The Reading / Listening - Olympic Torch Relay - Level 4

The Tokyo Olympics torch relay started. The Games were postponed due to coronavirus but they will go ahead in July. Japan's women's football team carried the torch in the first leg. It began in Fukushima, which was devastated by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown. The torch is made of aluminium recycled from housing built for survivors of the disasters. Fukushima was chosen as the start of the relay to show it has recovered.

The head of Japan's Olympic organizing committee said: "The flame will embark on a 121-day journey and will carry hopes...and wishes for peace." She asked people to look at live broadcasts of the relay and not travel to watch it because of COVID 19. Spectators must clap rather than cheer. Japan's Prime Minister wants to stage a "safe and secure" Olympics in spite of the pandemic. He said: "We will do our utmost on coronavirus measures."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Olympic Torch Relay - Level 5 or  Olympic Torch Relay - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.npr.org/2021/03/25/981136160/torch-relay-kicks-off-for-troubled-tokyo-olympic-games
  • https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/03/3ba87be7576c-tokyo-olympic-torch-relay-to-begin-amid-covid-19-fears.html
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/24/sport/japan-olympics-fukushima-torch-relay-covid-hnk-intl-dst/index.html


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. The Games were
  2. they will go
  3. carried the torch in the first
  4. devastated
  5. nuclear
  6. The torch is made of
  7. survivors of the
  8. the start of
  1. aluminium
  2. postponed
  3. the relay
  4. leg
  5. disasters
  6. meltdown
  7. ahead in July
  8. by the 2011 earthquake

Paragraph 2

  1. Japan's Olympic organizing
  2. embark on a 121-day
  3. carry hopes and
  4. look at live broadcasts
  5. clap rather
  6. stage a safe
  7. in spite
  8. We will do our
  1. of the relay
  2. utmost
  3. than cheer
  4. journey
  5. of the pandemic
  6. committee
  7. and secure Olympics
  8. wishes for peace

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The Tokyo Olympics torch relay started. The Games (1) ___________________ to coronavirus but they (2) ___________________ in July. Japan's women's football team carried the torch in (3) ___________________. It began in Fukushima, which was devastated by the 2011 earthquake, (4) ___________________ meltdown. The torch is made of aluminium (5) ___________________ built for survivors of the disasters. Fukushima was chosen as the start of the relay to show (6) ___________________.

The head of Japan's Olympic organizing committee said: "The (7) ___________________ on a 121-day journey and (8) ___________________...and wishes for peace." She asked people to look at live broadcasts (9) ___________________ and not travel to watch it because of COVID 19. Spectators (10) ___________________ than cheer. Japan's Prime Minister wants (11) ___________________ "safe and secure" Olympics in spite of the pandemic. He said: "We will (12) ___________________ on coronavirus measures."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheTokyoOlympicstorchrelaystarted.TheGameswerepostponeddue
tocoronavirusbuttheywillgoaheadinJuly.Japan'swomen'sfootballtea
mcarriedthetorchinthefirstleg.ItbeganinFukushima,whichwasdevas
tatedbythe2011earthquake,tsunamiandnuclearmeltdown.Thetorch
ismadeofaluminiumrecycledfromhousingbuiltforsurvivorsofthedisa
sters.Fukushimawaschosenasthestartoftherelaytoshowithasrecove
red.TheheadofJapan'sOlympicorganizingcommitteesaid:"Theflame
willembarkona121-dayjourneyandwillcarryhopes...andwishesforpe
ace."Sheaskedpeopletolookatlivebroadcastsoftherelayandnottravel
towatchitbecauseofCOVID19.Spectatorsmustclapratherthancheer.
Japan'sPrimeMinisterwantstostagea"safeandsecure"Olympicsinspit
eofthepandemic.Hesaid:"Wewilldoourutmostoncoronavirusmeasur
es."

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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