The Reading / Listening - First and Last Name - Level 4

A group of 178 males called Tanaka Hirokazu met in Tokyo to break the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people with the same name. The record was organized by the Tanaka Hirokazu association. This group was started in 1994 after Tanaka Hirokazu saw his namesake drafted into a Japanese baseball team. Ex-baseball player Tanaka Hirokazu was also part of Saturday's record. The record holders range in age from three years old to 80.

Tanaka Hirokazu, 53, was very happy with the world record. His two previous attempts failed because the association wanted everyone to have the same Chinese characters in their name. Saturday's meeting was more relaxed. Anyone with the name Hirokazu Tanaka could join, regardless of the Chinese characters. Mr Tanaka told reporters: "I never expected we would achieve such a ridiculous record." He said the 178 Tanakas had "set an example of silliness".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    First and Last Name - Level 5 or  First and Last Name - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/10/29/national/guiness-record-hirokazu-tanaka/
  • https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20221029/p2g/00m/0na/037000c
  • https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/hirokazu-tanaka-namesake-gathering-in-tokyo-smashes-world-record


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. A group
  2. the largest gathering
  3. This group was
  4. Tanaka Hirokazu saw
  5. drafted into a
  6. part of Saturday's
  7. range in
  8. from three
  1. started in 1994
  2. Japanese baseball team
  3. age
  4. of people
  5. record
  6. years old to 80
  7. his namesake
  8. of 178 males

Paragraph 2

  1. Hirokazu, 53,
  2. His two previous attempts
  3. the association wanted everyone to
  4. Saturday's meeting was more
  5. regardless of the Chinese
  6. I never expected
  7. a ridiculous
  8. set an
  1. we would
  2. have the same
  3. was very happy
  4. example of silliness
  5. record
  6. relaxed
  7. characters
  8. failed

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

(1) ___________________ 178 males called Tanaka Hirokazu met in Tokyo (2) ___________________ Guinness World Record for the largest (3) ___________________ with the same name. The record was (4) ___________________ Tanaka Hirokazu association. This group was started in 1994 after Tanaka Hirokazu saw (5) ___________________ into a Japanese baseball team. Ex-baseball player Tanaka Hirokazu was also part of Saturday's record. The record (6) ___________________ age from three years old to 80.

Tanaka Hirokazu, 53, was very happy with the world record. His two (7) ___________________ because the association wanted everyone to have the (8) ___________________ in their name. Saturday's meeting was more relaxed. Anyone with the name Hirokazu Tanaka could join, (9) ___________________ Chinese characters. Mr Tanaka told reporters: "(10) ___________________ we would achieve (11) ___________________ record." He said the 178 Tanakas had "(12) ___________________ of silliness".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Agroupof178malescalledTanakaHirokazumetinTokyotobreaktheGui
nnessWorldRecordforthelargestgatheringofpeoplewiththesamena
me.TherecordwasorganizedbytheTanakaHirokazuassociation.Thisg
roupwasstartedin1994afterTanakaHirokazusawhisnamesakedrafte
dintoaJapanesebaseballteam.Ex-baseballplayerTanakaHirokazuwa
salsopartofSaturday'srecord.Therecordholdersrangeinagefromthre
eyearsoldto80.TanakaHirokazu,53,wasveryhappywiththeworldreco
rd.Histwopreviousattemptsfailedbecausetheassociationwantedever
yonetohavethesameChinesecharactersintheirname.Saturday'smee
tingwasmorerelaxed.AnyonewiththenameHirokazuTanakacouldjoin
,regardlessoftheChinesecharacters.MrTanakatoldreporters:"Inever
expectedwewouldachievesucharidiculousrecord."Hesaidthe178Tan
akashad"setanexampleofsilliness".

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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