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Read and understand the short paragraph – explain ②
第4部 内容理解（短文）: question どうして〜か then find the phrase indicating cause 「〜からだと言われている」／「その一つに〜がある」. Note the keyword change trap: 稲作の水 (water for fields) ≠ 飲み水 (drinking water).
日本人は集団主義だとよく言われる。つまり、個人よりも皆で行動することや、みんなのために行動することを大切にするということだ。
それにはさまざまな原因があるが、その一つに日本人が昔から「稲作（注1）」を行ってきたことがあると言われている。稲作では田植えや収穫など、みんなで一度に行う作業が多い。また、より多くの稲を上手に育てるには、稲作で使う水を個人の田んぼだけではなく、地域全体を考えて管理する必要がある。
このような稲作を何千年も続ける中で、日本社会では「みんな」がとても重要な基準になっていったのだろう。
（注1）稲作：米を作ること
Explanation: Paragraph 2 states the reason: 稲作 has many things みんなで一度に行う作業 → ④. ① is to eat rice, not farm. ② word trap: speech 稲作で使う水, not 飲み水. ③ completely opposite: the article emphasizes regional cooperation, not competition.
According to the article, why have Japanese people become so collective?
① Because I have been eating rice for thousands of years. · ② Because since ancient times, we have cooperated together to manage drinking water. · ③ Because they competed with each other to grow good rice in their fields. · ④ Because we have maintained wet rice farming — a job that has many parts that must be done together.
People often say that Japanese people are collectivist. That is, they value acting together and acting for others rather than for individuals.
There are many reasons, but one of them is said to be the fact that the Japanese have been cultivating rice since ancient times (note 1). In rice farming, there are many jobs that must be done together, such as transplanting rice and harvesting. In addition, if you want to grow a lot of rice and grow it well, you must manage the water used for rice growing in the entire region, not just your own fields.
During thousands of years of rice farming, perhaps in Japanese society, people (みんな) have become a very important standard.
(note 1) 稲作: growing rice, making rice.
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