Science is often thought of as something done only by experts in universities and laboratories. In recent years, however, more and more ordinary people have begun to take part in real scientific research. These volunteers are sometimes called "citizen scientists." They do not need special university degrees or expensive equipment. Instead, they help professional scientists by collecting information about the world around them.
One common activity is counting animals and plants. For example, every winter, thousands of people around the world spend a day counting the birds they see in their gardens and local parks. They send their results to scientists, who use the information to learn how bird numbers are changing over time. Because so many people take part, scientists can gather far more data than they could ever collect alone. This helps them notice serious problems, such as a type of bird that is slowly disappearing.
Smartphones have made this kind of work much easier. With a simple app, a person walking in the mountains can take a photo of a flower or an insect and send it, along with the exact place and time, to a research project. Some apps can even name the species automatically. In this way, people who are just enjoying a walk can also help build a huge record of the natural world.
Citizen science has benefits for the volunteers too. Many people say that joining a project helps them learn more about nature and feel more connected to their local area. Teachers also use these projects to make science lessons more exciting for their students. Of course, scientists must check the information carefully, because not all of it is correct. Even so, most researchers agree that the help of ordinary people has become extremely valuable.
As more and more people join, citizen science is slowly changing the way research is done. It shows that almost anyone, young or old, can play a part in understanding and protecting the natural world around us. Over many years, the records that these volunteers help to build can reveal slow changes that no single scientist working alone would ever notice.
（1） 正解 2. They help scientists by collecting information.
第1段落に「特別な学位や高価な装置は必要なく、情報を集めて科学者を助ける」とある。選択肢2。
（2） 正解 1. They count the birds in their gardens and parks.
第2段落に「毎冬、何千人もが庭や公園で見た鳥を数える」とある。選択肢1。
（3） 正解 3. They can gather far more data than they could alone.
第2段落に「多くの人が参加するので、一人では集められないほど多くのデータを集められる」とある。選択肢3。
（4） 正解 1. They let people send photos and information about nature.
第3段落に「アプリで花や昆虫の写真を、場所と時刻とともに送れる」とある。選択肢1。
（5） 正解 2. They feel more connected to their local area.
第4段落に「地元とのつながりをより感じられる」とある。選択肢2。
artificial：人工の
made by people, not natural（自然でなく人が作った）
cycle：周期
a set of events that happen again and again in the same order（同じ順序でくり返し起こる一連の出来事）
hatch：ふ化する
to come out of an egg（卵から出てくる）
electronic waste：電子ごみ
old computers and phones that are thrown away（捨てられる古いコンピューターやスマホ）
replace：取り替える
to put a new thing in place of an old one（古いものの代わりに新しいものを置く）
device：機器
a machine made for a particular purpose（ある目的のために作られた機械）
volunteer：ボランティア
a person who works without being paid（報酬をもらわずに働く人）
species：種（しゅ）
a group of living things of the same kind（同じ種類の生き物の集まり）