The Reading / Listening - Sand Dunes - Level 0

A Japanese city has a graffiti problem. It is graffiti in sand. The city wants tourists to stop writing messages on the city's sand dunes. It damages the dunes and stops people enjoying them. There were more than 3,300 cases of 'sand graffiti' in the past ten years. In January, two tourists wrote a 25-metre-long birthday message.

The Tottori sand dunes are famous in Japan. They are Japan's largest and longest dunes. The biggest is 50 metres high. They are 16 kilometres long. They are on the Sea of Japan coast. There are now signs to ask people to follow the rules. The city said: "We want to continue to protect views of the beautiful sand dunes."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Sand Dunes - Level 1,  Sand Dunes - Level 2   or  Sand Dunes - Level 3

Sources
  • https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190520/p2a/00m/0na/018000c
  • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/21/against-the-grain-anger-grows-at-spike-in-sand-graffiti-by-tourists-in-japan
  • https://www.insider.com/sand-graffiti-japan-angry-at-tourists-for-writing-messages-into-dunes-2019-5


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. A Japanese city has a
  2. The city wants tourists to stop
  3. It damages
  4. There were
  5. 3,300 cases
  6. in the past
  7. two
  8. a 25-metre-long
  1. ten years
  2. the dunes
  3. birthday message
  4. of 'sand graffiti'
  5. writing messages
  6. tourists
  7. graffiti problem
  8. more

Paragraph 2

  1. The Tottori sand dunes are
  2. The biggest is
  3. They are 16 kilometres
  4. They are on the Sea of Japan
  5. There are now signs
  6. follow
  7. We want to
  8. the beautiful
  1. coast
  2. continue
  3. famous in Japan
  4. sand dunes
  5. long
  6. to ask people
  7. 50 metres high
  8. the rules

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

A Japanese (1) ___________________ graffiti problem. It is graffiti in sand. The city wants tourists (2) ___________________ messages on the city's sand dunes. It (3) ___________________ and stops people enjoying them. There (4) ___________________ 3,300 cases of 'sand graffiti' (5) ___________________ ten years. In January, (6) ___________________ a 25-metre-long birthday message.

The Tottori sand dunes (7) ___________________ Japan. They are Japan's (8) ___________________ dunes. The biggest is 50 metres high. They are (9) ___________________. They are (10) ___________________ of Japan coast. There are now signs to ask people to (11) ___________________. The city said: "We want to continue to (12) ___________________ the beautiful sand dunes."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

AJapanesecityhasagraffitiproblem.Itisgraffitiinsand.Thecitywantsto
uriststostopwritingmessagesonthecity'ssanddunes.Itdamagesthed
unesandstopspeopleenjoyingthem.Thereweremorethan3,300cases
of'sandgraffiti'inthepasttenyears.InJanuary,twotouristswrotea25-
metre-longbirthdaymessage.TheTottorisanddunesarefamousinJa
pan.TheyareJapan'slargestandlongestdunes.Thebiggestis50metres
high.Theyare16kilometreslong.TheyareontheSeaofJapancoast.The
rearenowsignstoaskpeopletofollowtherules.Thecitysaid:"Wewantto
continuetoprotectviewsofthebeautifulsanddunes."

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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