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Date: April 2, 2007
THE ARTICLEDivorce rate explosion expected in JapanJapan has had to get used to many painful social trends in the past six decades. Many traditions, which for a thousand years bound Japanese society tightly together, have slowly unwound since the end of World War II. The “job for life” system, which traditionally rewarded corporate loyalty with guaranteed lifetime employment, proved unfeasible in the global economy; Japan’s once obedient schoolchildren are rebelling; and divorce, once considered a social no-no, has been slowly increasing. A boom in the rate of divorce may soon be the newest unwanted trend. New pension laws are being passed by the government that will entitle wives to half of their husband’s pension once their marriage has finished. Many women have supposedly been anticipating the introduction of the new legislation since it was first proposed four years ago. A report suggests up to 42,000 wives may now apply for a divorce. It seems economic concerns are overtaking any feelings of shame brought on by marital breakdown. Women often stayed in unhappy marriages fearing they would be unable to support themselves financially without a spouse. However, changes in society have made divorce much less of a taboo than in the past. Greater gender equality means divorce is now seen as a sign of a woman’s independence. Teacher Makiko Inoue got divorced last year. She welcomed the new laws, saying they will liberate many trapped women. Conversely, married men may not feel as positively about the new regulations. WARM-UPS1. JAPANESE SOCIETY: Walk around the classroom and find out from other students what they know about Japanese society. When you have finished, sit with your partner(s) and share and talk about what you heard. Did you learn anything new? 2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.
Have a chat about the topics you liked. For more conversation, change topics and partners frequently. 3. GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE: With your partner(s), talk about these grounds for divorce. Rank them from the most understandable to the least understandable.
4. WHO GETS WHAT? Imagine you are getting divorced. Which of these things would you want as part of the divorce settlement? Discuss with your partner(s). Role play a husband and wife arguing over who gets what.
5. QUICK DEBATE: Have this quick debate with your partner(s). Students A think marriage is forever and divorce is a no-no; students B think divorce should be something anyone can choose. Change partners and topics every two minutes. 6. DIVORCE: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with divorce. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories. BEFORE READING / LISTENING1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):
2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:
3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):
WHILE READING / LISTENINGGAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text. Divorce rate explosion expected in Japan
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Japan has had to get used to many ________ social trends in the past six decades. Many traditions, which for a thousand years ________ Japanese society tightly together, have slowly ________ since the end of World War II. The “job for life” system, which traditionally ________ corporate loyalty with guaranteed lifetime employment, proved unfeasible in the global economy; Japan’s once ________ schoolchildren are rebelling; and divorce, once considered a social ________, has been slowly increasing. A boom in the rate of divorce may soon be the newest ________ trend. New pension laws are being passed by the government that will ________ wives to half of their husband’s pension once their marriage has finished.
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obedient |
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Many women have supposedly been ________ the introduction of the new legislation since it was first ________ four years ago. A report suggests up to 42,000 wives may now apply for a divorce. It seems economic concerns are ________ any feelings of shame brought on by marital breakdown. Women often stayed in unhappy marriages ________ they would be unable to support themselves financially without a ________. However, changes in society have made divorce much less of a ________ than in the past. Greater ________ equality means divorce is now seen as a sign of a woman’s independence. Teacher Makiko Inoue got divorced last year. She welcomed the new laws, saying they will ________ many trapped women. Conversely, married men may not feel as positively about the new regulations. |
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spouse |
Listen and fill in the spaces.
Japan _________________ used to many painful social trends in the past six decades. Many traditions, which for a thousand years bound Japanese society tightly together, have _________________ the end of World War II. The “job for life” system, which traditionally _________________ with guaranteed lifetime employment, proved unfeasible in the global economy; Japan’s _________________ schoolchildren are rebelling; and divorce, once considered _________________, has been slowly increasing. A boom in the rate of divorce may soon be _________________ trend. New pension laws are being passed by the government that _________________ half of their husband’s pension once their marriage has finished.
Many women have _________________ the introduction of the new legislation since it was first proposed four years ago. A _________________ 42,000 wives may now apply for a divorce. It seems economic concerns are overtaking any feelings _________________ marital breakdown. Women often stayed in unhappy marriages fearing they would be unable to support themselves financially _________________. However, changes in society have made divorce much _________________ than in the past. Greater gender equality means divorce is now seen as a sign of a woman’s independence. Teacher Makiko Inoue got divorced last year. She welcomed the new laws, saying they _________________ women. Conversely, married men may not feel as positively about the new regulations.
1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘divorce’ and ‘rate’.
2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.
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. STUDENT “DIVORCE” SURVEY: In pairs / groups, write down questions about marriage and divorce.
6. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall exactly how these were used in the text:
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STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
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STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.
DIVORCE:
Ask three different students questions about the grounds for divorce in this table.
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Student 1 _____________ |
Student 2 _____________ |
Student 3 _____________ |
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Adultery |
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Boredom |
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Disappearance of physical attraction |
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Alcoholism |
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Other ________________ |
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Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Make a mini-presentation you the class. Vote on the best one(s).
CORRECT WORD: Put the correct words from a–d below in the article.
Japan has had to get used to (1) ___ painful social trends in the past six decades. Many traditions, which for a thousand years (2) ___ Japanese society tightly together, have slowly (3) ___ since the end of World War II. The “job for life” system, which traditionally rewarded corporate loyalty with guaranteed lifetime employment, proved unfeasible in the global economy; Japan’s (4) ___ obedient schoolchildren are rebelling; and divorce, once considered a social (5) ___, has been slowly increasing. A boom in the rate of divorce may soon be the newest unwanted trend. New pension laws are being passed by the government that will entitle wives (6) ___ half of their husband’s pension once their marriage has finished.
Many women have supposedly (7) ___ anticipating the introduction of the new legislation since it was first proposed four years ago. A report suggests up to 42,000 wives may now (8) ___ for a divorce. It seems economic concerns are overtaking any feelings of shame brought on by (9) ___ breakdown. Women often stayed in unhappy marriages fearing they would be unable to support themselves financially without a (10) ___. However, changes in society have made divorce much less of a taboo than in the past. Greater gender equality (11) ___ divorce is now seen as a sign of a woman’s independence. Teacher Makiko Inoue got divorced last year. She welcomed the new laws, saying they will liberate many trapped women. (12) ___, married men may not feel as positively about the new regulations.
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1. |
(a) |
many |
(b) |
maniacal |
(c) |
much |
(d) |
ouch |
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2. |
(a) |
bonding |
(b) |
binding |
(c) |
bond |
(d) |
bound |
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3. |
(a) |
intermingled |
(b) |
intertwined |
(c) |
unwound |
(d) |
unwind |
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4. |
(a) |
former |
(b) |
twice |
(c) |
once |
(d) |
ex |
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5. |
(a) |
no way |
(b) |
no-no |
(c) |
no go area |
(d) |
no can do |
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6. |
(a) |
to |
(b) |
for |
(c) |
with |
(d) |
of |
|
7. |
(a) |
been |
(b) |
had |
(c) |
wait |
(d) |
are |
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8. |
(a) |
imply |
(b) |
supply |
(c) |
reply |
(d) |
apply |
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9. |
(a) |
nervous |
(b) |
husband |
(c) |
wedding |
(d) |
marital |
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10. |
(a) |
sponge |
(b) |
spores |
(c) |
spouse |
(d) |
espouse |
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11. |
(a) |
mean |
(b) |
means |
(c) |
meaning |
(d) |
meant |
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12. |
(a) |
Flip side |
(b) |
Conversely |
(c) |
Opposite |
(d) |
Reverse |
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 more information about divorce in your country. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. DIVORCE POSTER: Make a poster about the different laws regarding divorce around the world. Show your poster to your class in the next lesson. Vote on the best one(s).
4. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about the consequences of an explosion in the divorce rate in your country. Write about how it might change different areas of society. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Which article was best and why?
5. LETTER: Write a letter to one of the wives anticipating the new pension laws being passed. Give her three pieces of advice about her marriage or divorce. Ask her three questions. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.
TRUE / FALSE:
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a. T |
b. F |
c. F |
d. T |
e. T |
f. F |
g. T |
h. F |
SYNONYM MATCH:
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a. |
painful |
traumatic |
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b. |
bound |
united |
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c. |
loyalty |
allegiance |
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d. |
unfeasible |
unworkable |
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e. |
obedient |
dutiful |
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f. |
supposedly |
reputedly |
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g. |
proposed |
put forward |
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h. |
breakdown |
failure |
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i. |
liberate |
free |
|
j. |
conversely |
on the other side of the coin |
PHRASE MATCH:
|
a. |
Japan has had to get |
used to many painful social trends |
|
b. |
traditions, which for a thousand years |
bound Japanese society |
|
c. |
rewarded corporate loyalty with |
guaranteed lifetime employment |
|
d. |
once considered a social |
no-no |
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e. |
entitle wives |
to half of their husband’s pension |
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f. |
women have supposedly |
been anticipating the introduction |
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g. |
up to 42,000 wives |
may now apply for a divorce |
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h. |
feelings of shame brought |
on by marital breakdown |
|
i. |
they will liberate |
many trapped women |
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j. |
men may not feel as |
positively about the new regulations |
GAP FILL:
Japan has had to get used to many painful social trends in the past six decades. Many traditions, which for a thousand years bound Japanese society tightly together, have slowly unwound since the end of World War II. The “job for life” system, which traditionally rewarded corporate loyalty with guaranteed lifetime employment, proved unfeasible in the global economy; Japan’s once obedient schoolchildren are rebelling; and divorce, once considered a social no-no, has been slowly increasing. A boom in the rate of divorce may soon be the newest unwanted trend. New pension laws are being passed by the government that will entitle wives to half of their husband’s pension once their marriage has finished.
Many women have supposedly been anticipating the introduction of the new legislation since it was first proposed four years ago. A report suggests up to 42,000 wives may now apply for a divorce. It seems economic concerns are overtaking any feelings of shame brought on by marital breakdown. Women often stayed in unhappy marriages fearing they would be unable to support themselves financially without a spouse. However, changes in society have made divorce much less of a taboo than in the past. Greater gender equality means divorce is now seen as a sign of a woman’s independence. Teacher Makiko Inoue got divorced last year. She welcomed the new laws, saying they will liberate many trapped women. Conversely, married men may not feel as positively about the new regulations.
LANGUAGE WORK
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1 - a |
2 - d |
3 - c |
4 -c |
5 - b |
6 -a |
7 - a |
8 -d |
9 -d |
10 - c |
11 -b |
12 - b |
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