The Reading / Listening - Bullet Trains - Level 1

Ten of Japan's bullet trains were destroyed when a typhoon hit Japan in October. The typhoon caused great damage. There were many photos of the bullet trains lined up next to each other. They were deep in water after a river burst its banks. The trains ran between Tokyo and the Sea of Japan coast. The line is now running just 80 per cent of its normal services. The bullet train company hopes to run a full service again by the end of March 2020.

Bullet trains are called Shinkansen in Japan. They started in 1964. They are a symbol of Japan and were the world's fastest trains. They travel at 320kph. The bullet train rail network covers 2,764km. A Shinkansen president said the damage was around $135 million. He said the floodwater damaged motors and brakes. He added: "For stability and safety, we [will] replace the trains with newly built ones instead of repairing them."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Bullet Trains - Level 0 Bullet Trains - Level 2   or  Bullet Trains - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191106_37/
  • https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2019/11/4e7dfd267c83-all-10-typhoon-flooded-shinkansen-bullet-trains-to-be-scrapped.html
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50323239
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen


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. a typhoon hit Japan in
  2. the bullet trains lined up
  3. after a river burst
  4. between Tokyo and the Sea
  5. 80 per cent of
  6. The bullet train
  7. run a full service
  8. by the end of
  1. company
  2. its banks
  3. March 2020
  4. next to each other
  5. again
  6. of Japan coast
  7. October
  8. its normal services

Paragraph 2

  1. Bullet trains are called Shinkansen
  2. They travel
  3. The bullet train rail
  4. the damage was around
  5. floodwater damaged motors
  6. For stability
  7. replace the trains with newly
  8. instead of
  1. $135 million
  2. built ones
  3. at 320kph
  4. repairing them
  5. network
  6. and brakes
  7. in Japan
  8. and safety

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Ten of Japan's bullet trains (1) ___________________ a typhoon hit Japan in October. The typhoon (2) ___________________. There were many photos of the bullet trains (3) ___________________ to each other. They were deep in water after a river (4) ___________________. The trains ran between Tokyo and the Sea of Japan coast. The line is now running just 80 per cent of (5) ___________________. The bullet train company hopes to run a (6) ___________________ by the end of March 2020.

Bullet (7) ___________________ Shinkansen in Japan. They started in 1964. They (8) ___________________ of Japan and were the world's fastest trains. They travel at 320kph. The bullet train (9) ___________________ 2,764km. A Shinkansen president said the damage was around $135 million. He said the floodwater damaged (10) ___________________. He added: "For stability and safety, we (11) ___________________ trains with newly built ones (12) ___________________ them."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TenofJapan'sbullettrainsweredestroyedwhenatyphoonhitJapaninOc
tober.Thetyphooncausedgreatdamage.Thereweremanyphotosofth
ebullettrainslinedupnexttoeachother.Theyweredeepinwaterafterari
verburstitsbanks.ThetrainsranbetweenTokyoandtheSeaofJapancoa
st.Thelineisnowrunningjust80percentofitsnormalservices.Thebullet
traincompanyhopestorunafullserviceagainbytheendofMarch2020.B
ullettrainsarecalledShinkanseninJapan.Theystartedin1964.Theyare
asymbolofJapanandweretheworld'sfastesttrains.Theytravelat320k
ph.Thebullettrainrailnetworkcovers2,764km.AShinkansenpresiden
tsaidthedamagewasaround$135million.Hesaidthefloodwaterdama
gedmotorsandbrakes.Headded:"Forstabilityandsafety,we[will]repl
acethetrainswithnewlybuiltonesinsteadofrepairingthem."

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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