©Kyodo News via The Japan Times
Pre-reading questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
講師がそれぞれの質問を読むので答えましょう。
- Are things in Japan getting back to normal now?
- Have you received your COVID-19 vaccine?
Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
単語、意味、例文を読みます。講師に続いて音読しましょう。
- report /ri-PAWRT/
- suffer /SUHF-er/
- decrease /dih-KREES/
- decline /dih-KLAHYN/
- ease up /EEZ-uhp/
[verb] – to give a description of something or information about it to someone
The group will report on its research next month.
[verb] – to experience physical or mental pain
Jamie’s dad suffered from colon cancer.
[verb] – to become less, or to make something become less
You need to decrease the amount of sugar you are taking every day.
[noun] – a reduction in the value or amount of something, for example a currency or sales
A huge decline in company sales was recorded last month.
[phrasal verb] – to gradually stop or become less
The pain began to ease up after drinking the medicine.
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
記事を音読しましょう。講師はあなたの発音とイントネーションを確認します。
Japan recently had zero COVID-19 deaths for the first time in 15 months on November 8, 2021. There had not been a day in the country without a COVID-19 death since August 2, 2020. It also reported 10,000 deaths last April and suffered the severe Delta virus type over the summer. But recently, cases and deaths have been decreasing as more people in Japan get their COVID-19 vaccines. Moreover, the Japanese government plans to start giving booster vaccine shots next month and pill-based medicines. “We’ve learned over the past two years that we need to take strong, fast, and intensive measures,” said Shigeru Omi, one of the country’s top health experts, who designed a tool to measure the seriousness of COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, states of emergency in Tokyo were cleared last October in major cities following a huge decline in cases. Japan’s travel perimeters for foreign residents have also eased up for students, businessmen, and technical trainees.
True or False:
Read the sentences and identify if they are true or false based on the article.
文章を読んで、記事に基づいて正誤を答えましょう。
- On November 8, 2021, Japan recorded zero COVID-19 deaths for the first time in 12 months.
- The country reported 10,000 deaths last April.
- According to the article, cases and deaths have been dropping in Japan because of the COVID-19 vaccines.
- The Japanese government plans to give injectable medicines to boost COVID-19 vaccines.
- Despite the decline in cases, Japan’s travel regulations for foreign residents are still tight.
Fill in the blanks:
Choose the correct word from the table then fill in the blanks.
適切な言葉を選んで空欄を埋めましょう。
| report | suffer | decrease | decline | ease up |
- My mom _______ from arthritis. She can barely walk.
- People should _________ the amount of fat they eat.
- There is a major ________ on birthrate in the country.
- The heat of argument _________ after both groups agreed on the same decision.
- The president asked the officials to ________ the current status of the country’s lockdown.