The Reading / Listening - Osaka Expo - Level 1

Expo 2025 has opened in Osaka, Japan. It ends in October. More than 28 million visitors will go to it. An Expo brings together people from all over the world. The first one was in London in 1851. Expos try to find answers to world problems. The Osaka Expo shows the culture, history and economy of 158 countries. The theme is "Creating a future society for our lives." At the US pavilion, people can see exhibits on space travel.

The Osaka Expo is on an artificial island. The 80 pavilions are in a round building called the Grand Ring. Guinness World Records said it is the world's "largest wooden architectural structure". A one-day ticket costs about $52. Visitors can see lots of Japanese culture. There are exhibits on robots, flying cars, and Hello Kitty. Visitors can also see the Expo mascot. This is called Myaku-Myaku. It has a blue face and many red eyes. It is good at finding rainbows.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Osaka Expo - Level 0 Osaka Expo - Level 2   or  Osaka Expo - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15709562
  • https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250414/p2g/00m/0na/012000c
  • https://www.expo2025.or.jp/en/overview/purpose/
  • https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/04/13/japan/osaka-world-expo-opening-day/


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. Expo 2025 has opened
  2. It ends
  3. More than 28 million
  4. people from
  5. The first one
  6. find answers
  7. Creating a future
  8. people can see exhibits on
  1. to world problems
  2. visitors
  3. space travel
  4. in October
  5. society for our lives
  6. was in London
  7. in Osaka, Japan
  8. all over the world

Paragraph 2

  1. The Osaka Expo is on
  2. a round building
  3. the world's largest wooden
  4. A one-day ticket
  5. Visitors can see lots
  6. There are exhibits on
  7. Visitors can also see the Expo
  8. It is good
  1. mascot
  2. at finding rainbows
  3. costs about $52
  4. an artificial island
  5. robots
  6. called the Grand Ring
  7. architectural structure
  8. of Japanese culture

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Expo 2025 (1) ________________________________________________ Osaka, Japan. It ends in October. More than 28 (2) ________________________________________________ go to it. An Expo brings together people (3) ________________________________________________ the world. The first (4) ________________________________________________ London in 1851. Expos try to find answers to world problems. The Osaka Expo shows the culture, (5) ________________________________________________ of 158 countries. The theme is "Creating a future society for our lives." At the US pavilion, people can see (6) ________________________________________________ travel.

The Osaka Expo is on (7) ________________________________________________. The 80 pavilions are in (8) ________________________________________________ called the Grand Ring. Guinness World Records (9) ________________________________________________ the world's "largest wooden architectural structure". A one-day ticket costs about $52. Visitors can (10) ________________________________________________ Japanese culture. There are exhibits on robots, flying cars, and Hello Kitty. Visitors can also see (11) ________________________________________________. This is called Myaku-Myaku. It has a blue face and many red eyes. It is (12) ________________________________________________ rainbows.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Expo2025hasopenedinOsaka,Japan.ItendsinOctober.Morethan28
millionvisitorswillgotoit.AnExpobringstogetherpeoplefromalloverth
eworld.ThefirstonewasinLondonin1851.Expostrytofindanswerstow
orldproblems.TheOsakaExposhowstheculture,historyandeconomyo
f158countries.Thethemeis"Creatingafuturesocietyforourlives."Atth
eUSpavilion,peoplecanseeexhibitsonspacetravel.TheOsakaExpoiso
nanartificialisland.The80pavilionsareinaroundbuildingcalledtheGra
ndRing.GuinnessWorldRecordssaiditistheworld's"largestwoodenarc
hitecturalstructure".Aone-dayticketcostsabout$52.Visitorscansee
lotsofJapaneseculture.Thereareexhibitsonrobots,flyingcars,andHell
oKitty.VisitorscanalsoseetheExpomascot.ThisiscalledMyaku-Myak
u.Ithasabluefaceandmanyredeyes.Itisgoodatfindingrainbows.

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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