A rollercoaster ride at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka suddenly stopped, leaving people stuck in the air. The ride is called the Flying Dinosaur and it goes really high up and swings riders around. Luckily, no one got hurt. The people on the ride were helped down by the park staff and the ride started again after they made sure everything was safe. They don’t know why the ride stopped, but it has sensors that can detect if something is wrong and stop the ride.

This happened on Thursday morning and someone recorded a video of it. The video shows the rollercoaster stopped at the top with people hanging in the air. Just a few days ago, there was another rollercoaster problem where a crack was seen on camera. It’s scary when rollercoasters have problems, so it’s good that no one got hurt this time.

Rollercoasters are really fun and exciting, but safety is really important. Theme parks have rules to keep people safe. In this case, the park staff acted fast to help the people and make sure the ride was okay before starting it again.

Sometimes rollercoasters have problems, but it doesn’t happen often. It’s important for theme parks to check their rides regularly to make sure they’re safe. Visitors should also follow the rules to stay safe. Even though this happened, Universal Studios Japan is still a popular place for people to go because they have lots of fun things to do.

Original news source: Japan: People left dangling as rollercoaster stops mid-ride (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

Fast

📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs or small groups.
2. Give each group a copy of the article.
3. Instruct the groups to read the article and summarize the main points in their own words.
4. Each group should then present their summary to the class.

– Word Association
Instructions:
1. Write the word “rollercoaster” on the board.
2. Instruct the students to brainstorm as many words as they can that are related to rollercoasters.
3. After a few minutes, ask each student to share one word from their list and explain why they chose it.
4. Encourage the students to listen to each other’s ideas and add any new words to their own list.

– Sketch It
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs.
2. Give each pair a sheet of paper and a pen or pencil.
3. Instruct one student to describe the rollercoaster from the article to their partner, while the other student sketches it based on the description.
4. After a few minutes, have the pairs switch roles.
5. Once both students have had a chance to describe and sketch, ask them to compare their drawings and discuss any differences or similarities.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Write the question “Do you enjoy riding rollercoasters?” on the board.
2. Instruct the students to stand up and move to one side of the classroom if they strongly agree, the other side if they strongly disagree, and somewhere in the middle if they are neutral.
3. Once the students have positioned themselves, ask a few volunteers to explain their reasons for their choice.
4. Facilitate a class discussion about different opinions on rollercoasters and ask follow-up questions to encourage further conversation.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Instruct each group to create a list of the pros and cons of riding rollercoasters.
3. After a few minutes, have each group share their lists with the class.
4. Encourage the students to discuss and debate the different points, considering factors such as safety, excitement, and personal preferences.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened to the rollercoaster at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka?
2. How did the park staff help the people stuck on the rollercoaster?
3. Why did the ride stop?
4. When did this incident happen?
5. What did the video show?
6. Why is it important for theme parks to have rules for safety?
7. How often do rollercoasters usually have problems?
8. Why is Universal Studios Japan still a popular place to visit, despite this incident?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A rollercoaster ride at Universal Studios (1)______ in (2)______ suddenly stopped, leaving people stuck in the air. The ride is (3)______ the Flying Dinosaur and it goes really high up and swings riders around. Luckily, no one got hurt. The people on the ride were (4)______ down by the park staff and the ride started again after they made sure everything was safe. They don’t know why the ride (5)______, but it has (6)______ that can detect if something is wrong and stop the ride.

This happened on Thursday morning and someone recorded a (7)______ of it. The video shows the rollercoaster stopped at the top with people (8)______ in the air. Just a few days ago, there was another rollercoaster problem where a crack was seen on camera. It’s scary when (9)______ have problems, so it’s good that no one got hurt this time.

Rollercoasters are really fun and (10)______, but safety is really (11)______. Theme parks have rules to keep people safe. In this case, the park staff acted fast to help the people and make sure the ride was okay before (12)______ it again.

Sometimes rollercoasters have problems, but it doesn’t happen often. It’s important for (13)______ parks to check their rides regularly to make sure they’re safe. Visitors should also follow the rules to stay safe. Even though this happened, Universal (14)______ Japan is still a popular (15)______ for (16)______ to go because they have lots of fun things to do.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a rollercoaster?
2. Have you ever been on a rollercoaster? How did it make you feel?
3. How would you feel if you were stuck on a rollercoaster in the air?
4. Do you think rollercoasters are safe? Why or why not?
5. Have you ever been to a theme park? Which one? Did you enjoy it?
6. Do you like going on rides at theme parks? Why or why not?
7. What do you think the park staff should do when a rollercoaster stops unexpectedly?
8. How often do you think rollercoasters have problems?
9. Do you think it’s important for theme parks to check their rides regularly? Why or why not?
10. What are some safety rules that visitors should follow at theme parks?
11. Would you still go to a theme park after hearing about a rollercoaster problem? Why or why not?
12. What other fun things do you think Universal Studios Japan has besides rollercoasters?
13. Have you ever seen a video of a rollercoaster problem? How did it make you feel?
14. Do you think it’s scarier to be stuck at the top of a rollercoaster or to see a crack in the track? Why?
15. If you could design your own rollercoaster, what would it be like?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. rollercoaster
2. suddenly
3. sensors
4. detect
5. staff
6. ensure
7. malfunction
8. recorded
9. swings
10. exciting
11. rules
12. acted
13. regularly
14. visitors
15. popular

Meanings:
(A) To make certain that something is true or will happen
(B) Moves back and forth or in a circular motion
(C) Devices that can feel or notice things
(D) Captured video or audio using a device
(E) People who work at a particular place
(F) When something doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to
(G) Liked by many people
(H) Happening quickly and unexpectedly
(I) Instructions that people are supposed to follow
(J) Took immediate action
(K) People who are visiting a place, especially for fun
(L) A fast amusement park ride with lots of ups and downs
(M) Thrilling and enjoyable
(N) Doing something often and at regular intervals
(O) To discover or notice something
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What happened to the rollercoaster at Universal Studios Japan?
(a) It suddenly stopped
(b) It crashed
(c) It went too fast
(d) It broke down

2. What is the name of the rollercoaster at Universal Studios Japan?
(a) The Speed Demon
(b) The Twisted Loop
(c) The Flying Dinosaur
(d) The Sky High

3. How did the people stuck on the rollercoaster get down?
(a) They had to climb down themselves
(b) The park staff helped them
(c) They were rescued by a helicopter
(d) They had to wait until the ride started again

4. What did the video of the rollercoaster show?
(a) The rollercoaster stopped at the top with people hanging in the air
(b) The rollercoaster going really fast
(c) The rollercoaster crashing into a wall
(d) The rollercoaster doing a loop-de-loop

5. Why is it good that no one got hurt on the rollercoaster?
(a) It would have ruined people’s day at the theme park
(b) The park staff would have been in trouble
(c) It would have made the news
(d) Rollercoaster accidents can be dangerous

6. What should theme parks do regularly to ensure safety?
(a) Close down all the rollercoasters
(b) Check their rides
(c) Increase ticket prices
(d) Hire more staff members

7. Why is Universal Studios Japan still popular despite the rollercoaster incident?
(a) They have the fastest rollercoasters
(b) They have the biggest theme park in the world
(c) They have the cheapest tickets
(d) They have lots of fun things to do

8. What is the main message of the article?
(a) Rollercoasters are always safe and never have any problems
(b) Universal Studios Japan is the best theme park in the world
(c) Rollercoasters can be dangerous, but theme parks do their best to keep people safe
(d) People should never go on rollercoasters because they are too scary

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. A rollercoaster ride at Universal Studios Japan suddenly started, leaving people stuck in the air.
2. A video of the incident was recorded and shows the rollercoaster stopped at the top with people hanging in the air.
3. The reason for the ride’s sudden continuation is still unknown, but the ride has sensors to detect any issues.
4. This is not the first rollercoaster problem at the park, as a crack was recently seen on another ride.
5. Despite these incidents, Universal Studios Japan remains a popular destination due to its wide range of enjoyable attractions.
6. The ride is called the Flying Dinosaur and it swings riders around at a high altitude.
7. Fortunately, no one was injured during the incident.
8. Park staff caused more trouble for the stranded riders and ensured the ride was unsafe before restarting it.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What happened to the rollercoaster at Universal Studios Japan?
2. How did the park staff help the people stuck on the ride?
3. What did someone record a video of?
4. Why is it important for theme parks to have rules?
5. Why is Universal Studios Japan still a popular place to go?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened to the rollercoaster at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka?
The rollercoaster suddenly stopped, leaving people stuck in the air.

2. How did the park staff help the people stuck on the rollercoaster?
The park staff helped the people down from the rollercoaster.

3. Why did the ride stop?
The reason why the ride stopped is unknown.

4. When did this incident happen?
This incident happened on Thursday morning.

5. What did the video show?
The video showed the rollercoaster stopped at the top with people hanging in the air.

6. Why is it important for theme parks to have rules for safety?
It is important for theme parks to have rules for safety to ensure the well-being of visitors.

7. How often do rollercoasters usually have problems?
Rollercoasters usually do not have problems very often.

8. Why is Universal Studios Japan still a popular place to visit, despite this incident?
Universal Studios Japan is still a popular place to visit because it offers many fun activities and attractions.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Japan
(2) Osaka
(3) called
(4) helped
(5) stopped
(6) sensors
(7) video
(8) hanging
(9) rollercoasters
(10) exciting
(11) important
(12) starting
(13) theme
(14) Studios
(15) place
(16) people
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. rollercoaster
Answer: (L) A fast amusement park ride with lots of ups and downs

2. suddenly
Answer: (H) Happening quickly and unexpectedly

3. sensors
Answer: (C) Devices that can feel or notice things

4. detect
Answer: (O) To discover or notice something

5. staff
Answer: (E) People who work at a particular place

6. ensure
Answer: (A) To make certain that something is true or will happen

7. malfunction
Answer: (F) When something doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to

8. recorded
Answer: (D) Captured video or audio using a device

9. swings
Answer: (B) Moves back and forth or in a circular motion

10. exciting
Answer: (M) Thrilling and enjoyable

11. rules
Answer: (I) Instructions that people are supposed to follow

12. acted
Answer: (J) Took immediate action

13. regularly
Answer: (N) Doing something often and at regular intervals

14. visitors
Answer: (K) People who are visiting a place, especially for fun

15. popular
Answer: (G) Liked by many people
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What happened to the rollercoaster at Universal Studios Japan?
Answer: (a) It suddenly stopped

2. What is the name of the rollercoaster at Universal Studios Japan?
Answer: (c) The Flying Dinosaur

3. How did the people stuck on the rollercoaster get down?
Answer: (b) The park staff helped them

4. What did the video of the rollercoaster show?
Answer: (a) The rollercoaster stopped at the top with people hanging in the air

5. Why is it good that no one got hurt on the rollercoaster?
Answer: (d) Rollercoaster accidents can be dangerous

6. What should theme parks do regularly to ensure safety?
Answer: (b) Check their rides

7. Why is Universal Studios Japan still popular despite the rollercoaster incident?
Answer: (d) They have lots of fun things to do

8. What is the main message of the article?
Answer: (c) Rollercoasters can be dangerous, but theme parks do their best to keep people safe
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. A rollercoaster ride at Universal Studios Japan suddenly started, leaving people stuck in the air. (Answer: False)
2. A video of the incident was recorded and shows the rollercoaster stopped at the top with people hanging in the air. (Answer: True)
3. The reason for the ride’s sudden continuation is still unknown, but the ride has sensors to detect any issues. (Answer: False)
4. This is not the first rollercoaster problem at the park, as a crack was recently seen on another ride. (Answer: False)
5. Despite these incidents, Universal Studios Japan remains a popular destination due to its wide range of enjoyable attractions. (Answer: True)
6. The ride is called the Flying Dinosaur and it swings riders around at a high altitude. (Answer: True)
7. Fortunately, no one was injured during the incident. (Answer: True)
8. Park staff caused more trouble for the stranded riders and ensured the ride was unsafe before restarting it. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧