The Reading / Listening - Karaoke - Level 2

A taxi driver is offering free rides for singing a song. Tu Ching Liang, 57, is a big fan of karaoke. He loves listening to people sing. He is famous for his taxi's colourful, flashing disco lights. It is easy to see his taxi. It has a pink neon star on the dashboard. People can choose a "karaoke" option on a taxi-locating app in the capital city Taipei. Mr Tu's taxi will appear on your smartphone screen. When it arrives, he will give you a microphone and an iPad for you to go to YouTube and select the song you want to sing. He says people are braver at night.

Mr Tu loves his job. He joked: "No one is as lucky as me...rushing to go to work and not make any money." He added: "I've been driving a taxi for 27 years, giving money as rewards for singing karaoke for eight years....I've filmed over 10,000 videos." He told a reporter from a newspaper that if people do not sing, they do not get a discount or a free ride. Some of Mr Tu's videos on YouTube have been viewed over two million times. He is now a celebrity and has been on TV shows in 10 countries. His dream is to have singer Ed Sheeran as a passenger in his taxi.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Karaoke - Level 0 Karaoke - Level 1   or  Karaoke - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/04/training-their-courage-taiwan-taxi-driver-offers-free-rides-for-karaoke
  • https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-globally/here-is-why-a-taxi-driver-in-taiwan-is-offering-free-rides-7133680/
  • https://www.timesnownews.com/the-buzz/article/taxi-driver-in-taiwan-gives-free-rides-to-people-who-can-sing-karaoke/703045


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A taxi driver is offering
  2. a big fan
  3. He loves listening
  4. It has a pink neon star
  5. on a taxi-locating
  6. he will give you a
  7. select the song you
  8. He says people are
  1. to people sing
  2. want to sing
  3. app
  4. braver at night
  5. of karaoke
  6. free rides
  7. on the dashboard
  8. microphone

Paragraph 2

  1. Mr Tu loves
  2. No one is as lucky
  3. rushing to
  4. not make any
  5. singing karaoke
  6. they do not get a
  7. He is now a
  8. TV shows in
  1. for eight years
  2. money
  3. as me
  4. 10 countries
  5. his job
  6. celebrity
  7. go to work
  8. discount

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A taxi driver (1) ___________________ rides for singing a song. Tu Ching Liang, 57, is a big fan of karaoke. He loves listening to people sing. He (2) ___________________ his taxi's colourful, flashing disco lights. It is (3) ___________________ his taxi. It has a pink neon star on the dashboard. People can choose a "karaoke" option on a taxi-locating app (4) ___________________ city Taipei. Mr Tu's taxi will appear on your smartphone screen. When it arrives, he will give (5) ___________________ and an iPad for you to go to YouTube and select the song you want to sing. He says people are (6) ___________________.

Mr Tu loves his job. He joked: "No one (7) ___________________ as me...rushing to go to work and not make any money." He added: "I've been driving a taxi for 27 years, (8) ___________________ rewards for singing karaoke for eight years....I've filmed over 10,000 videos." He (9) ___________________ from a newspaper that if people do not sing, they do not (10) ___________________ or a free ride. Some of Mr Tu's videos on YouTube have been viewed over two million times. He is (11) ___________________ and has been on TV shows in 10 countries. His dream is to have singer Ed Sheeran (12) ___________________ in his taxi.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Ataxidriverisofferingfreeridesforsingingasong.TuChingLiang,57,isa
bigfanofkaraoke.Heloveslisteningtopeoplesing.Heisfamousforhista
xi'scolourful,flashingdiscolights.Itiseasytoseehistaxi.Ithasapinkneo
nstaronthedashboard.Peoplecanchoosea"karaoke"optiononataxi-
locatingappinthecapitalcityTaipei.MrTu'staxiwillappearonyoursmart
phonescreen.Whenitarrives,hewillgiveyouamicrophoneandaniPadf
oryoutogotoYouTubeandselectthesongyouwanttosing.Hesayspeopl
earebraveratnight.MrTuloveshisjob.Hejoked:"Nooneisasluckyasme
...rushingtogotoworkandnotmakeanymoney."Headded:"I'vebeend
rivingataxifor27years,givingmoneyasrewardsforsingingkaraokefor
eightyears....I'vefilmedover10,000videos."Hetoldareporterfroman
ewspaperthatifpeopledonotsing,theydonotgetadiscountorafreeride
.SomeofMrTu'svideosonYouTubehavebeenviewedovertwomillionti
mes.HeisnowacelebrityandhasbeenonTVshowsin10countries.Hisdr
eamistohavesingerEdSheeranasapassengerinhistaxi.

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 — Write your own questions

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

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

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

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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