A video with a narrative about summer activities in beautiful Hokkaido, Japan, subtitled in English and Japanese. Try covering the subtitles if you don’t need them.
Either just enjoy the video or try the listening activities below to improve your listening.
REMEMBER – you can adjust the Playback Speed by clicking on the SETTINGS tab on the bottom left of the YouTube video window. Try listening at 0.75 if it is too fast for you.
- Predict – Look at the title – ‘How was your summer?’
– try to guess what this video might be about.
– What tenses do you think you might hear?
– What vocabulary might you hear in a story about the summer? - Listen for ‘gist’ & ‘general opinions’.
– For the first listening, don’t try to hear every detail.
– General opinions – was the video positive or negative?
– Just try to check – Was it a good summer holiday? - Listen for KEY INFORMATION
– try to answer these 10 questions (Answers below vocabulary list).
Where does Teacher Susan live?
What did Julia enjoy the most about her summer holiday?
What present did Julia get for her birthday?
Where did we make ice-cream?
How far did Julia cycle around Lake Toya?
Did the beach have sand or rocks?
Was the ice-skating rink crowded?
What does Julia like doing in her little pool?
What do the kids enjoy doing after barbecues?
What do the ostriches eat at the ostrich farm? - Look at the vocabulary list – do you know these words?
You don’t need to try to learn ALL the new words.
Choose a few words you really want to learn and focus on those words.
| Vocabulary 単語 | Pronunciation 発音 | Word Type 単語の種類 | Meaning in English 英語の意味 | Meaning in Japanese 日本語の意味 |
| surround | /sə’raʊnd/ | (verb) | be all round (someone or something) | 囲む |
| open space | /ˈəʊp(ə)n speɪs/ | (adjective noun) | land with no buildings – not covered | 広大なスペース |
| crop | /krɒp/ | (noun) | a plant that is grown on a large scale commercially, especially a cereal, fruit, or vegetable | 作物 |
| suspended | /səˈspɛndɪd/ | (adjective) | hanging | 吊り下げられた |
| treetop | /ˈtriːtɒp/ | (noun) | the highest part of a tree | 木のてっぺん |
| apparatus | /ˌapəˈreɪtəs/ | (noun) | the technical equipment or machinery needed for an activity | 装置 |
| unicycle | /ˈjuːnɪsʌɪk(ə)l/ | (noun) | a cycle with one wheel only | 一輪車 |
| physical activity | /ˈfɪzɪk(ə)l akˈtɪvɪti/ | (adjective noun) | body activity not a mind (brain) activity | 身体活動 |
| highlight | /ˈhʌɪlʌɪt/ | (noun) | a wonderful part of an event of the day/holiday | 圧巻 |
| distance | /ˈdɪst(ə)ns/ | (noun) | the length of the space between two points | 距離 |
| manage (to do something) | /ˈmanɪdʒ/ | (verb) | succeed in achieving something despite difficult circumstances; cope | なんとか出来る |
| challenging | /ˈtʃalɪn(d)ʒɪŋ/ | (adjective) | testing one’s abilities; demanding, difficult | やりがいのある |
| coastline | /ˈkəʊs(t)lʌɪn/ | (noun) | the land along the coast | 海岸線 |
| crystal clear | /ˌkrɪstəl ˈklɪə/ | (adjective) | completely transparent and unclouded | 透き通った |
| picturesque | /ˌpɪktʃəˈrɛsk/ | (adjective) | beautiful, especially in a quaint or charming way | 絵のように美しい |
| landscape | /ˈlan(d)skeɪp/ | (noun) | all the visible features of an area of land, often considered in terms of their beauty | 風景 |
| dramatic | /drəˈmatɪk/ | (adjective) | exciting or impressive | ドラマチックな (感動的） |
| luminescent | /luːmɪˈnɛs(ə)nt/ | (adjective) | seeming to shine | 発光性 |
| tough | /tʌf/ | (adjective) | difficult and requiring determination or effort | 大変 |
| muck around (with） | /mʌk əˈraʊnd/ | (verb) | to behave in a silly way, or to treat someone or something in a careless way, or play with something | いじくり回す |
| ostrich | /ˈɒstrɪtʃ/ | (noun) | The largest living bird with a long neck & legs | ダチョウ |
| wading pool | /weɪdɪŋ pu:l/ | (adjective noun) | A small shallow pool for children | 子供用の)浅い水遊びプール |
| spend | /spɛnd/ | (verb) | pass (time) in a specified way or in a particular place | 過ごす |
| entertaining | /ɛntəˈteɪnɪŋ/ | (adjective) | providing amusement or enjoyment | 面白い |
| inquisitive | /ɪnˈkwɪzɪtɪv/ | (adjective) | having or showing an interest in learning things; curious | 好奇心旺盛 |
ANSWERS
Where does Teacher Susan live? In Niseko, in Japan.
What did Julia enjoy the most about her summer holiday? Her birthday – the tree trekking.
What present did Julia get for her birthday? A unicycle.
Where did we make ice-cream? The Milk Kobo.
How far did Julia cycle around Lake Toya? 24 k.m.
Did the beach have sand or rocks? Rocks.
Was the ice-skating rink crowded? No.
What does Julia like doing in her little pool? Jumping in (from the bench).
What do the kids enjoy doing after barbecues? Fireworks.
What do the ostriches eat at the ostrich farm? Corn.