Reading Comprehension

Names: _____________________________ Class : ________Number: _____

Date: _____________________________________________________

Land of the Rising Sun. That is the most commonly expression

used to describe Japan. A legend attributes the creation of Japan to the sun goddess,
from whom the emperors were descended. The first of them was Jimmu, supposed
to have ascended the throne in 660 B.C.
Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. There are four large main islands
which occupy 97% of Japan’s land area: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and
Shikoku. Most of the islands are mountainous (about seventy-three percent),
many volcanic; for example, Japan’s highest peak, Mount Fuji, is a volcano.
Japan is home to ten percent of the world's active volcanoes .Japan is hit by
many earthquakes. Each year about 1, 500 earthquakes are recorded in Japan. In fact, there is
about three minor earthquakes every day of the year.
See now some interesting facts about culture and traditions created by this
intelligent, religious and welcoming people with over 2,000 years of history:
 There are 2 colors in the Japanese flag: white with a red circle ( The
white means honesty and purity and the red disc is a sun symbol meaning
sincerity and kindness).
 There are more than 130,000,000 inhabitants in Japan. The capital is Tokyo whith 12 million
people. It’s the most populous city. Yokohama and Osaka are large cities too. There are 2
million people in Osaka and 3 million in Yokohama.
 Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. The
Emperor effectively acts as the head of state on diplomatic occasions. Akihito is the current
Emperor of Japan. He is the 125th Emperor of Japan.
 Japan has developed industrial capacity and is home to some of the largest,
leading and most technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic
equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles
and processed food. The Japanese are hardworking people. They lead the world
in robotics production and use.
 More than 99% of the population speaks Japanese as their first language. It is
an agglutinative language distinguished by a system that reflects the hierarchical
nature of Japanese society, with verb forms and particular vocabulary which indicate
the relative status of speaker and listener.
 In Japan, green frogs are a symbol of good luck and are often kept as pets. In
animated
movies and comic books, they are usually represented as heroes. Pictures or dolls of frogs are
considered as charms, ensuring safety when travelling. The most famous and popular frog
charms are made in Nagoya, called Tobekaeru.
 Geisha means "person of the arts" and the first geisha were actually men.
 Japan suffers from a very high suicide rate. In 2009, the number of suicides
exceeded 30,000 for the twelfth straight year. Suicide is the leading cause of death for
people under 30.
 1. This text can be classified as:
an ad a summary a prescription an article
(0.25)

2. The major intention of this text is to _______________ the readers.

encourage educate inform convince
(0.5)

3. The percentage of mountainous land in Japan is about:

37% 73% 97% 10%
(0.25)

4. Look at the sentences “There are four large islands....”, “There are more than
130,000,000 inhabitants...” and “There is about three minor...”
The verb there to be was used in these sentences to show:
the routine actions the existence of something
the past activities the future experiences (0.5)

5. Find adjectives in the text that describes:

facts: __________________ monarchy: __________________
language: ______________ weapon: __________________
luck: _________________ society: ________________
(1.5)
6. Answer the questions:
Are there 2 colors in the Japanese flag?___________________________
Is there a small rate of suicides in Japan? _______________________
How many main islands are there in Japan? _______________________
Who is Japan’s current Emperor? _______________________________
What products are made in Japan? ________________________
What is a Tobekaeru? ________________________________________
Is Mount Fuji an island? ______________________________________
(3.5)
7. What do these pronouns refer to?
The first of them... (line 3): _____________________________________
It’s the most populous... (line 18): ______________________________
He is the 125th... (line 22): _____________________________________
It is an agglutinative ... (line 28): _______________________________
... ,they are usually... (line 33): __________________________________
(1.5)