©Amir Cohen/Reuters via CNN
Pre-reading questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- How often do you eat strawberries?
- What vegetables do you eat during the winter season?
Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
- confirmation /kon-fer-MEY-shuhn/
- break a record /breyk-a-REK-erd/
- unusually /uhn-YOO-zhoo-uhl-lee/
- continuous /kuhn-TIN-yoo-uhs/
- harvest /HAHR-vist/
[noun] – a statement of proof that something is true
The museum just sent a confirmation for the painting we found.
[idiom] – to do something better than the best known speed, time, number, etc. previously achieved
He will try to break a record at the competition next month.
[adverb] – more than is usual or expected, or in a way that is not usual
Ampersand Cafe is unusually busy this morning.
[adjective] – without a pause or interruption
The rain in Oklahoma has been continuous since this afternoon.
[noun] – the time of year when crops are cut and collected from the fields, or the activity of cutting and collecting them, or the crops that are cut and collected
The townspeople celebrated a good harvest.
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
A farmer in Israel has grown the world’s heaviest strawberry, according to Guinness World Records. The berry, grown by Chahi Ariel, weighs 289 grams (10.19 ounces). It is about five times the average weight of a regular berry of the local Ilan variety, said Nir Dai, a scientist at Israel’s Volcani Institute.
Ariel had been hoping he was going to break a record when they saw how big the fruit was growing on his family farm last year. He has been keeping the strawberry as proof while awaiting confirmation from Guinness. “When we heard, it was an amazing feeling. I jumped in the car, laughed, and sang,” said Ariel. “We’ve been waiting for this for a long time.” Unusually cold weather in early 2021 resulted in the strawberry’s continuous weight gain, based on the record book’s website. In Israel, farmers grow strawberries during the winter season, with fruit being harvested from early November to May. The previous record-holder was a Japanese farmer who discovered a 250-gram strawberry in his harvest in 2015. Guinness World Records (GWR) is a reference book published annually in different languages. It contains record-breaking human achievements and wonders.
Ariel had been hoping he was going to break a record when they saw how big the fruit was growing on his family farm last year. He has been keeping the strawberry as proof while awaiting confirmation from Guinness. “When we heard, it was an amazing feeling. I jumped in the car, laughed, and sang,” said Ariel. “We’ve been waiting for this for a long time.” Unusually cold weather in early 2021 resulted in the strawberry’s continuous weight gain, based on the record book’s website. In Israel, farmers grow strawberries during the winter season, with fruit being harvested from early November to May. The previous record-holder was a Japanese farmer who discovered a 250-gram strawberry in his harvest in 2015. Guinness World Records (GWR) is a reference book published annually in different languages. It contains record-breaking human achievements and wonders.
Comprehension questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them based on the article.
- How much does the berry weigh?
- How did Ariel react after hearing the confirmation?
- What was the reason behind the strawberry’s continuous weight gain?
- When is strawberry harvested in Israel?
- What can you find in the Guinness World Records Book?
Discussion questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- Do you enjoy learning random facts and trivia? Why or why not?
- What are some seasonal fruits in your country? Which one is your favorite?
- If you could have the world record for anything you want, what would it be and why?
- Do you think more farmers should try to break a Guinness World Record?
- In your opinion, what drives people to win a Guinness World Record?