LISTENING

Pre-Listening

A B

1. stay closed until a. to work

2. return to school b. the school closures
3. worried about c. fees
4. how to care d. children
5. while their parents go e. family
6. extended f. for children
7. pay for childcare g. on April the 20th
8. Japan's anti-virus h. of COVID-19
9. The next two weeks i. packed trains
10. control the spread j. off work
11. lower the k. infected
12. getting l. task force
13. take time m. alone
14. leave children at home n. are important
15. commuting in o. risk

Comprehension questions

A. Listening to the audio and answer the following questions.

1) How many countries have closed schools?

a) two c) four

b) three d) five
2) Until when will schools in Japan stay closed?

a) April the 18th c) April the 8th

b) April the 20th d) April the 28th

3) What did the article say parents are now worried about?

a) children being lazy c) getting to work

b) exam grades d) school closures

4) Who do many children not have living nearby besides grandparents?

a) teachers c) people with the virus

b) extended family d) friends

5) What might parents have to pay?

a) childcare fees c) a fee for lunches

b) a heavy price d) a high cost

6) What task force met in Japan?

a) a school task force c) a study task force

b) a home tuition task force d) an anti-virus task force

7) What are the next two weeks critical to control?

a) children studying c) the spread of COVID-19

b) school closures d) university exams

8) Who should make things easier for workers besides private companies?

a) the government c) hospitals

b) public services d) doctors

9) What action did a mother question the point of?

a) face masks c) closing schools

b) the government d) the virus

10) What did the mother say people were packed into?

a) schools c) cities

b) trains d) offices

B. Listen to the audio again and Fill in the Gaps

Japan and Hong Kong (1) ___________________, junior-high and high schools.
Governments (2) ___________________ children from the COVID-19
coronavirus. Schools in Japan will stay closed until April the 8th; children in
Hong Kong (3) ___________________ school on April the 20th at the earliest.
Parents are worried about (4) ___________________. Parents have to think about
how to care for children. Grandparents will (5) ___________________ children
while their parents go to work. Many children have no grandparents or extended
family who live nearby. Parents may have to pay (6) ___________________.

Japan's Prime Minister (7) ___________________ after meeting Japan's anti-(8)

___________________. The next two weeks are important to (9)
___________________ of COVID-19. He wants to lower the risk of children and
(10) ___________________ through gathering together. The government will ask
companies to make it easier for parents to (11) ___________________ work to
look after children. An angry mother said: "I wonder if the government thinks it is
OK to leave children at home alone." She asked: "What's the point of closing
schools if parents are still (12) ___________________ trains?"
C. SYNONYM MATCH: (The words in bold are from the news article.)

1. closed a. safeguard

2. protect b. acceptable

3. remain c. charges

4. worried d. stay

5. fees e. important

6. force f. concerned

7. critical g. encourage

8. urge h. shut

9. OK i. crowded