The Reading / Listening - Bento Lunch Box - Level 3

The bento is a very common part of Japanese cuisine. It is a ready-made meal in a box for one person. People buy it from convenience stores and railway stations. Japanese mothers and wives often spend a lot of time carefully preparing a bento lunch box for their husband or children. Bentos are usually cheap and contain a healthy mix of rice or noodles, fish or meat, and pickled and cooked vegetables. Now, a new bento is on the market that does not match our traditional image of this lunch box. The new bento is from Tottori and contains only premium cuts of the country's highest-quality wagyu beef. It is a little more expensive than the average 600 yen for a bento, as it costs 292,929 yen ($3,000).

Tottori is in the west of Japan's Honshu island. Its wagyu beef was recently rated as the best in all of Japan. It is also very expensive. The new Tottori Wagyu Complete Cow bento box contains 4.5kg of beef, Tottori-grown rice and wasabi, and a special dipping sauce flavored with Tottori's famous pears, but no vegetables. The actual bento box is also more expensive than normal bento boxes. It is 60 centimeters long and is made from wood instead of plastic. The compartments in the box are in the shape of a cow. In Japan, you can buy the beefy bento online from the bento delivery service Gochikuru. However, you may have to wait two weeks for the company to prepare your meaty lunch.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Bento Lunch Box - Level 0 Bento Lunch Box - Level 1   or  Bento Lunch Box - Level 2

Sources
  • https://japantoday.com/category/features/food/tottori-ultimate-wagyu-beef-bento-costs-almost-y300-000
  • https://gochikuru.com/2127/menu/TOQH001
  • http://www.foodandwine.com/news/wagyu-beef-bento-box


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. LUNCH BOXES: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about lunch boxes. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       common / ready-made / convenience stores / lunch / healthy / traditional / average /
       Japan / beef / rice / sauce / vegetables / pears / wood / delivery service / prepare
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. HOME COOKING: Students A strongly believe home cooking is best; Students B strongly believe meals from stores or restaurants are best.  Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. BENTO: Invent some new kinds of bento using the ideas below? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

What kind of bento

Presentation

Fruit

 

 

Bread

 

 

Eggs

 

 

Chocolate

 

 

Garlic

 

 

French fries

 

 

MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. JAPAN: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "Japan". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. LUNCH: Rank these with your partner. Put the best lunches at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • curry
  • pizza
  • salad
  • omelet
  • bento
  • sandwiches
  • shawarma
  • burger and fries

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. common a. Much, much higher quality.
      2. cuisine b. Getting or making something ready for something else.
      3. preparing c. Two or more different things put together.
      4. contain d. Have something or hold something inside it.
      5. mix e. Happening as part of a culture from a time in the past until now.
      6. traditional f. A style or method of cooking, especially from a particular country or region.
      7. premium g. Occurring, found, or done often; prevalent.

    Paragraph 2

      8. average h. Real; existing in fact and not what people thought or believed.
      9. rated i. Given a score or value.
      10. sauce j. A thick liquid served with food, usually to add flavor and some juiciness.
      11. actual k. A separate part of something in which different things can be kept separate from others.
      12. compartments l. The action of delivering letters, packages, or ordered goods.
      13. delivery m. A Japanese plant with a thick green root with a very strong taste. It is used in cooking, especially in powder or paste form, and is put on raw fish.
      14. wasabi n. The normal or usual level, quantity, price, etc.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. The article says a bento is not a common part of Japanese cuisine.     T / F
  2. Bento boxes are usually for two people.     T / F
  3. Bento box lunches are not usually so cheap.     T / F
  4. A new bento has the best quality wagyu beef in Japan.     T / F
  5. The new bento has 4.5kg of beef in it.     T / F
  6. The new bento has a special sauce favored with Japanese apples.     T / F
  7. The new bento is 60 centimeters long.     T / F
  8. There is a two-week wait for the bento to be delivered.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. cuisine
  2. buy
  3. preparing
  4. mix
  5. average
  6. recently
  7. sauce
  8. expensive
  9. instead of
  10. wait
  1. rather than
  2. combination
  3. not long ago
  4. putting together
  5. dressing
  6. cooking
  7. costly
  8. hold on
  9. purchase
  10. normal

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. The bento is a very common part
  2. a ready-made
  3. spend a lot of time
  4. pickled and
  5. the country's highest-
  6. recently rated
  7. a special dipping
  8. made from wood instead
  9. in the shape
  10. online from the bento
  1. carefully preparing
  2. of a cow
  3. as the best
  4. meal in a box
  5. of plastic
  6. quality wagyu beef
  7. of Japanese cuisine
  8. delivery service
  9. cooked vegetables
  10. sauce

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
mix
ready
quality
premium
carefully
average
common
match

The bento is a very (1) ____________ part of Japanese cuisine. It is a (2) ____________ -made meal in a box for one person. People buy it from convenience stores and railway stations. Japanese mothers and wives often spend a lot of time (3) ____________ preparing a bento lunch box for their husband or children. Bentos are usually cheap and contain a healthy (4) ____________ of rice or noodles, fish or meat, and pickled and cooked vegetables. Now, a new bento is on the market that does not (5) ____________ our traditional image of this lunch box. The new bento is from Tottori and contains only (6) ____________ cuts of the country's highest- (7) ____________ wagyu beef. It is a little more expensive than the (8) ____________ 600 yen for a bento, as it costs 292,929 yen ($3,000).

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
sauce
instead
grown
normal
prepare
delivery
rated
famous

Tottori is in the west of Japan's Honshu island. Its wagyu beef was recently (9) ____________ as the best in all of Japan. It is also very expensive. The new Tottori Wagyu Complete Cow bento box contains 4.5kg of beef, Tottori-(10) ____________ rice and wasabi, and a special dipping (11) ____________ flavored with Tottori's (12) ____________ pears, but no vegetables. The actual bento box is also more expensive than (13) ____________ bento boxes. It is 60 centimeters long and is made from wood (14) ____________ of plastic. The compartments in the box are in the shape of a cow. In Japan, you can buy the beefy bento online from the bento (15) ____________ service Gochikuru. However, you may have to wait two weeks for the company to (16) ____________ your meaty lunch.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)  The bento is a very common part of ______
     a.  Japanese cuisine
     b.  Japanese quizzing
     c.  Japanese kiwi zone
     d.  Japanese queasy teen
2)  a healthy mix of rice or noodles, fish or meat, and pickled and ______
     a.  cook vegetables
     b.  cooked vegetables
     c.  cocked vegetables
     d.  crooked vegetables
3)  a new bento is on the market that does not match our traditional ______ lunch box
     a.  image of this
     b.  imagine of this
     c.  reimage of this
     d.  imaging of this
4)  The new bento is from Tottori and contains only ______
     a.  premium guts
     b.  premium tuts
     c.  premium nuts
     d.  premium cuts
5)  It is a little more expensive than the ______ yen
     a.  averages 600
     b.  average 600
     c.  averaging 600
     d.  avarice 600

6)  Its wagyu beef was recently rated as the best ______ Japan
     a.  in awe of
     b.  inner of
     c.  in all of
     d.  on all off
7)  Tottori-grown rice and wasabi, and a special dipping sauce flavored with Tottori's _____
     a.  famous pears
     b.  famously peers
     c.  famous peers
     d.  famous pears
8)  The actual bento box is also more expensive than ______ boxes
     a.  norm all bento
     b.  normally bento
     c.  normal bento
     d.  nor mall bento
9)  The compartments in the box are in the ______ cow
     a.  sharpen of a
     b.  shaped of a
     c.  sharp of a
     d.  shape of a
10)  you may have to wait two weeks for the company to prepare ______
     a.  your meeting lunch
     b.  your meaty lunch
     c.  your me tea lunch
     d.  your meat e-lunch

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The bento is a very (1) ___________________ Japanese cuisine. It is a (2) ___________________ in a box for one person. People buy it from convenience stores and railway stations. Japanese mothers and wives often spend a (3) ___________________ carefully preparing a bento lunch box for their husband or children. Bentos are usually cheap and contain a healthy mix of rice or noodles, fish or meat, and (4) ___________________ vegetables. Now, a new bento is on the market that does not match our traditional image of this lunch box. The new bento is from Tottori and contains only (5) ___________________ the country's highest-quality wagyu beef. It is a little more expensive (6) ___________________ 600 yen for a bento, as it costs 292,929 yen ($3,000).

Tottori is in the west of Japan's Honshu island. Its wagyu beef was (7) ___________________ the best in all of Japan. It is also very expensive. The new Tottori Wagyu Complete Cow bento box contains 4.5kg of beef, Tottori-grown rice and wasabi, and a (8) ___________________ flavored with Tottori's famous pears, but no vegetables. The actual bento box is also more (9) ___________________ bento boxes. It is 60 centimeters long and is made from (10) ___________________ plastic. The compartments in the box are (11) ___________________ of a cow. In Japan, you can buy the beefy bento online from the bento delivery service Gochikuru. However, you may have to wait two weeks for the company to prepare (12) ___________________.

Comprehension questions

  1. What did the article say a bento is a common part of?
  2. Where do people buy bentos from besides convenience stores?
  3. What vegetables are in bentos besides cooked vegetables?
  4. What quality of wagyu beef did the article say a new bento used?
  5. How much did the article say an average bento cost?
  6. How much beef is in the new bento box?
  7. What is a sauce used in the bento flavored with?
  8. What is the wagyu beef bento box made of?
  9. What are the compartments in the bento box in the shape of?
  10. How long do people have to wait for the bento to be delivered?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What did the article say a bento is a common part of?
a) rice
b) breakfast
c) food
d) Japanese cuisine

2) Where do people buy bentos from besides convenience stores?
a) gas stations
b) railway stations
c) bus stations
d) bento stations

3) What vegetables are in bentos besides cooked vegetables?
a) fresh vegetables
b) mountain vegetables
c) salad vegetables
d) pickled vegetables

4) What quality of wagyu beef did the article say a new bento used?
a) bento quality
b) good quality
c) the highest quality
d) farm quality

5) How much did the article say an average bento cost?
a) 550 yen
b) 500 yen
c) 650 yen
d) 600 yen

6) How much beef is in the new bento box?
a) 45g
b) 450g
c) 4.5kg
d) 45kg

7) What is a sauce used in the bento flavored with?
a) pears
b) apples
c) wasabi
d) rice

8) What is the wagyu beef bento box made of?
a) bamboo
b) plastic
c) wood
d) tin

9) What are the compartments in the bento box in the shape of?
a) oblongs
b) a cow
c) a cherry blossom
d) squares

10) How long do people have to wait for the bento to be delivered?
a) two weeks
b) two days
c) twelve days
d) twelve hours

Role play

Role  A – A Bento
You think a bento is the best lunch. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their lunches. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): sandwich, burger or salad.

Role  B – A Sandwich
You think a sandwich is the best lunch. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their lunches. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): bento, burger or salad.

Role  C – A Burger
You think a burger is the best lunch. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their lunches. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): sandwich, bento or salad.

Role  D – A Salad
You think a salad is the best lunch. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their lunches. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why):  sandwich, burger or bento.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'bento'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • and 'lunch'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • • Share your findings with your partners.

    • Make questions using the words you found.

    • Ask your partner / group your questions.

    2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

    •Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

    3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

    4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

    5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

    • recently
    • 4.5
    • famous
    • actual
    • wood
    • wait
    • common
    • mothers
    • cheap
    • market
    • cuts
    • average

    Student survey

    Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

    (Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

    Discussion - Japan's $3,000 wagyu beef bento lunch box

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'bento'?
    3. What do you know about Japan's bento lunches?
    4. What do you usually have for lunch?
    5. What do you think of your country's cuisine?
    6. What is the healthiest lunch you can think of?
    7. What do you think of the $3,000 bento lunch?
    8. Do you think home cooking is the best, and why?
    9. Would you like to try the wagyu bento?
    10. What would you put in your perfect bento?

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'lunch'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What do you know about wagyu beef?
    5. What do you know about Japanese food?
    6. Why do you think the wagyu bento is so expensive?
    7. What kind of bento box would you design?
    8. What do you think of sandwiches or fast food for lunch?
    9. What sauces do you like, and why?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the bento maker?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    The bento is a very (1) ____ part of Japanese cuisine. It is a ready-made meal in a box for one person. People (2) ____ it from convenience stores and railway stations. Japanese mothers and wives often spend a lot of time (3) ____ preparing a bento lunch box for their husband or children. Bentos are usually cheap and contain a healthy mix of rice or noodles, fish or meat, and pickled and (4) ____ vegetables. Now, a new bento is on the market that does not match our traditional image of this lunch box. The new bento is from Tottori and contains only premium (5) ____ of the country's highest-quality wagyu beef. It is a little more expensive than the average 600 yen for a bento, (6) ____ it costs 292,929 yen ($3,000).

    Tottori is in the west of Japan's Honshu island. Its wagyu beef was (7) ____ rated as the best in all of Japan. It is also very expensive. The new Tottori Wagyu Complete Cow bento box contains 4.5kg of beef, Tottori-(8) ____ rice and wasabi, and a special dipping sauce flavored with Tottori's famous pears, but no vegetables. The (9) ____ bento box is also more expensive than normal bento boxes. It is 60 centimeters long and is made from wood instead (10) ____ plastic. The compartments in the box are (11) ____ the shape of a cow. In Japan, you can buy the beefy bento online from the bento delivery service Gochikuru. However, you may have to wait two weeks (12) ____ the company to prepare your meaty lunch.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     commonly     (b)     common     (c)     commoner     (d)     commons    
    2. (a)     bought     (b)     buy     (c)     buys     (d)     buying    
    3. (a)     carefulness     (b)     careful     (c)     carefree     (d)     carefully    
    4. (a)     cooker     (b)     cooked     (c)     cooks     (d)     cook    
    5. (a)     cut     (b)     cuts     (c)     cutting     (d)     cut-off    
    6. (a)     was     (b)     is     (c)     as     (d)     has    
    7. (a)     recency     (b)     recentness     (c)     recently     (d)     recent    
    8. (a)     grew     (b)     growing     (c)     grown     (d)     growth    
    9. (a)     actualize     (b)     actually     (c)     actuality     (d)     actual    
    10. (a)     of     (b)     by     (c)     at     (d)     on    
    11. (a)     in     (b)     at     (c)     to     (d)     as    
    12. (a)     of     (b)     by     (c)     for     (d)     as

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. a very mocnom part
    2. Japanese inuesci
    3. nececoneniv stores
    4. a aeythhl mix of rice or noodles
    5. our tdaiiatonrl image
    6. only rueimmp cuts

    Paragraph 2

    1. tcyeelrn rated as the best
    2. bento box sncaitno 4.5kg of beef
    3. a special dipping caseu
    4. The laucat bento box
    5. made from wood snateid of plastic
    6. the bento verdleiy service

    Put the text back together

    (    )  buy the beefy bento online from the bento delivery service Gochikuru. However, you may have to
    (    )  wasabi, and a special dipping sauce flavored with Tottori's famous pears, but no vegetables. The actual bento box is also more
    1  )  The bento is a very common part of Japanese cuisine. It is a ready-made meal in a box for one
    (    )  expensive than normal bento boxes. It is 60 centimeters long and is made from wood instead of
    (    )  only premium cuts of the country's highest-quality wagyu beef. It is a little more
    (    )  plastic. The compartments in the box are in the shape of a cow. In Japan, you can
    (    )  Tottori is in the west of Japan's Honshu island. Its wagyu beef was recently rated as the best in all of
    (    )  Japan. It is also very expensive. The new Tottori Wagyu Complete Cow bento box contains 4.5kg of beef, Tottori-grown rice and
    (    )  expensive than the average 600 yen for a bento, as it costs 292,929 yen ($3,000).
    (    )  person. People buy it from convenience stores and railway stations. Japanese mothers and wives often spend a lot of
    (    )  and contain a healthy mix of rice or noodles, fish or meat, and pickled and cooked vegetables. Now, a new bento is on the
    (    )  market that does not match our traditional image of this lunch box. The new bento is from Tottori and contains
    (    )  time carefully preparing a bento lunch box for their husband or children. Bentos are usually cheap
    (    )  wait two weeks for the company to prepare your meaty lunch.

    Put the words in the right order

    1. of    Japanese    common    A    part    cuisine   .    very
    2. box   .    meal    a    a    is    made    It    in    ready-
    3. a    bento   .    of    preparing    lot    Spend    time    a
    4. of    image    box   .    this    Our    traditional    lunch
    5. the    average   .    than    expensive    little    A    more
    6. recently    the    Wagyu    best    .    as    was    beef    rated
    7. is    actual    box    expensive   .    bento    The    more    also
    8. shape    in    are    a    The    the    cow   .    compartments    of
    9. You    can    buy    beefy    online   .    bento    the
    10. wait    two    may    have    to    weeks   .    you    However   ,

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    The bento is a very common / commonly part of Japanese cuisine. It is a ready-made meal in a box for once / one person. People buy it from convenience store / stores and railway stations. Japanese mothers and wives often spend a lot / loads of time carefully preparing a bento lunch box for their husband for / or children. Bentos are usually cheap and contain a healthy mixes / mix of rice or noodles, fish or meat, and pickled and cooked vegetables. Now, a new bento is in / on the market that does not match our traditional image of this lunch box. The new bento is from Tottori and contents / contains only premium cuts of the country's highest-quality wagyu beef. It is a little most / more expensive than the average 600 yen for a bento, as it costly / costs 292,929 yen ($3,000).
    Tottori is in / on the west of Japan's Honshu island. Its wagyu beef was recently ranted / rated as the best in all of Japan. It is also very expensive / expenses. The new Tottori Wagyu Complete Cow bento box contains 4.5kg of beef, Tottori-grown rice and wasabi, and a specially / special dipping sauce flavored with Tottori's famous pears, but none / no vegetables. The actual bento box is also more expensive than normal / normally bento boxes. It is 60 centimeters long / length and is made from wood instead of plastic. The compartments in the box are in the shaped / shape of a cow. In Japan, you can buy the beefy bento online from the bento deliver / delivery service Gochikuru. However, you may have to wait two weeks for the company to preparing / prepare your meaty lunch.

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    T h _   b _ n t _   _ s   _   v _ r y   c _ m m _ n   p _ r t   _ f   J _ p _ n _ s _   c _ _ s _ n _.   I t   _ s   _   r _ _ d y - m _ d _   m _ _ l   _ n   _   b _ x   f _ r   _ n _   p _ r s _ n.   P _ _ p l _   b _ y   _ t   f r _ m   c _ n v _ n _ _ n c _   s t _ r _ s   _ n d   r _ _ l w _ y   s t _ t _ _ n s.   J _ p _ n _ s _   m _ t h _ r s   _ n d   w _ v _ s   _ f t _ n   s p _ n d   _   l _ t   _ f   t _ m _   c _ r _ f _ l l y   p r _ p _ r _ n g   _   b _ n t _   l _ n c h   b _ x   f _ r   t h _ _ r   h _ s b _ n d   _ r   c h _ l d r _ n.   B _ n t _ s   _ r _   _ s _ _ l l y   c h _ _ p   _ n d   c _ n t _ _ n   _   h _ _ l t h y   m _ x   _ f   r _ c _   _ r   n _ _ d l _ s ,   f _ s h   _ r   m _ _ t ,   _ n d   p _ c k l _ d   _ n d   c _ _ k _ d   v _ g _ t _ b l _ s.   N _ w ,   _   n _ w   b _ n t _   _ s   _ n   t h _   m _ r k _ t   t h _ t   d _ _ s   n _ t   m _ t c h   _ _ r   t r _ d _ t _ _ n _ l   _ m _ g _   _ f   t h _ s   l _ n c h   b _ x.   T h _   n _ w   b _ n t _   _ s   f r _ m   T _ t t _ r _   _ n d   c _ n t _ _ n s   _ n l y   p r _ m _ _ m   c _ t s   _ f   t h _   c _ _ n t r y ' s   h _ g h _ s t - q _ _ l _ t y   w _ g y _   b _ _ f.   I t   _ s   _   l _ t t l _   m _ r _   _ x p _ n s _ v _   t h _ n   t h _   _ v _ r _ g _   6 0 0   y _ n   f _ r   _   b _ n t _ ,   _ s   _ t   c _ s t s   2 9 2 , 9 2 9   y _ n   ( $ 3 , 0 0 0 ).
    T _ t t _ r _   _ s   _ n   t h _   w _ s t   _ f   J _ p _ n ' s   H _ n s h _   _ s l _ n d.   I t s   w _ g y _   b _ _ f   w _ s   r _ c _ n t l y   r _ t _ d   _ s   t h _   b _ s t   _ n   _ l l   _ f   J _ p _ n.   I t   _ s   _ l s _   v _ r y   _ x p _ n s _ v _.   T h _   n _ w   T _ t t _ r _   W _ g y _   C _ m p l _ t _   C _ w   b _ n t _   b _ x   c _ n t _ _ n s   4. 5 k g   _ f   b _ _ f ,   T _ t t _ r _ - g r _ w n   r _ c _   _ n d   w _ s _ b _ ,   _ n d   _   s p _ c _ _ l   d _ p p _ n g   s _ _ c _   f l _ v _ r _ d   w _ t h   T _ t t _ r _ ' s   f _ m _ _ s   p _ _ r s ,   b _ t   n _   v _ g _ t _ b l _ s.   T h _   _ c t _ _ l   b _ n t _   b _ x   _ s   _ l s _   m _ r _   _ x p _ n s _ v _   t h _ n   n _ r m _ l   b _ n t _   b _ x _ s.   I t   _ s   6 0   c _ n t _ m _ t _ r s   l _ n g   _ n d   _ s   m _ d _   f r _ m   w _ _ d   _ n s t _ _ d   _ f   p l _ s t _ c.   T h _   c _ m p _ r t m _ n t s   _ n   t h _   b _ x   _ r _   _ n   t h _   s h _ p _   _ f   _   c _ w.   I n   J _ p _ n ,   y _ _   c _ n   b _ y   t h _   b _ _ f y   b _ n t _   _ n l _ n _   f r _ m   t h _   b _ n t _   d _ l _ v _ r y   s _ r v _ c _   G _ c h _ k _ r _.   H _ w _ v _ r ,   y _ _   m _ y   h _ v _   t _   w _ _ t   t w _   w _ _ k s   f _ r   t h _   c _ m p _ n y   t _   p r _ p _ r _   y _ _ r   m _ _ t y   l _ n c h.

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    the bento is a very common part of japanese cuisine it is a readymade meal in a box for one person people buy it from convenience stores and railway stations japanese mothers and wives often spend a lot of time carefully preparing a bento lunch box for their husband or children bentos are usually cheap and contain a healthy mix of rice or noodles fish or meat and pickled and cooked vegetables now a new bento is on the market that does not match our traditional image of this lunch box the new bento is from tottori and contains only premium cuts of the countrys highestquality wagyu beef it is a little more expensive than the average 600 yen for a bento as it costs 292929 yen ($3000)
    tottori is in the west of japans honshu island its wagyu beef was recently rated as the best in all of japan it is also very expensive the new tottori wagyu complete cow bento box contains 45kg of beef tottorigrown rice and wasabi and a special dipping sauce flavored with tottoris famous pears but no vegetables the actual bento box is also more expensive than normal bento boxes it is 60 centimeters long and is made from wood instead of plastic the compartments in the box are in the shape of a cow in japan you can buy the beefy bento online from the bento delivery service gochikuru however you may have to wait two weeks for the company to prepare your meaty lunch

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    ThebentoisaverycommonpartofJapanesecuisine.Itisaready-mad
    emealinaboxforoneperson.Peoplebuyitfromconveniencestoresandr
    ailwaystations.Japanesemothersandwivesoftenspendalotoftimecar
    efullypreparingabentolunchboxfortheirhusbandorchildren.Bentosar
    eusuallycheapandcontainahealthymixofriceornoodles,fishormeat,a
    ndpickledandcookedvegetables.Now,anewbentoisonthemarketthat
    doesnotmatchourtraditionalimageofthislunchbox.Thenewbentoisfr
    omTottoriandcontainsonlypremiumcutsofthecountry'shighest-qua
    litywagyubeef.Itisalittlemoreexpensivethantheaverage600yenfora
    bento,asitcosts292,929yen($3,000).TottoriisinthewestofJapan'sHo
    nshuisland.ItswagyubeefwasrecentlyratedasthebestinallofJapan.Iti
    salsoveryexpensive.ThenewTottoriWagyuCompleteCowbentoboxc
    ontains4.5kgofbeef,Tottori-grownriceandwasabi,andaspecialdippin
    gsauceflavoredwithTottori'sfamouspears,butnovegetables.Theactu
    albentoboxisalsomoreexpensivethannormalbentoboxes.Itis60centi
    meterslongandismadefromwoodinsteadofplastic.Thecompartments
    intheboxareintheshapeofacow.InJapan,youcanbuythebeefybentoo
    nlinefromthebentodeliveryserviceGochikuru.However,youmayhave
    towaittwoweeksforthecompanytoprepareyourmeatylunch.

    Free writing

    Write about wagyu bento box for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    It is important for food to be beautifully presented. Discuss.

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    Homework

    1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
    2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. LUNCH BOXES: Make a poster about lunch boxes. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. JAPANESE FOOD: Write a magazine article about all food having to be well presented, like Japanese food. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against it.
    Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
    5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on lunch boxes. Ask him/her three questions about lunch boxes. Give him/her three of your ideas. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

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    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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