Read the following article and answer the questions on pages 2 and 3.

The long spring windup is over. Major League Baseball begins tonight, and the biggest challenges will be to win and to also stay out of the doctor's office.

(A)Using your arm to throw a baseball 95 miles an hour or more has long been considered as natural an act for a human as flapping them while jumping off a cliff. Almost every pitcher in the major leagues       (B)       surgery at some point in his career - often several times. Many have six-inch scars running up their elbows and shoulders like luggage zippers, where ligament^* and tendons^** have been moved from other parts of their bodies.

Pitching is a biomechanical wonder, says Dr. Vonda Wright, an orthopedic^*** surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. A ball thrown by a professional player takes less than a half-second from the time of release until it hits the catcher's mitt some 60 feet away.

Accelerating the ball from zero to more than 90 miles an hour is a task so demanding, Dr. Wright says, that a pitcher's shoulder and elbow experience highly stressful forces with every pitch. And, Dr. Wright says, “a pitcher has to recreate that amazing force 100 times a game.”　It's no wonder, then, that pitchers usually have to rest for four days after every game.

The frequency of pitching injuries hasted some baseball experts to (C)handicap a team's championship chances not by its ability to avoid defeats, but to avoid orthopedists. The common expression has evolved from “Pitching wins championships” to “You can't have enough pitching” to “Whoever's pitchers stay healthiest will win.”

Teams have grown more protective of their pitchers over the past 20 years--thanks largely to guaranteed contracts, which discourage teams from burning out arms--and have embraced the use of pitch limits. Whereas Nolan Ryan would often throw 150 pitches in a game, few pitchers today reach 120 or even 110 without negative comments from the team's management and the public.

Debates continue over how 90 pitches can be far more strenuous for a pitcher than 20 depending on the types of pitches and the tightness of the game.

“I think that you don't have a set, fast rule, but you pay close attention when that pitcher gets up around 100 pitches,” the St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach, Dave Duncan, says. ”You do all of the things that you can to give him the best chance to be at his best during the course of the season. Part of that is to not (D)run him into the ground at any particular point in time.”

Starting this spring, Little League Baseball, which has 2.3 million young players worldwide, will use total pitches (instead of innings) to determine when a pitcher must leave the game.       (E)      

(注)
• *ligament:靭帯(じんたい)
• **tendon:腱(けん)
• ***orthopedic:整形外科の

• 1. Choose the most appropriate title for the article from the choices below.
  • a.　A Biomechanical Wonder and Pitch Limits
  • b. Little League Baseball Rules Change
  • c. Major League Baseball Begins Player Limits
  • d. Pitching and Shoulder Surgery
• 2. Choose the most appropriate word for (B) in the article.
  • a. undergoes
  • b. underlies
  • c. undermines
  • d. undertakes
• 3. Which word can be substituted for (C) in the article?
  • a. adjust
  • b. transfer
  • c. erase
  • d. increase
• 4. Teams have become increasingly more protective of their pitchers in all these ways, EXCEPT FOR:
  • a. Pitch limits have been instituted on Major League Baseball teams.
  • b. Contracts guarantee that employment is not dependent on the number of pitches.
  • c. Both team management and the public keep a close eye on pitch numbers.
  • d. The past 20 years have taught baseball many things about pitch limits.
• 5. Which phrase is the closest in meaning to (D) in the article?
  • a. tire him easily
  • b. train him up
  • c. wear him out
  • d. work him out
• 6. Which of the following is the reason that Little Leagues are changing their pitching rules?
  • a. Considering the number is 2.3 million, there are too many Little League players worldwide.
  • b. Among 2.3 million Little League players, there are too many pitchers worldwide.
  • c. In order to minimize injuries, Little League pitchers will be taken out of the game when they reach their pitching limit.
  • d. There are many rules changing in the Little Leagues this spring.
• 7. Choose the best possible conclusion sentence for (E).
  • a. All Little League pitchers must rest for four days after a game.
  • b. Pitchers can repeat a difficult action many times.
  • c. Pitching can be done by young beginners or by professionals.
  • d. Such a change should lead to healthier Little League pitchers.
• 8. According to the article, which of the following is true?
  • a. Both Major League Baseball and Little League Baseball follow the exact same pitching rules.
  • b. In the past, pitchers were not negatively affected by pitching more than 50 times per game.
  • c. Ninety pitches per game may be as physically challenging as 120.
  • d. Pitching is a completely natural physical and biomechanical phenomenon.

次の問題$\fbox{1}$、$\fbox{2}$の解答は記述式解答用紙に記入しなさい。

• $\fbox{1}$ Translate the underlined part (A) in the article into Japanese.
• $\fbox{2}$ If Major League Baseball sets pitch limits, what do you think will change? Why? Write your answer within 25 words in English. [Please write the number of words in (        words) on your answer sheet.]