The Reading / Listening - Bullet Trains - Level 2

Ten of Japan's bullet trains will be broken up. They were flooded when Typhoon Hagibis hit Japan in October. The typhoon caused a lot of damage. There were many photos of the 10 shiny bullet trains lined up next to each other on tracks near the city of Nagano. They were deep in water after a nearby river burst its banks. The trains used to run between Tokyo and a city on the Sea of Japan coast. The line is now running just 80 per cent of its normal services. The bullet train company said it hopes to run a full service again by the end of March 2020.

Bullet trains are called Shinkansen in Japan. They started in 1964 for the Tokyo Olympics. They became a symbol of Japan and were the world's fastest trains. They reach speeds of 320kph. The bullet train rail network covers 2,764km. People take around 350 million rides a year on the trains. A Shinkansen president spoke about the flooded trains. He said the floodwater seriously damaged motors and brakes. The total cost of the damage is around $135 million. He said: "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 1   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. bullet trains will be
  2. The typhoon caused a
  3. trains lined up next to each
  4. a nearby river burst
  5. on the Sea
  6. running just 80 per cent of
  7. it hopes to run a full
  8. by the end
  1. of Japan coast
  2. of March 2020
  3. lot of damage
  4. broken up
  5. service
  6. its banks
  7. other on tracks
  8. its normal services

Paragraph 2

  1. They became a symbol
  2. The bullet train rail
  3. 350 million
  4. the floodwater seriously
  5. The total cost of
  6. For stability
  7. replace the trains with
  8. built ones instead
  1. rides a year
  2. newly built ones
  3. the damage
  4. of repairing them
  5. network
  6. damaged motors
  7. of Japan
  8. and safety

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Ten of Japan's bullet trains will (1) ___________________. They were flooded when Typhoon Hagibis hit Japan in October. The typhoon caused a (2) ___________________. There were many photos of the 10 shiny bullet trains (3) ___________________ to each other on tracks near the city of Nagano. They were deep in water after a nearby river (4) ___________________. The trains used to run between Tokyo and a city on the Sea of Japan coast. The line is (5) ___________________ 80 per cent of its normal services. The bullet train company said it hopes to run a full service again (6) ___________________ of March 2020.

Bullet trains are called Shinkansen in Japan. They started in 1964 for the Tokyo Olympics. They (7) ___________________ of Japan and were the world's fastest trains. They (8) ___________________ 320kph. The bullet train rail network covers 2,764km. People take around 350 million (9) ___________________ on the trains. A Shinkansen president spoke (10) ___________________ trains. He said the floodwater seriously damaged motors and brakes. The (11) ___________________ the damage is around $135 million. He said: "For stability and safety, we [will] replace the trains with newly built (12) ___________________ repairing them."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TenofJapan'sbullettrainswillbebrokenup.TheywerefloodedwhenTyp
hoonHagibishitJapaninOctober.Thetyphooncausedalotofdamage.T
hereweremanyphotosofthe10shinybullettrainslinedupnexttoeachot
herontracksnearthecityofNagano.Theyweredeepinwaterafteranear
byriverburstitsbanks.ThetrainsusedtorunbetweenTokyoandacityon
theSeaofJapancoast.Thelineisnowrunningjust80percentofitsnormal
services.Thebullettraincompanysaidithopestorunafullserviceagainb
ytheendofMarch2020.BullettrainsarecalledShinkanseninJapan.The
ystartedin1964fortheTokyoOlympics.TheybecameasymbolofJapan
andweretheworld'sfastesttrains.Theyreachspeedsof320kph.Thebul
lettrainrailnetworkcovers2,764km.Peopletakearound350millionrid
esayearonthetrains.AShinkansenpresidentspokeaboutthefloodedtr
ains.Hesaidthefloodwaterseriouslydamagedmotorsandbrakes.Thet
otalcostofthedamageisaround$135million.Hesaid:"Forstabilityands
afety,we[will]replacethetrainswithnewlybuiltonesinsteadofrepairin
gthem."

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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