The Reading / Listening - Tattoos - Level 4

Rugby players with tattoos will cover them up at next year's World Cup in Japan. World Rugby wants to avoid upsetting people in Japan. Tattoos are a taboo and are usually associated with yakuza crime gangs in Japan. Many spas and pools ban people with tattoos. However, in 2016, Japan's tourism agency asked these places to relax their rules. It said tourists had tattoos for different reasons. It suggested giving tourists stickers to cover the tattoos.

World Rugby said the teams understood the cultural sensitivity about tattoos. It said none of the competing players had a problem with covering their tattoos. They want to respect Japanese culture. Players will wear a watersports vest as a form of "self-policing". New Zealand's All Blacks team said its players would follow the request and would, "endeavor to be respectful of the local customs and culture" when the team visits Japan.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Tattoos - Level 5 or  Tattoos - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45586210
  • https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-union/missing-ink-wallabies-to-cover-up-tattoos-in-japan-for-world-cup-20180920-p5052p.html
  • https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2018/09/20/rugby/tokyo-marks-one-year-countdown-2019-rugby-world-cup/


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. rugby players with tattoos will
  2. avoid upsetting people
  3. yakuza crime
  4. spas and pools ban
  5. Japan's tourism
  6. relax their
  7. tourists had tattoos for
  8. giving tourists stickers
  1. people with tattoos
  2. different reasons
  3. cover them up
  4. to cover the tattoos
  5. gangs
  6. agency
  7. in Japan
  8. rules

Paragraph 2

  1. cultural
  2. none of the competing
  3. a problem with covering
  4. respect Japanese
  5. a form of self-
  6. its players would follow
  7. respectful of the local customs
  8. when the team
  1. policing
  2. and culture
  3. sensitivity
  4. visits Japan
  5. culture
  6. their tattoos
  7. the request
  8. players

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Rugby players with tattoos will (1) ___________________ at next year's World Cup in Japan. World Rugby (2) ___________________ upsetting people in Japan. Tattoos are a taboo (3) ___________________ associated with yakuza crime gangs in Japan. Many spas and pools (4) ___________________ tattoos. However, in 2016, Japan's tourism agency asked these places to (5) ___________________. It said tourists had tattoos for different reasons. It suggested giving tourists (6) ___________________ the tattoos.

World Rugby said the teams understood (7) ___________________ about tattoos. It said (8) ___________________ competing players had a problem (9) ___________________ tattoos. They want to respect Japanese culture. Players will wear a watersports vest (10) ___________________ of "self-policing". New Zealand's All Blacks team said its players would (11) ___________________ and would, "endeavor to be respectful of the local customs and culture" (12) ___________________ visits Japan.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Rugbyplayerswithtattooswillcoverthemupatnextyear'sWorldCupinJ
apan.WorldRugbywantstoavoidupsettingpeopleinJapan.Tattoosare
atabooandareusuallyassociatedwithyakuzacrimegangsinJapan.Man
yspasandpoolsbanpeoplewithtattoos.However,in2016,Japan'stouri
smagencyaskedtheseplacestorelaxtheirrules.Itsaidtouristshadtatto
osfordifferentreasons.Itsuggestedgivingtouristsstickerstocoverthet
attoos.WorldRugbysaidtheteamsunderstoodtheculturalsensitivitya
bouttattoos.Itsaidnoneofthecompetingplayershadaproblemwithcov
eringtheirtattoos.TheywanttorespectJapaneseculture.Playerswillw
earawatersportsvestasaformof"self-policing".NewZealand'sAllBlac
ksteamsaiditsplayerswouldfollowtherequestandwould,"endeavorto
berespectfulofthelocalcustomsandculture"whentheteamvisitsJapan
.

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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