸念される」

Local officials say the mountain of refuse collapsed at a dumpsite in Cebu City in the central Philippines on Thursday.
・refuse：(名)廃棄物

The wave of rubbish crashed into nearby buildings and swallowed people in its path, including landfill workers.
・crash into ～：～と衝突する
・path：進路
・landfill：埋め立て地

One worker was rescued but later died.

Officials say 34 people are still missing, and at least 12 are injured.

They also say the area did not experience any rain or earthquakes at the time of the collapse.

Dumpsites and landfills in the Philippines have long raised safety and sanitary concerns.
・raise concerns：懸念を生じさせる
　※ニュース英語でよく使われる表現。

ルーブル美術館“二重価格”を導入

< 見出し>LOUVRE MUSEUM INTRODUCES DUAL PRICING ENTRY FEES

The Louvre Museum in Paris has raised the price of its entry tickets for people from outside Europe by 45 percent.

Museum officials say the additional funds will be used for purposes such as modernizing facilities and equipment.
・modernize：近代化する、現代的にする

The museum entry fee rose from 22 euros to 32 euros, or around 37 dollars, on Wednesday.

It applies to visitors from outside the European Economic Area, which consists of EU nations plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.

Some say the dual pricing is unfair.

“It would be better if it was just a flat rate for everybody. I definitely don’t have a particular preference for segregating one over the other.”
・flat rate：一律料金、固定料金
・segregate：区別して扱う
　※人種や国籍などを差別的に分離するように聞こえることがある。
・over ～：～よりも　※前置詞について下記GPT欄参照

“If the money is used to support cultural activities, I guess there’s nothing we can do.”

Museum officials said they expect an annual revenue increase of up to 20 million euros, or about 23 million dollars.

中国 4年連続で人口減少

< 見出し>CHINA POPULATION SHRINKS FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT YEAR

The Chinese government says its population has declined for a fourth consecutive year.

It says the number of births has also fallen to its lowest point since modern recordkeeping began in 1949.

The National Bureau of Statistics says there were 1.404 billion people in mainland China at the end of last year.

That figure was down almost 3.4 million from a year earlier.
・a year earlier：1年前

The tally marked the fourth straight year of decline since the population began falling in 2022, after growing for more than 60 years.
・tally：（何かの数または量の）記録、集計

The number of people aged 65 and over reached more than 223 million.

They accounted for around 16 percent of the populace.
・account for ～：～を占める

The number of births came in at nearly 8 million, down about 1.6 million from the previous year.
・come in at ～：～という結果（数字）になる

Local media say this was even lower than the nadir marked in 2023.
・nadir：一番下、底 [néidiər]

The country abolished its one-child policy in 2016, and couples are now allowed to have up to three children.
・abolish：廃止する