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2020 Olympic Games Postponed

1. Discuss
With a partner or in a group, discuss the questions below.

1. Are you disappointed that the Olympic Games will not take place this year?

2. Do you think it was the right decision to move the Olympics to next year?

3. The Olympic Games gives people something to look forward to after the
problems caused by coronavirus. Do you agree?
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2. Reading and Listening headphones

A. Read the missing words with your teacher then fill gaps a-l as you listen.

…… repeat …… delay …… pressure

…… pandemic …… modern …… athletes

1 The 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo has been postponed for one year. It is the first Olympic Games to be postponed
2 since the a.                                    games started 124 years ago. The Games have been postponed due to the disruption caused
3 by the coronavirus COVID-19. The International Olympic Committee was under an increasing amount of
4 b.                                    to make a decision on whether to cancel or postpone the Games as the spread of the virus turned into

5 a global c.                                    .

6 The Canadian Olympic team became the first country to state that it would not send its d.                                    unless the
7 Games were rescheduled to a later date. The Japanese Government did not want a e.                                    of the 1940
8 Summer Olympics which were due to be held in Tokyo but were canceled due to the outbreak of World War II. A
9 decision was agreed upon between the Japanese Government and the IOC to f.                                    the Olympics and
10 Paralympics until the following year.

…… symbol …… choice …… agreed

…… exactly …… rights …… schedules

1 The IOC has confirmed the new dates. The Games will be held g.                                    one year after the original dates,
2 beginning on July 23rd 2021 and finishing on August 8th 2021. The Paralympics will start later in August and end in
3 September. Although some people argued for a spring ‘Cherry Blossom’ Games to avoid the high temperatures and
4 humidity of the Tokyo summer, the new dates cause the least disruption to international sports h.                                    .

5 A summer 2021 Games was the i.                                    of the American broadcaster NBC, whose payment to the IOC for the
6 j.                                    to show the Games on television means that they have a strong influence on the dates. It has been
7 k.                                    that the new Games will still be called Tokyo 2020 and it is hoped that they will be a l.                                   

8 of the world overcoming the pain of the pandemic.

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 B. Read the article with a partner and check the missing words.

C. Discuss the article. What do you think about the topic? What does your partner think?

3. True, False, or Not Given

Are these statements true, false or not given?
Correct any false statements with help from the article.

1. Tokyo 2020 has been canceled. true / false / not given

2. The Canadian Team will not send its athletes to the Games next year. true / false / not given

3. The Olympic Games have been canceled before but never postponed true / false / not given

4. The Japanese Government wanted to hold the Games in Spring true / false / not given

5. NBC wanted the Games to be held in Summer. true / false / not given

6. The Games will continue to be called Tokyo 2020 because of the cost of
redesigning all the merchandise true / false / not given

4. Complete the Sentences

Finish sentences 1-6 with endings a-f. Identify grammar patterns to help.

1. ______ As a result a. be held in Tokyo.

2. ______ Countries like Canada b. of the hot conditions in summer.

3. ______ The 1940 Olympic Games were supposed to c. of the pandemic, the Games have been postponed.

4. ______ The Games will take place from d. 2021, they will still be named Tokyo 2020.

5. ______ Many people think that the Games should be e. and Australia, stated that they would not send
held in spring because athletes to the Games in 2020.

6. ______ Even though the Games will be held in f. July 23rd until August 8th.

5. Vocabulary Match
Match words 1-8 to synonyms or meanings a-h. Check the article for context clues.

1. ______ postponed a. disturbance

2. ______ disruption b. dampness

3. ______ canceled c. control

4. ______ pandemic d. approved

5. ______ outbreak e. delayed

6. ______ confirmed f. worldwide spread

7. ______ humidity g. a sudden occurrence

8. ______ influence h. called off

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 6. Word Choice
Complete sentences 1-5 by choosing the best option a-c.

ͲͲENGLISH TIP: Prefixes

Pay attention to the part of speech of answer choices and check which fits the sentence. A prefix is a syllable or two
that has a specific meaning and can be attached to the beginning of many root words, such as re- (review, revise,
redo) or un- (unnecessary, unbelievable, undone).

1. ______ The 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo has been postponed a. until
one year. b. for
c. in

2. ______ The Japanese Government did not want a repeat the a. from
1940 Summer Olympics. b. at
c. of

3. ______ The Games will be held exactly one year after the original dates, a. from ... to
on July 23rd and on August 8th. b. beginning ... finishing
c. begin ... finish

4. ______ Some people argued a spring ‘Cherry Blossom’ Games to a. for

avoid the high temperatures and humidity of the Tokyo summer. b. on
c. about

5. ______ A summer 2021 Games was the choice of NBC, payment a. who’s
to the IOC for the rights to show the Games on television means that they b. who
have a strong influence on the dates.
c. whose

7. Short Answers
Write short answers to the questions below. Share your answers with your partner or class.

1. Do you think the new dates for the Olympics is the best option?

2. Do you keep a supply of canned and dried food in your house in case of emergencies?

3. Why do you think the USA has seen a noticeable increase in the sale of guns and bullets?

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 2020 Olympic Games Postponed
Level: Upper-Intermediate: B2 Updated: Oct 15, 2020
Advanced: C1
Target time: 60 minutes with homework. 90 minutes of classroom activities.
Objective: Engage and challenge your intermediate and advanced level students with learning based current event topics.
‘In the News’ handouts offer reading, listening, and a variety of English learning activities based on the topic.
Activities included are useful for students preparing for international English tests as well as a fun and engaging
review for advanced students.
Downloads: Audio and Teaching Notes available on the Handout page at www.esllessonhandouts.com/library.

2. READING AND LISTENING HEADPHONES 5. VOCABULARY MATCH

a. modern 1. postponed e. delayed
b. pressure 2. disruption a. disturbance
c. pandemic 3. canceled h. called off
d. athletes 4. pandemic f. worldwide spread
e. repeat 5. outbreak g. a sudden occurrence
f. delay 6. confirmed d. approved
g. exactly 7. humidity b. dampness
h. schedules 8. influence c. control
i. choice
6. WORD CHOICE
j. rights
9. The 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo has been postponed (b)
k. agreed for one year.
l. symbol 10. The Japanese Government did not want a repeat (c) of the
1940 Summer Olympics.
3. TRUE, FALSE, OR NOT GIVEN
11. The Games will be held exactly one year after the original
1. False; Tokyo 2020 has been postponed. dates, (b) beginning on July 23rd and (b) finishing on August
2. False; The Canadian Team will not send its athletes to the 8th.
Games this year. 12. Some people argued (a) for a spring ‘Cherry Blossom’ Games
3. True. to avoid the high temperatures and humidity of the Tokyo
summer.
4. Not Given; It states ‘some people’ which may or may not
include the Japanese Government. 1. A summer 2021 Games was the choice of NBC, (c) whose
payment to the IOC for the rights to show the Games on
5. True.
television means that they have a strong influence on the
6. Not Given; This is probably true in actuality but it is not dates.
stated in the article.

4. COMPLETE THE SENTENCES

1. As a result (c) of the pandemic, the Games have been
postponed.
2. Countries like Canada (e) and Australia, stated that they
would not send athletes to the Games in 2020.
3. The 1940 Olympic Games were supposed to (a) be held in
Tokyo.
4. The Games will take place from (f) July 23rd until August
8th.
5. Many people think that the Games should be held in spring
because (b) of the hot conditions in summer.
6. Even though the Games will be held in (d) 2021, they will
still be named Tokyo 2020.

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