The Reading / Listening - Tokyo Energy - Level 2

Japan is having record heat. Last week, the temperature near Tokyo went over 40ºC for the first time in June. It was 40.2 degrees Celsius in a city north of Tokyo. The hotter weather means people are using air conditioners more. This is making it difficult for power companies to produce enough electricity. Japan's government has asked people to use less electricity. A spokesman said: "We ask the public to reduce energy consumption during the early evening hours." He wants people to turn off lights from 3 pm to 6 pm and use air conditioners less.

Japan's heat wave will continue. The country's rainy season finished the earliest since records began in 1851. This means there'll be a long, hot summer. The government said: "We have unusual heat for the season. Please cooperate and save as much power as possible." Tokyo's power company warned there was a risk of power shortages and blackouts. There is also a risk of people getting heatstroke. More than 250 people were taken to hospital in Tokyo over the weekend with heatstroke. The government is advising people to drink water and not exercise outside.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Tokyo Energy - Level 0 Tokyo Energy - Level 1   or  Tokyo Energy - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/27/japanese-told-to-turn-off-lights-to-save-energy-amid-tokyo-heatwave
  • https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220628/p2g/00m/0na/039000c
  • https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/06/d57d2da4e5d5-tokyo-again-called-on-to-save-energy-as-heat-shortfalls-persist.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. Japan is having record
  2. the temperature near Tokyo
  3. It was 40.2
  4. people are using air conditioners
  5. produce enough
  6. during the early
  7. reduce energy
  8. He wants people
  1. consumption
  2. degrees Celsius
  3. evening hours
  4. to turn off lights
  5. heat
  6. electricity
  7. went over 40ºC
  8. more

Paragraph 2

  1. Japan's heat wave
  2. rainy
  3. the earliest since
  4. there'll be a long,
  5. save as much power
  6. there was a risk
  7. a risk of people getting
  8. advising people to
  1. records began
  2. heatstroke
  3. as possible
  4. season finished
  5. of power shortages
  6. will continue
  7. drink water
  8. hot summer

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Japan (1) ___________________ heat. Last week, the temperature near Tokyo went over 40ºC for (2) ___________________ in June. It was 40.2 degrees Celsius in a city north of Tokyo. The hotter weather (3) ___________________ using air conditioners more. This is making it difficult for power companies to produce enough electricity. Japan's government has asked people (4) ___________________ electricity. A spokesman said: "We ask the public to reduce energy consumption during the (5) ___________________." He wants people to turn off lights from 3 pm to 6 pm (6) ___________________ conditioners less.

Japan's heat (7) ___________________. The country's rainy season finished the earliest since records began in 1851. This means there'll be a (8) ___________________. The government said: "We have unusual heat for the season. Please cooperate and save as much (9) ___________________." Tokyo's power company warned there was a risk (10) ___________________ and blackouts. There is also a risk of people getting heatstroke. More than 250 people were (11) ___________________ in Tokyo over the weekend with heatstroke. The government is advising (12) ___________________ water and not exercise outside.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Japanishavingrecordheat.Lastweek,thetemperaturenearTokyowen
tover40ºCforthefirsttimeinJune.Itwas40.2degreesCelsiusinacitynor
thofTokyo.Thehotterweathermeanspeopleareusingairconditioners
more.Thisismakingitdifficultforpowercompaniestoproduceenoughel
ectricity.Japan'sgovernmenthasaskedpeopletouselesselectricity.As
pokesmansaid:"Weaskthepublictoreduceenergyconsumptiondurin
gtheearlyeveninghours."Hewantspeopletoturnofflightsfrom3pmto6
pmanduseairconditionersless.Japan'sheatwavewillcontinue.Thecou
ntry'srainyseasonfinishedtheearliestsincerecordsbeganin1851.This
meansthere'llbealong,hotsummer.Thegovernmentsaid:"Wehaveun
usualheatfortheseason.Pleasecooperateandsaveasmuchpoweraspo
ssible."Tokyo'spowercompanywarnedtherewasariskofpowershorta
gesandblackouts.Thereisalsoariskofpeoplegettingheatstroke.Moret
han250peopleweretakentohospitalinTokyoovertheweekendwithhe
atstroke.Thegovernmentisadvisingpeopletodrinkwaterandnotexerc
iseoutside.

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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