The Reading / Listening - Smartphone Toilet Paper - Level 4

Tokyo's Narita Airport is serious about toilet cleanliness. There is now "toilet paper" for smartphones in its toilets. Passengers can use the special paper to clean their phones. It is the idea of the Japanese phone company NTT. It paid for the paper to be put next to the regular toilet paper in toilets at the airport. Toilet seats are usually more hygienic than smartphones. There are five times more germs on a smartphone than on a toilet seat.

Japan is a world leader in high-tech toilet technology. Japanese homes have toilets with warm seats, automated bidets, and lids that automatically rise. There is also a gadget that produces loud flushing sounds that can hide embarrassing "toilet noises". NTT made a two-minute video to teach tourists how to use the smartphone toilet paper correctly. It also shows tourists how to use Japan's toilets so they "could enjoy their travel hygienically".

HOW TO USE TOILETS in JAPAN. -日本のトイレの使い方-

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Smartphone Toilet Paper - Level 5 or  Smartphone Toilet Paper - Level 6

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38412707
  • http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/smartphone-toilet-paper-2/
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/22/swipe-right-toilet-paper-for-smartphones-tested-out-in-japanese-airport-bathrooms


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 :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. serious about toilet
  2. Passengers can use the special
  3. clean
  4. the Japanese phone
  5. put next to the
  6. toilets at
  7. Toilet seats are usually
  8. five times more germs
  1. more hygienic
  2. their phones
  3. cleanliness
  4. on a smartphone
  5. paper
  6. company NTT
  7. regular toilet paper
  8. the airport

Paragraph 2

  1. Japan is a world leader in high-
  2. Japanese homes have toilets
  3. lids that automatically
  4. a gadget that produces loud
  5. hide embarrassing
  6. a two-
  7. use the smartphone toilet paper
  8. It also shows tourists how
  1. flushing sounds
  2. rise
  3. to use Japan's toilets
  4. minute video
  5. tech toilet technology
  6. correctly
  7. "toilet noises"
  8. with warm seats

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Tokyo's Narita Airport is (1) ___________________ cleanliness. There is now "toilet paper" for (2) ___________________ toilets. Passengers can use the special paper to clean their phones. It (3) ___________________ Japanese phone company NTT. It paid for the paper (4) ___________________ the regular toilet paper in toilets at the airport. Toilet (5) ___________________ more hygienic than smartphones. There (6) ___________________ germs on a smartphone than on a toilet seat.

Japan (7) ___________________ in high-tech toilet technology. Japanese homes have toilets with warm seats, (8) ___________________, and lids that automatically rise. There is (9) ___________________ that produces loud flushing sounds that can (10) ___________________ "toilet noises". NTT made a two-minute video to teach tourists (11) ___________________ smartphone toilet paper correctly. It also shows tourists how to use Japan's toilets so they "could (12) ___________________ hygienically".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Tokyo'sNaritaAirportisseriousabouttoiletcleanliness.Thereisnow"toi
letpaper"forsmartphonesinitstoilets.Passengerscanusethespecialpa
pertocleantheirphones.ItistheideaoftheJapanesephonecompanyNT
T.Itpaidforthepapertobeputnexttotheregulartoiletpaperintoiletsatt
heairport.Toiletseatsareusuallymorehygienicthansmartphones.The
rearefivetimesmoregermsonasmartphonethanonatoiletse
at.Japanisaworldleaderinhigh-techtoilettechnology.Japanesehome
shavetoiletswithwarmseats,automatedbidets,andlidsthatautomatic
allyrise.Thereisalsoagadgetthatproducesloudflushingsoundsthatca
nhideembarrassing"toiletnoises".NTTmadeatwo-minutevideototea
chtouristshowtousethesmartphonetoiletpapercorrectly.Italsoshows
touristshowtouseJapan'stoiletssothey"couldenjoytheirtravelhygieni
cally".

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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