The Reading / Listening - Being Younger - Level 0

A South Korean law will make people a year or two younger. There were three ways Koreans could tell their age. One was an "international age". A baby is a year old a year after it is born. The second was a "Korean age" – a baby is one when they are born, and a year is added every January. There was also a "calendar age".

Age in Korea is now simpler. Documents will use the international age. This will be the age for drinking, getting married, and smoking. Some people will still use the Korean age. A woman was happy. She is two years younger. She tweeted: "I turned two years old two weeks after I was born, as I was born in December."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Being Younger - Level 1 Being Younger - Level 2   or  Being Younger - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2022/12/113_341243.html
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/09/asia/south-korea-international-age-law-intl-hnk/index.html
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/09/all-south-koreans-to-become-younger-as-traditional-age-system-scrapped


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. A South Korean
  2. make people a year
  3. three ways Koreans could
  4. One was an
  5. a year old a year
  6. a baby is one when
  7. a year is added
  8. There was also a calendar
  1. they are born
  2. international age
  3. age
  4. after it is born
  5. every January
  6. or two younger
  7. law
  8. tell their age

Paragraph 2

  1. Age in Korea is
  2. Documents will use the
  3. This will be the age for
  4. getting
  5. She is two
  6. I turned
  7. two weeks after I
  8. I was born
  1. years younger
  2. was born
  3. married
  4. in December
  5. now simpler
  6. drinking
  7. two years old
  8. international age

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A South Korean (1) ___________________ people a year or two younger. There (2) ___________________ Koreans could tell their age. (3) ___________________ "international age". A baby is a year old (4) ___________________ it is born. The second was a "Korean age" - a baby is one when (5) ___________________, and a year is added every January. There (6) ___________________ "calendar age".

Age in Korea (7) ___________________. Documents will use the international age. This (8) ___________________ age for drinking, getting (9) ___________________. Some people will still use the Korean age. A (10) ___________________. She is two years younger. She tweeted: "I (11) ___________________ old two weeks after I was born, (12) ___________________ born in December."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ASouthKoreanlawwillmakepeopleayearortwoyounger.Therewereth
reewaysKoreanscouldtelltheirage.Onewasan"internationalage".Ab
abyisayearoldayearafteritisborn.Thesecondwasa"Koreanage"-ab
abyisonewhentheyareborn,andayearisaddedeveryJanuary.Therew
asalsoa"calendarage".AgeinKoreaisnowsimpler.Documentswilluset
heinternationalage.Thiswillbetheagefordrinking,gettingmarried,an
dsmoking.SomepeoplewillstillusetheKoreanage.Awomanwashappy
.Sheistwoyearsyounger.Shetweeted:"Iturnedtwoyearsoldtwoweek
safterIwasborn,asIwasborninDecember."

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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