The Reading / Listening - Fukushima - Level 3

Japan has started releasing radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. The plant was hit by a huge earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. After the power plant was damaged, the power company stored radioactive water in 1,000 giant tanks. The water has been treated to reduce its radioactivity. It is now being slowly released into the Pacific Ocean through a long sea tunnel. Japan stated that the water is safe and would not harm the environment. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the water meets with international safety standards. It said there would be a "negligible radiological impact on people and the environment".

Many people in Japan, as well as countries near Japan, are angry that radioactive water is going into the Pacific. Local fishermen are worried they will not be able to sell their fish. China has already banned seafood from Fukushima and the capital city, Tokyo. China's foreign ministry called the release of the water a "wrongful decision" and asked Japan to stop. A spokesperson said: "Japan is putting its own self-interest over the long-term well-being of all humankind". Hong Kong is also worried about food safety. It said it would "immediately" stop importing some Japanese food products. South Korean activists have also protested, although Seoul understood that the water meets international standards.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Fukushima - Level 0,  Fukushima - Level 1   or  Fukushima - Level 2

Sources
  • https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/21/asia/japan-fukushima-wastewater-release-decision-intl-hnk/index.html
  • https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-release-fukushima-water-into-ocean-starting-aug-24-2023-08-22/
  • https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230822/p2g/00m/0na/033000c


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 :-)

Warm-ups

1. OCEANS: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about oceans. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       radioactive / water / ocean / nuclear power / tunnel / safe / harm / environment /
       angry / fishermen / fish / banned / capital city / decision / humankind / food / activist
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. NUCLEAR POWER: Students A strongly believe nuclear power is too dangerous; Students B strongly believe it's very safe. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. DISASTERS: How dangerous are these disasters? What damage can they cause? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

How Dangerous

Damage

Earthquakes

 

 

Tsunami

 

 

Hurricanes

 

 

Wild fires

 

 

Floods

 

 

Heatwaves

 

 
MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. TSUNAMI: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "tsunami". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. ENERGY: Rank these with your partner. Put the best forms of energy at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Nuclear
  • Wind
  • Coal-powered
  • Solar
  • Biofuel
  • Geothermal
  • Tidal
  • Gas-powered

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. releasing a. A factory-like place where industrial or manufacturing processes take place.
      2. plant b. Kept something for future use.
      3. earthquake c. The effect of influence of.
      4. stored d. A sudden violent shaking of the ground, usually causing great damage.
      5. harm e. So small or unimportant as to be not worth thinking about.
      6. negligible f. Allowing or letting something escape and go free.
      7. impact g. Damage.

    Paragraph 2

      8. radioactive h. Officially stopped people from doing something.
      9. banned i. Shellfish and sea fish.
      10. seafood j. A person who campaigns to bring about political or social change.
      11. capital k. A conclusion after thinking about something.
      12. decision l. The city or town where the government of a country or region is.
      13. importing m. Sending out radiation.
      14. activist n. Bringing goods or services into a country from another country for sale.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. Japan has started releasing radioactive water into Fukushima.     T / F
  2. An earthquake totally destroyed the Fukushima nuclear power plant.     T / F
  3. The radioactive water will get to the Pacific Ocean via a long tunnel.     T / F
  4. An agency said the water would have almost no impact on people.     T / F
  5. Fisherman in Japan have no complaints about the radioactive water.     T / F
  6. China has banned all fish caught in Japanese waters.     T / F
  7. Hong Kong is banning some food from Japan.     T / F
  8. South Korea said the water meets international standards.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. started
  2. huge
  3. reduce
  4. harm
  5. negligible
  6. worried
  7. wrongful
  8. well-being
  9. activists
  10. standards
  1. damage
  2. unnecessary
  3. guidelines
  4. enormous
  5. concerned
  6. begun
  7. tiny
  8. protestors
  9. lower
  10. health

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. The plant was hit
  2. stored radioactive water in
  3. through a long sea
  4. the water meets with international safety
  5. a negligible radiological impact
  6. they will not be able to
  7. China's foreign
  8. the capital
  9. Hong Kong is also worried
  10. South Korean activists
  1. about food safety
  2. tunnel
  3. by a huge earthquake
  4. have also protested
  5. standards
  6. city
  7. 1,000 giant tanks
  8. ministry
  9. on people
  10. sell their fish

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
tunnel
releasing
stored
slowly
impact
hit
safety
reduce

Japan has started (1) _____________________ radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. The plant was (2) _____________________ by a huge earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. After the power plant was damaged, the power company (3) _____________________ radioactive water in 1,000 giant tanks. The water has been treated to (4) _____________________ its radioactivity. It is now being (5) _____________________ released into the Pacific Ocean through a long sea (6) _____________________. Japan stated that the water is safe and would not harm the environment. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the water meets with international (7) _____________________ standards. It said there would be a "negligible radiological (8) _____________________ on people and the environment".

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
capital
meets
angry
importing
humankind
sell
decision
safety

Many people in Japan, as well as countries near Japan, are (9) _____________________ that radioactive water is going into the Pacific. Local fishermen are worried they will not be able to (10) _____________________ their fish. China has already banned seafood from Fukushima and the (11) _____________________ city, Tokyo. China's foreign ministry called the release of the water a "wrongful (12) _____________________" and asked Japan to stop. A spokesperson said: "Japan is putting its own self-interest over the long-term well-being of all (13) _____________________". Hong Kong is also worried about food (14) _____________________. It said it would "immediately" stop (15) _____________________ some Japanese food products. South Korean activists have also protested, although Seoul understood that the water (16) _____________________ international standards.

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) started releasing radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant ______
     a.  into then ocean
     b.  unto an ocean
     c.  into the ocean
     d.  onto the ocean
2)  The plant was hit by a huge earthquake and tsunami
     a.  earthquake end tsunami
     b.  earthquake and tsunami
     c.  earthquake sand tsunami
     d.  earthquake hand tsunami
3)  the power company stored radioactive water in ______
     a.  1,000 giant thanks
     b.  1,000 giant thinks
     c.  1,000 giant tans
     d.  1,000 giant tanks
4)  It is now being slowly released into the Pacific Ocean through a ______
     a.  long seal tunnel
     b.  long sea tunnel
     c.  long seat tunnel
     d.  long see tunnel
5)  It said there would be a "negligible radiological ______
     a.  compact on people
     b.  impact in people
     c.  impact on people
     d.  in packed on people

6)  Local fishermen are worried they will not be able to ______
     a.  sell their fish
     b.  cell their fish
     c.  seal their fish
     d.  sale their fish
7)  China has already banned seafood from Fukushima and ______
     a.  the cap it all city
     b.  the cap pitta city
     c.  the capital city
     d.  the capacity
8)  China's foreign ministry called the release of the water ______
     a.  a wrongful decisions
     b.  a wrongful decision
     c.  a wrongful derision
     d.  a wrongful incision
9)  Hong Kong is also worried ______
     a.  about food safe tea
     b.  about food safely
     c.  about food softie
     d.  about food safety
10)  although Seoul understood that the water ______
     a.  meets international stand ads
     b.  meets international standards
     c.  meets international standard
     d.  meets international standardize

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Japan (1) ____________________ radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. The plant was hit (2) ____________________ earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. After the power plant was damaged, the power company (3) ____________________ in 1,000 giant tanks. The water has been treated to reduce its radioactivity. It (4) ____________________ slowly released into the Pacific Ocean through a long sea tunnel. Japan stated that the water is safe and (5) ____________________ the environment. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the water meets with international safety standards. It said there would be a "negligible radiological (6) ____________________ and the environment".

Many people in Japan, (7) ____________________ countries near Japan, are angry that radioactive water is going into the Pacific. Local fishermen are worried they will not be (8) ____________________ their fish. China has already banned seafood from Fukushima and the capital city, Tokyo. China's foreign ministry called (9) ____________________ the water a "wrongful decision" and asked Japan to stop. A spokesperson said: "Japan is putting its own self-interest over the long-term well-being (10) ___________________". Hong Kong is also worried about food safety. It said it would "immediately" (11) ____________________ Japanese food products. South Korean activists (12) ____________________, although Seoul understood that the water meets international standards.

Comprehension questions

  1. What two things hit the Fukushima nuclear plant?
  2. How many tanks are storing radioactive water?
  3. How will the water get to the Pacific Ocean?
  4. Who said the water meets international safety standards?
  5. What kind of radiological impact will the water have on people?
  6. Who is worried about fish?
  7. What has China banned?
  8. What did China ask Japan to do?
  9. What is Hong Kong worried about?
  10. What did activists do in South Korea?

Multiple choice quiz

1) What two things hit the Fukushima nuclear plant?
a) an earthquake and a typhoon
b) an earthquake and tsunami
c) a tsunami and a heatwave
d) a typhoon and a tsunami
2) How many tanks are storing radioactive water?
a) 4,000
b) 3,000
c) 2,000
d) 1,000
3) How will the water get to the Pacific Ocean?
a) across a bridge
b) by boat
c) through a tunnel
d) by giant hoses
4) Who said the water meets international safety standards?
a) the IAEA
b) the EAIA
c) the AEAI
d) the AEIA
5) What kind of radiological impact will the water have on people?
a) none
b) a negligible impact
c) no one knows
d) a small impact

6) Who is worried about fish?
a) local fishermen
b) tour boat operators
c) fish shops
d) a Fukushima market
7) What has China banned?
a) Japanese bottled water
b) tuna
c) seafood
d) Japanese beef
8) What did China ask Japan to do?
a) stop releasing the water
b) talk more
c) stop nuclear power
d) build more water tanks
9) What is Hong Kong worried about?
a) air travel
b) tourism in Japan
c) the water reaching Hong Kong
d) food safety
10) What did activists do in South Korea?
a) sit outside the Japanese embassy
b) pray
c) protest
d) write letters

Role play

Role  A – Nuclear
You think nuclear is the best form of energy. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their forms. Also, tell the others which is the least effective of these (and why): wind, solar or geothermal.

Role  B – Wind
You think wind is the best form of energy. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their forms. Also, tell the others which is the least effective of these (and why): nuclear, solar or geothermal.

Role  C – Solar
You think solar is the best form of energy. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their forms. Also, tell the others which is the least effective of these (and why): wind, nuclear or geothermal.

Role  D – Geothermal
You think geothermal is the best form of energy. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their forms. Also, tell the others which is the least effective of these (and why): wind, solar or nuclear.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'radioactive'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • and 'nuclear'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • • Share your findings with your partners.

    • Make questions using the words you found.

    • Ask your partner / group your questions.

    2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

    •Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

    3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

    4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

    5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

    • started
    • huge
    • stored
    • slowly
    • harm
    • impact
    • angry
    • local
    • banned
    • release
    • worried
    • meets

    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 - Fukushima

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the word 'radioactive'?
    3. What do you know about the nuclear disaster at Fukushima?
    4. What do you think of nuclear power?
    5. What do you think of the water being released into the ocean?
    6. What is the danger of radioactive water?
    7. Would you live near a nuclear power plant?
    8. Is releasing the water OK if the IAEA says it's OK?
    9. What three adjectives best describe this story?
    10. How can we protect power plants from earthquakes?

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'nuclear'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What should Japan do to help its fishermen?
    5. Would you eat fish from the area?
    6. What else could Japan do with the water stored in tanks?
    7. Should Japan's neighbours be worried?
    8. Have you ever protested against anything?
    9. What advice do you have for people in Fukushima?
    10. What questions would you like to ask the Fukushima bosses?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    Japan has started (1) ____ radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. The plant was hit by a (2) ____ earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. After the power plant was damaged, the power company (3) ____ radioactive water in 1,000 giant tanks. The water has been (4) ____ to reduce its radioactivity. It is now being slowly released into the Pacific Ocean through a long sea tunnel. Japan stated that the water is (5) ____ and would not harm the environment. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the water meets with international safety standards. It said there would be a "negligible radiological impact (6) ____ people and the environment".

    Many people in Japan, as (7) ____ as countries near Japan, are angry that radioactive water is going into the Pacific. Local fishermen are worried they will not be able to (8) ____ their fish. China has already banned seafood from Fukushima and the capital city, Tokyo. China's foreign ministry called the release of the water a "wrongful (9) ____ " and asked Japan to stop. A spokesperson said: "Japan is putting its own self-interest over the long-term well-being of (10) ____ humankind". Hong Kong is also worried about food safety. It said it would "immediately" stop importing some Japanese food products. South Korean (11) ____ have also protested, although Seoul understood that the water (12) ____ international standards.

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     release     (b)     releasing     (c)     releases     (d)     released    
    2. (a)     enormous     (b)     huge     (c)     tiny     (d)     hugest    
    3. (a)     stores     (b)     storage     (c)     store     (d)     stored    
    4. (a)     treats     (b)     treated     (c)     treaty     (d)     threatened    
    5. (a)     saving     (b)     save     (c)     safety     (d)     safe    
    6. (a)     of     (b)     at     (c)     on     (d)     by    
    7. (a)     well     (b)     good     (c)     goodness     (d)     better    
    8. (a)     make     (b)     cook     (c)     sell     (d)     do    
    9. (a)     decides     (b)     decider     (c)     decide     (d)     decision    
    10. (a)     all     (b)     whole     (c)     every     (d)     each    
    11. (a)     activists     (b)     activities     (c)     activity     (d)     activates    
    12. (a)     meets     (b)     greets     (c)     attends     (d)     gathers

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. iodeticarva water
    2. raleucn power plant
    3. a huge earthquake and mianust
    4. The water has been edarett
    5. harm the reieontvnmn
    6. international yftaes standards

    Paragraph 2

    1. banned dasofeo from Fukushima
    2. the italpac city, Tokyo
    3. a wrongful cesniido
    4. all hkunidnma
    5. npgmitior some Japanese food products
    6. South Korean activists have also terpsodte

    Put the text back together

    (...)   going into the Pacific. Local fishermen are worried they will not be able to sell their
    (...)   putting its own self-interest over the long-term well-being of all humankind". Hong Kong is also worried
    (...)   its radioactivity. It is now being slowly released into the Pacific Ocean through a long sea
    (...)   there would be a "negligible radiological impact on people and the environment".
    (...)   Many people in Japan, as well as countries near Japan, are angry that radioactive water is
    (...)   damaged, the power company stored radioactive water in 1,000 giant tanks. The water has been treated to reduce
    (...)   ministry called the release of the water a "wrongful decision" and asked Japan to stop. A spokesperson said: "Japan is
    (...)   about food safety. It said it would "immediately" stop importing some Japanese food products. South Korean
    (...)   ocean. The plant was hit by a huge earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. After the power plant was
    (  1  )   Japan has started releasing radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the
    (...)   Energy Agency (IAEA) said the water meets with international safety standards. It said
    (...)   activists have also protested, although Seoul understood that the water meets international standards.
    (...)   tunnel. Japan stated that the water is safe and would not harm the environment. The International Atomic
    (...)   fish. China has already banned seafood from Fukushima and the capital city, Tokyo. China's foreign

    Put the words in the right order

    1. started   Japan   releasing   water   has  radioactive  Fukushima  .  from
    2. plant   a   The   huge   hit   earthquake   .   by   was
    3. its   to   treated   was   reduce   The   water   radioactivity   .
    4. that   Japan   water   stated   safe   .   the   is
    5. The   water   standards   .   meets   safety   with   international
    6. Pacific   .   that   radioactive   is   water   Angry   the   in
    7. won't   be   sell   able   to   fish   .   their   They
    8. worried   Kong   also   Hong   food   safety   .   is   about
    9. It   products  .   importing   immediately   Japanese   would   food   stop
    10. that   understood   Seoul   meets  international  the  standards  .  water

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Japan has started released / releasing radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean. The plant was hit on / by a huge earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. After the power plant was damaging / damaged, the power company stored / storage radioactive water in 1,000 giant tanks. The water has been treated / threatened to reduce its radioactivity. It is now being / been slowly released into the Pacific Ocean through a long sea bridge / tunnel. Japan stated that the water is safe / safety and would not harm the environment. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the water meets / meetings with international safety standards. It said there would have / be a "negligible radiological impact on people and the environment".

    Many / Much people in Japan, as well as countries near / nearly Japan, are angry that radioactive water is going / gone into the Pacific. Local fishermen are worried they will not be able to selling / sell their fish. China has already banned seafood from Fukushima and the capital / upper case city, Tokyo. China's foreign ministry called the release to / of the water a "wrongful decision" and asked Japan to stop. A spokesperson said: "Japan is putting its own self-interest over the long-term well-being of every / all humankind". Hong Kong is also worried about feed / food safety. It said it would "immediately" stop importing some Japanese food product / products. South Korean activists have also protested, moreover / although Seoul understood that the water meets international standards.

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct. Look up the definition of new words.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    J_p_n  h_s  st_rt_d  r_l__s_ng  r_d___ct_v_  w_t_r  fr_m  th_  F_k_sh_m_  n_cl__r  p_w_r  pl_nt  _nt_  th_  _c__n.  Th_  pl_nt  w_s  h_t  by  _  h_g_  __rthq__k_  _nd  ts_n_m_  _n  M_rch  2011.  _ft_r  th_  p_w_r  pl_nt  w_s  d_m_g_d,  th_  p_w_r  c_mp_ny  st_r_d  r_d___ct_v_  w_t_r  _n  1,000  g__nt  t_nks.  Th_  w_t_r  h_s  b__n  tr__t_d  t_  r_d_c_  _ts  r_d___ct_v_ty.  _t  _s  n_w  b__ng  sl_wly  r_l__s_d  _nt_  th_  P_c_f_c  _c__n  thr__gh  _  l_ng  s__  t_nn_l.  J_p_n  st_t_d  th_t  th_  w_t_r  _s  s_f_  _nd  w__ld  n_t  h_rm  th_  _nv_r_nm_nt.  Th_  _nt_rn_t__n_l  _t_m_c  _n_rgy  _g_ncy  (____)  s__d  th_  w_t_r  m__ts  w_th  _nt_rn_t__n_l  s_f_ty  st_nd_rds.  _t  s__d  th_r_  w__ld  b_  _  "n_gl_g_bl_  r_d__l_g_c_l  _mp_ct  _n  p__pl_  _nd  th_  _nv_r_nm_nt".

    M_ny  p__pl_  _n  J_p_n,  _s  w_ll  _s  c__ntr__s  n__r  J_p_n,  _r_  _ngry  th_t  r_d___ct_v_  w_t_r  _s  g__ng  _nt_  th_  P_c_f_c.  L_c_l  f_sh_rm_n  _r_  w_rr__d  th_y  w_ll  n_t  b_  _bl_  t_  s_ll  th__r  f_sh.  Ch_n_  h_s  _lr__dy  b_nn_d  s__f__d  fr_m  F_k_sh_m_  _nd  th_  c_p_t_l  c_ty,  T_ky_.  Ch_n_'s  f_r__gn  m_n_stry  c_ll_d  th_  r_l__s_  _f  th_  w_t_r  _  "wr_ngf_l  d_c_s__n"  _nd  _sk_d  J_p_n  t_  st_p.  _  sp_k_sp_rs_n  s__d:  "J_p_n  _s  p_tt_ng  _ts  _wn  s_lf-_nt_r_st  _v_r  th_  l_ng-t_rm  w_ll-b__ng  _f  _ll  h_m_nk_nd".  H_ng  K_ng  _s  _ls_  w_rr__d  _b__t  f__d  s_f_ty.  _t  s__d  _t  w__ld  "_mm_d__t_ly"  st_p  _mp_rt_ng  s_m_  J_p_n_s_  f__d  pr_d_cts.  S__th  K_r__n  _ct_v_sts  h_v_  _ls_  pr_t_st_d,  _lth__gh  S___l  _nd_rst__d  th_t  th_  w_t_r  m__ts  _nt_rn_t__n_l  st_nd_rds.

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    japan has started releasing radioactive water from the fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean the plant was hit by a huge earthquake and tsunami in march 2011 after the power plant was damaged the power company stored radioactive water in 1000 giant tanks the water has been treated to reduce its radioactivity it is now being slowly released into the pacific ocean through a long sea tunnel japan stated that the water is safe and would not harm the environment the international atomic energy agency iaea said the water meets with international safety standards it said there would be a negligible radiological impact on people and the environment

    many people in japan as well as countries near japan are angry that radioactive water is going into the pacific local fishermen are worried they will not be able to sell their fish china has already banned seafood from fukushima and the capital city tokyo chinas foreign ministry called the release of the water a wrongful decision and asked japan to stop a spokesperson said japan is putting its own selfinterest over the longterm wellbeing of all humankind hong kong is also worried about food safety it said it would immediately stop importing some japanese food products south korean activists have also protested although seoul understood that the water meets international standards

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    JapanhasstartedreleasingradioactivewaterfromtheFukushimanucle
    arpowerplantintotheocean.Theplantwashitbyahugeearthquakeandt
    sunamiinMarch2011.Afterthepowerplantwasdamaged,thepowerco
    mpanystoredradioactivewaterin1,000gianttanks.Thewaterhasbeen
    treatedtoreduceitsradioactivity.Itisnowbeingslowlyreleasedintothe
    PacificOceanthroughalongseatunnel.Japanstatedthatthewaterissaf
    eandwouldnotharmtheenvironment.TheInternationalAtomicEnergy
    Agency(IAEA)saidthewatermeetswithinternationalsafetystandards.
    Itsaidtherewouldbea"negligibleradiologicalimpactonpeopleandthee
    nvironment".ManypeopleinJapan,aswellascountriesnearJapan,area
    ngrythatradioactivewaterisgoingintothePacific.Localfishermenarew
    orriedtheywillnotbeabletoselltheirfish.Chinahasalreadybannedseaf
    oodfromFukushimaandthecapitalcity,Tokyo.China'sforeignministry
    calledthereleaseofthewatera"wrongfuldecision"andaskedJapantost
    op.Aspokespersonsaid:"Japanisputtingitsownself-interestoverthel
    ong-termwell-beingofallhumankind".HongKongisalsoworriedaboutf
    oodsafety.Itsaiditwould"immediately"stopimportingsomeJapanese
    foodproducts.SouthKoreanactivistshavealsoprotested,althoughSeo
    ulunderstoodthatthewatermeetsinternationalstandards.

    Free writing

    Write about Fukushima for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    Radioactive water should never be put in the ocean. Discuss.

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    Homework

    1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
    2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. OCEANS: Make a poster about oceans. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. FUKUSHIMA: Write a magazine article about following the IAEA guidelines and allowing Fukushima water to go into the ocean. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
    5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on nuclear energy. Ask him/her three questions about it. Give him/her three of your opinions on it. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

    Buy my book

    $US 9.99

    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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