All 4 Graded Readings

Japan's legendary sushi chef still working at 100

PRINT ALL READINGS (PDF)

Sushi - Level 0

A sushi chef in Japan is still working, on his 100th birthday. His name is Jiro Ono. Earlier this week, Tokyo's governor asked him about his secret to a long life. He replied, "To work." He said: "Even at 100 years old, I'll try to work…The best medicine is to work." He said he plans to keep working for five more years.

Jiro Ono was born in 1925. He started working when he was seven. He became a sushi chef in 1951. He opened a small sushi bar in Tokyo. There, he spent many years trying to make the perfect sushi. In 2011, a movie was made about Ono called "Jiro Dreams of Sushi". In the film, he talked about reaching "perfection".

SPEED READING

Speed 1    |     Speed 2    |     Speed 3

MORE

11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Sushi - Level 1

A sushi chef in Japan is still working, even though he just celebrated his 100th birthday. His name is Jiro Ono. He is one of 4,380 people in Tokyo who have become or will be 100 this year. Mr Ono spoke to Tokyo's governor. She asked him about his secret to a healthy life. He replied, "To work." He said: "Even at 100 years old, I'll try to work…The best medicine is to work." He added: "I plan to keep going for about five more years."

Jiro Ono was born in 1925. He started working when he was seven. He qualified as a sushi chef in 1951 and opened his own restaurant in 1965. It was a small 10-seat sushi bar in a rich area of Tokyo. He spent many years trying to make the perfect sushi. In 2011, a movie was made about Ono called "Jiro Dreams of Sushi". In the film, he said: "I haven't reached perfection yet. I'll continue to climb and try to reach the top."

SPEED READING

Speed 1    |     Speed 2    |     Speed 3

MORE

11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Sushi - Level 2

Slowest

A sushi chef in Japan is continuing in his job, even though he just became 100. His name is Jiro Ono. He celebrated his 100th birthday this week. He is one of 4,380 people in Tokyo who have become or will be 100 this year. Mr Ono spoke to Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike. She asked him about his secret to a long and healthy life. He replied, "To work." He said: "Even at 100 years old, I'll try to work if possible. I believe the best medicine is to work." He told Ms Koike: "I plan to keep going for about five more years." Ono said he has no plans to retire from his job.

Jiro Ono was born in 1925. He started working when he was seven. Eighteen years later, he moved to Tokyo. He worked in a sushi bar. He qualified as a sushi chef in 1951 and opened his own restaurant in 1965. It was a tiny 10-seat place in a rich area of Tokyo called Ginza. He spent many years trying to make the perfect sushi. He was rewarded when he received three stars in the Michelin Guide. In 2011, a movie was made about him called "Jiro Dreams of Sushi". In the film, he said: "I haven't reached perfection yet. I'll continue to climb and try to reach the top."

SPEED READING

Speed 1    |     Speed 2    |     Speed 3

MORE

11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Sushi - Level 3

A famous sushi chef in Japan has decided to continue working, even though he just turned 100. His name is Jiro Ono. He celebrated his 100th birthday on the 27th of October. He is one of around 4,380 people in Tokyo who have reached or will reach the age of 100 this year. Just before his birthday, Mr Ono spoke to Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike. She asked him about his secret to living a long and healthy life. He replied, "To work." He said: "I can no longer go to my restaurant every day…but even at 100 years old, I'll try to work if possible. I believe the best medicine is to work." Ono-san said he has no plans to retire from his job. He told Ms Koike: "I plan to keep going for about five more years."

Jiro Ono was born in 1925. He started working in a restaurant at the age of seven. Eighteen years later, when he was 25, he moved to Tokyo and worked in a sushi bar. He qualified as a sushi chef in 1951. Fifteen years later, in 1965, Ono opened his own restaurant, called Sukiyabashi Jiro. It was a tiny 10-seat place in an upmarket area of Tokyo called Ginza. He worked for decades trying to make the perfect sushi. In 2007, his efforts were rewarded when he received three stars in the Michelin Guide. In 2011, a documentary about him was released, called "Jiro Dreams of Sushi". In the film, he said: "I haven't reached perfection yet. I'll continue to climb and try to reach the top, but nobody knows where the top is."

SPEED READING

Speed 1    |     Speed 2    |     Speed 3

MORE

25 online activities    |    27-page printable    |    2-page mini-lesson

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

This useful resource has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for …

  • warm-ups
  • pre-reading and listening
  • while-reading and listening
  • post-reading and listening
  • using headlines
  • working with words
  • moving from text to speech
  • role plays,
  • task-based activities
  • discussions and debates
and a whole lot more.




More Listening

Online Activities

Help Support This Web Site

  • Please consider helping Breaking News English.com

Sean Banville's Book

Thank You