The Reading / Listening - Being Younger - Level 1

A South Korean law will make people a year or two younger. Before the law, there were three ways people could tell their age. One was an "international age". A baby becomes one year old a year after it is born. The second was a "Korean age" – babies are a year old when they are born, and a year is added every January. The third method was a "calendar age". Babies are zero years old at birth, and a year is added every January.

The new law makes age in Korea simpler. All official documents will use the international age. This will be the legal age for drinking, getting married, and smoking. It will end the problems of the old system. However, some people will still use the Korean age. A woman was happy with the simpler law, and of being younger. She tweeted: "I turned two years old two weeks after I was born, as I was born in December. Finally, I'm about to get my real age back."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Being Younger - Level 0 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. make people a year
  2. three ways people could
  3. A baby becomes
  4. The second was
  5. babies are a year old
  6. The third
  7. Babies are zero years
  8. a year is added
  1. old at birth
  2. one year old
  3. every January
  4. or two younger
  5. tell their age
  6. when they are born
  7. method
  8. a "Korean age"

Paragraph 2

  1. The new law makes age
  2. official
  3. the legal age
  4. It will end the problems
  5. A woman was happy with
  6. I turned two years old two
  7. I was born
  8. I'm about to get my real
  1. weeks after
  2. of the old system
  3. age back
  4. documents
  5. in December
  6. in Korea simpler
  7. the simpler law
  8. for drinking

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A South Korean (1) ___________________ people a year or two younger. (2) ___________________, there were three ways people could tell their age. One was an "international age". A baby becomes one year (3) ___________________ after it is born. The second was a "Korean age" - babies are a year old when (4) ___________________, and a year is added every January. The third method was a "calendar age". Babies (5) ___________________ old at birth, and a (6) ___________________ every January.

The new (7) ___________________ in Korea simpler. All official documents will use the international age. This will (8) ___________________ age for drinking, getting married, and smoking. It will end the problems of (9) ___________________. However, some people will still use the Korean age. A woman was happy with (10) ___________________, and of being younger. She tweeted: "I turned two years old two weeks after I was born, (11) ___________________ born in December. Finally, I'm about to (12) ___________________ age back."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

ASouthKoreanlawwillmakepeopleayearortwoyounger.Beforethelaw
,therewerethreewayspeoplecouldtelltheirage.Onewasan"internatio
nalage".Ababybecomesoneyearoldayearafteritisborn.Thesecondwa
sa"Koreanage"-babiesareayearoldwhentheyareborn,andayearisa
ddedeveryJanuary.Thethirdmethodwasa"calendarage".Babiesarez
eroyearsoldatbirth,andayearisaddedeveryJanuary.Thenewlawmak
esageinKoreasimpler.Allofficialdocumentswillusetheinternationalag
e.Thiswillbethelegalagefordrinking,gettingmarried,andsmoking.Itw
illendtheproblemsoftheoldsystem.However,somepeoplewillstilluset
heKoreanage.Awomanwashappywiththesimplerlaw,andofbeingyou
nger.Shetweeted:"IturnedtwoyearsoldtwoweeksafterIwasborn,asI
wasborninDecember.Finally,I'mabouttogetmyrealageback."

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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