The Reading / Listening - Annoying Behaviour - Level 4

A study from Japan shows that coughing and sneezing were the biggest annoyances on trains. Over 5,000 passengers responded to a survey on behaviour on trains and at stations. Coughing and sneezing topped the list of passenger gripes. A rail association said the effects of the coronavirus pandemic "may have ingrained the importance of consideration for others as a norm". People not wearing a mask added to people's anxiety.

The rail association hopes its polls to gauge passengers' opinions will lead to better behaviour on trains. It said other annoyances on trains included people stretching their legs, people not moving over to make space, noisy conversations, strong perfume and poor manners when getting on and off trains. The number of people riding Japan's trains has increased because of more tourists visiting the country.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Annoying Behaviour - Level 5 or  Annoying Behaviour - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/coughing-sneezing-chosen-as-most-annoying-behavior-on-trains-for-1st-time-japan-survey/ar-AA1woeTD
  • https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20241223/p2a/00m/0na/018000c
  • https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news/survey-these-are-japans-most-annoying-train-behaviours-011624


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 study from Japan
  2. the biggest
  3. 5,000 passengers responded
  4. topped the list of
  5. A rail
  6. ingrained the importance
  7. People not
  8. added to people's
  1. wearing a mask
  2. association
  3. shows that
  4. anxiety
  5. of consideration
  6. annoyances
  7. passenger gripes
  8. to a survey

Paragraph 2

  1. gauge passengers'
  2. lead to
  3. people stretching
  4. noisy
  5. strong
  6. when getting
  7. The number of people
  8. because of more tourists
  1. their legs
  2. riding Japan's trains
  3. perfume
  4. visiting the country
  5. better behaviour
  6. conversations
  7. opinions
  8. on and off trains

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A study from Japan shows that (1) ________________________________________________ were the biggest annoyances on trains. Over 5,000 passengers (2) ________________________________________________ survey on behaviour on trains and at stations. Coughing and sneezing (3) ________________________________________________ of passenger gripes. A rail association said (4) ________________________________________________ the coronavirus pandemic "may (5) ________________________________________________ importance of consideration for others as a norm". People not wearing a (6) ________________________________________________ people's anxiety.

The rail association hopes its (7) ________________________________________________ passengers' opinions will (8) ________________________________________________ behaviour on trains. It said (9) ________________________________________________ trains included people stretching their legs, people not moving over (10) ________________________________________________, noisy conversations, strong (11) ________________________________________________ manners when getting on and off trains. The number of people riding Japan's trains has increased because (12) ________________________________________________ visiting the country.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AstudyfromJapanshowsthatcoughingandsneezingwerethebiggesta
nnoyancesontrains.Over5,000passengersrespondedtoasurveyonbe
haviourontrainsandatstations.Coughingandsneezingtoppedthelisto
fpassengergripes.Arailassociationsaidtheeffectsofthecoronaviruspa
ndemic"mayhaveingrainedtheimportanceofconsiderationforothers
asanorm".Peoplenotwearingamaskaddedtopeople'sanxiety.Therail
associationhopesitspollstogaugepassengers'opinionswillleadtobett
erbehaviourontrains.Insaidotherannoyancesontrainsincludedpeopl
estretchingtheirlegs,peoplenotmovingovertomakespace,noisyconv
ersations,strongperfumeandpoormannerswhengettingonandofftrai
ns.ThenumberofpeopleridingJapan'strainshasincreasedbecauseof
moretouristsvisitingthecountry.

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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