The Reading / Listening - Fukushima - Level 1

Japan is releasing water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. The plant was badly damaged in a 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The power company stored radioactive water in giant tanks. Japan said the water is safe and would not harm the environment. The International Atomic Energy Agency said the water meets international safety standards. It said the water would not harm people.

Japan's neighbours are angry that the water is going into the Pacific. China has banned seafood from Fukushima. China said releasing the water was wrong. It said: "Japan is putting its own self-interest over the…well-being of all humankind". Hong Kong is worried about food safety. It will stop importing some Japanese food. South Korean activists have also protested. However, Seoul said the water meets international standards.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Fukushima - Level 0 Fukushima - Level 2   or  Fukushima - Level 3

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/21/asia/japan-fukushima-wastewater-release-decision-intl-hnk/index.html
  • https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-release-fukushima-water-into-ocean-starting-aug-24-2023-08-22/
  • https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230822/p2g/00m/0na/033000c


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 releasing
  2. the Fukushima nuclear power
  3. The plant was badly damaged
  4. stored radioactive water in
  5. Japan said the water
  6. harm
  7. the water meets international
  8. It said the water would not
  1. plant
  2. the environment
  3. harm people
  4. is safe
  5. safety standards
  6. in a 2011 earthquake
  7. water
  8. giant tanks

Paragraph 2

  1. Japan's neighbours
  2. China has
  3. its own self-
  4. the well-being of all
  5. Hong Kong is worried
  6. importing some
  7. activists have also
  8. the water meets international
  1. interest
  2. about food safety
  3. standards
  4. are angry
  5. Japanese food
  6. humankind
  7. banned seafood
  8. protested

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Japan (1) ___________________ from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. The (2) ___________________ damaged in a 2011 (3) ___________________. The power company stored radioactive water (4) ___________________. Japan said the water is safe and would not harm the environment. The International Atomic Energy Agency said (5) ___________________ international safety standards. It said the water would (6) ___________________.

Japan's neighbours (7) ___________________ the water is going into the Pacific. China has (8) ___________________ Fukushima. China said releasing the (9) ___________________. It said: "Japan is putting its own self-interest over the…well-being (10) ___________________". Hong Kong is worried about food safety. It will (11) ___________________ Japanese food. South Korean activists (12) ___________________. However, Seoul said the water meets international standards.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

JapanisreleasingwaterfromtheFukushimanuclearpowerplantintothe
PacificOcean.Theplantwasbadlydamagedina2011earthquakeandts
unami.Thepowercompanystoredradioactivewateringianttanks.Japa
nsaidthewaterissafeandwouldnotharmtheenvironment.TheInternat
ionalAtomicEnergyAgencysaidthewatermeetsinternationalsafetyst
andards.Itsaidthewaterwouldnotharmpeople.Japan'sneighboursar
eangrythatthewaterisgoingintothePacific.Chinahasbannedseafoodf
romFukushima.Chinasaidreleasingthewaterwaswrong.Itsaid:"Japa
nisputtingitsownself-interestoverthe…well-beingofallhumankind".H
ongKongisworriedaboutfoodsafety.ItwillstopimportingsomeJapane
sefood.SouthKoreanactivistshavealsoprotested.However,Seoulsaid
thewatermeetsinternationalstandards.

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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