listening lab 2025
LISTENING LAB 0825
Step 1: Read the questions below.
質問を読んでください。
1. What is the official name of Rabbit Island?
a. Takehara
b. Okunoshima
c. Hiroshima
2. What do the rabbits do?
a. They bite people.
b. They steal food.
c. They approach tourists.
3. What can’t people do on the island?
a. They can’t go hiking.
b. They can’t camp there.
c. They can’t hunt rabbits.
4. What is true about the rabbits?
a. They came from a lab.
b. They were released by students.
c. They need food from tourists.
5. What are the rabbits compared to?
a. They’re compared to rats.
b. They’re compared to kings.
c. They’re compared to peace ambassadors.
• prison = 刑務所
• chemical weapon = 化学兵器
• be compared to A = Aになぞらえられる
• peace ambassador = 平和大使
Step 2: Listen to the audio and try to answer the questions.
オーディオを聞いて、 質問に答えて見て下さい。
Step 3: Listen again while you read the article.
記事を読みながら、もう一度聞いてみてください。
Rabbit Island
by Kathy
Have you ever heard of Rabbit Island? Maybe you know it by its official name, Okunoshima. Thousands of tourists go to this island just a couple of miles off the coast of Takehara, Hiroshima, every year for its natural beauty and to feed and pet the hundreds of bunnies that hop freely around the island. The rabbits are wild, but they are accustomed to humans and will approach tourists for carrots or rabbit feed. Sometimes they'll even hop right into a visitor's lap. Many people go there for the campsites and walking trails, but the island also has many places of historical interest, which reveal the island's dark past.
You see, for 16 years, Okunoshima was omitted from maps, and workers there were told to keep the factories a secret. The secret was that from 1929 to 1945, the island was home to the Imperial Army's lethal gas factories which produced more than 6,000 tons of poison gas, including mustard gas and tear gas. Today, visitors can learn more about this part of Japan's history at the Poison Gas Museum, and they can see the shells of those old factories. But now vines cover their crumbling walls, and floppy-eared bunnies use them for shelter. Nature has reclaimed the island.
The rabbit population itself has an interesting origin story. While some visitors think the current rabbits came from test animals from the chemical weapons facility, this is actually a myth. The original laboratory animals were euthanized when the facility closed. Instead, the current rabbit colony likely began in 1971 when a group of schoolchildren released eight pet rabbits on the island during a field trip. With no natural predators and plenty of plants to eat, the population quickly grew to over 1,000 rabbits.
The change from a place of secrecy and death to one of openness and life represents Japan's commitment to peace education. The island now serves as a powerful reminder that even the darkest chapters of history can give way to hope and healing, with hundreds of gentle creatures serving as unlikely ambassadors for peace.
Step 4: Check your answers.
答えをチェックしてください。
1. What is the official name of Rabbit Island?
b. Okunoshima
2. What do the rabbits do?
c. They approach tourists.
3. What can’t people do on the island?
c. They can’t hunt rabbits.
4. What is true about the rabbits?
b. They were released by students.
5. What are the rabbits compared to?
c. They’re compared to peace ambassadors.
LISTENING LAB 0625
Step 1: Read the questions below.
質問を読んでください。
1. How long has the Svalbard Vault* been open?
a. for 10 years
b. since 2008
c. since doomsday *
2. Why is Spitsbergen such a good place for the vault? (circle all that apply)
a. It’s cold.
b. It’s close to water.
c. There are no earthquakes.
d. There are no people.
3. Which country was the first to withdraw seeds from Svalbard?
a. Sri Lanka
b. Syria
c. Senegal
4. How long can the seeds in storage survive?
a. forever
b. for up to 200 years
c. for hundreds of years
5. How much room is left in the vault?
a. about 10%
b. about 50%
c. about 75%
• vault = 倉庫
• doomsday = 世界最後の日
Step 2: Listen to the audio and try to answer the questions.
オーディオを聞いて、 質問に答えて見て下さい。
Step 3: Listen again while you read the article.
記事を読みながら、もう一度聞いてみてください。
Humanity's Backup Plan
by Claire Gorant
On a frozen island in the Arctic Ocean lies one of humanity’s most important agricultural backup plans. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, also known as the “Doomsday Vault,” protects the seeds of millions of crops from the dangers of climate change, war, and natural disaster. Since opening in 2008, the Svalbard Vault has received seeds from almost every country on Earth.
Located on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, the vault’s location is perfect for keeping things safe. It’s naturally freezing cold, there are no earthquakes, and almost no people. It’s like nature’s own super-secure freezer. Three separate storage vaults are kept at -18°C and hold hundreds of thousands of crop varieties ranging from staples like wheat, rice, and corn to rare varieties of fruits, vegetables and beans. You might wonder why we need so many different types of the same crop. Here’s the thing: genetic diversity is like having multiple tools in a toolbox. Different varieties of the same plant can survive different diseases, weather conditions, and bugs. If climate change makes it too hot for one kind of wheat, scientists can use seeds from the vault to grow new varieties that can handle the heat. In fact, the first seed withdrawal has already happened. In 2015, scientists in Syria had to replace wheat and other crops that had been destroyed during the country’s civil war, and the seed vault sent them what they needed.
The scientists that created the Svalbard Vault built it for the future. The low-temperature, low-oxygen storage system keeps the seeds alive and ready to grow for hundreds of years. The frozen ground around the building can keep the seeds refrigerated for up to 200 years even if it loses power. And the vault won’t run out of space any time soon — the facility can hold around 4.5 million seed samples, and so far, it’s only about a quarter full. The Svalbard Vault is an example of humanity’s ability to work together across countries and cultures in order to protect our food supply.
Step 4: Check your answers.
答えをチェックしてください。
1.. How long has the Svalbard Vault been open?
b. since 2008
2. Why is Spitsbergen such a good place for the vault? (circle all that apply)
a. It’s cold.
c. There are no earthquakes.
d. There are no people.
3. Which country was the first to withdraw seeds from Svalbard?
b. Syria
4. How long can the seeds in storage survive?
c. for hundreds of years
5. How much room is left in the vault?
c. about 75%
LISTENING LAB 0425
Step 1: Read the questions below.
質問を読んでください。
1. How long can Greenland sharks live?
2. How big are full-grown immortal* jellyfish?
3. What is the adult, swimming stage of a jellyfish called?
4. What animals eat the immortal jellyfish?
5. Around when was the immortal jellyfish’s ability to clone itself* discovered?
6. How many times did one of Shin Kubota’s jellyfish colonies* regrow itself in two years?
• immortal = 死なない, 永遠に生きる
(immortal jellyfish = ベニクラゲ)
• clone oneself = 自分のクローンを作る
• colony = コロニー
Step 2: Listen to the audio and try to answer the questions.
オーディオを聞いて、 質問に答えて見て下さい。
Step 3: Listen again while you read the article.
記事を読みながら、もう一度聞いてみてください。
The Animal That Can Live Forever
by Claire Gorant
Which animal do you think lives the longest? Elephants? They live 70 or 80 years. American lobsters? Over 100 years. Greenland sharks? Between 250 and 500 years. But no, the animal that might live the longest is none of the above. It’s a jellyfish, nicknamed the immortal jellyfish. At about 4.5 millimeters wide, it’s about the size of your pinky fingernail. This tiny creature is found almost everywhere around the world and feeds on fish eggs and other small things. However, when stressed, the immortal jellyfish can reset the clock and start its life all over again.
The immortal jellyfish begins its life as all jellyfish do — as an egg. This egg settles down on something hard (like a rock or a boat dock), where it grows into a polyp, a small tube about 5 centimeters tall. After a few days, the jellyfish swims out of the tube and away into the ocean. In this swimming stage, it is called a medusa, and it has the familiar bell-shaped body and up to 90 tentacles. And this is the stage where most jellyfish die, eaten by fish, sea turtles, sharks, penguins, and even other jellyfish. But the immortal jellyfish has a special trick. When hurt, stressed, or when there isn’t enough food, this jellyfish loses its bell and tentacles, sinks back down to the ocean floor, and begins to clone itself. A few days later, these clones are big enough to swim away again, their DNA a 100% copy of the original.
Scientists have known about the immortal jellyfish since the 1880s, but its special ability wasn’t discovered until about a century later. And it is still very mysterious — all jellyfish are difficult to keep in a lab, but the immortal jellyfish is especially sensitive. In fact, only one scientist in the world has been able to keep a group of these jellyfish alive for more than a short time. Shin Kubota, a long-time professor at Kyoto University, has been studying the same immortal jellyfish for years and has watched one colony regrow itself ten times in two years. Perhaps the immortal jellyfish will give us humans some hints on how to live forever.
Step 4: Check your answers.
答えをチェックしてください。
1. How long can Greenland sharks live?
The can live 250 to 500 years.
2. How big are full-grown immortal* jellyfish?
They are about the size of your pinky fingernail.
3. What is the adult, swimming stage of a jellyfish called?
It's called the medusa.
4. What animals eat the immortal jellyfish?
Fish, sea turtles, sharks, penguins and other jellyfish eat them.
5. Around when was the immortal jellyfish’s ability to clone itself* discovered?
It was discovered around 1980.
6. How many times did one of Shin Kubota’s jellyfish colonies* regrow itself in two years?
It regrew itself ten times.
LISTENING LAB 0225
Step 1: Read the questions below.
質問を読んでください。
1. Did chocolate originate in North America or Central America?
2. When and where did chocolate first arrive in Europe?
3. What health benefits of chocolate did Europeans notice?
4. Was milk chocolate first produced by a Dutch chemist or by Swiss chocolate makers?
5. What are fair-trade programs designed to do?
6. What can consumers do to put pressure on the chocolate companies to adopt more ethical and sustainable practices?
•originate = 始まる, 生まれる
•ethical = 倫理学の, 道徳上の
•sustainable = 持続可能な, サステナブル
Step 2: Listen to the audio and try to answer the questions.
オーディオを聞いて、 質問に答えて見て下さい。
Step 3: Listen again while you read the article.
記事を読みながら、もう一度聞いてみてください。
The History of Chocolate
by Claire Gorant
It’s that time of year again, when chocolates in fancy packages with hearts on them are sold in stores around the world. But where exactly did this popular sweet treat come from? Chocolate has a long and fascinating history that goes back over 3,000 years.
It all started around 1500 B.C. with the Olmecs of Central America, who were the first to use cacao beans to make a special drink for rituals and medicine. The Mayans, and later the Aztecs, picked up this tradition, drinking a chocolate mixture made with chili peppers, honey, and water. The beans became so valuable that they were even used as money.
Chocolate was brought by explorers to Spain in the early 1500s and then spread across the continent. At first, Europeans found it too bitter, but when they started adding sugar, cinnamon, and milk to it, it became a favorite treat among the wealthy. People began to notice that chocolate improved mood and increased energy. In London, exclusive chocolate cafes, like White’s Cocoa House, became popular meeting spots for writers, politicians, and anyone rich enough to afford a cup.
In the 19th century, chocolate changed forever thanks to a number of innovations. In 1828, Dutch chemist Coenraad Van Houten created a machine that made chocolate smoother and more affordable. Twenty years later, Joseph Fry made the first solid chocolate bar, and by the late 1800s, two Swiss chocolatiers had created milk chocolate. These improvements allowed chocolate to be mass-produced — now almost everyone could buy it, not just the rich!
However, chocolate production also had a dark side. Many cacao plantations used enslaved African labor, and even after slavery ended, unfair working conditions continued. Today, child labor and deforestation are still major issues in the chocolate industry, though many companies use fair-trade programs to make chocolate production more ethical and sustainable.
As we enjoy our chocolate treats this Valentine’s Day, we're participating in a tradition that spans millennia and continents. Chocolate has evolved from a bitter ceremonial drink to a beloved global snack. The industry continues to evolve too, with growing awareness of ethical sourcing and sustainability. By choosing only fair-trade chocolate, we can help ensure that the future of this timeless treat is as sweet and just as its taste.
Step 4: Check your answers.
答えをチェックしてください。
1. Did chocolate originate in North America or Central America?
It originate in Central America.
2. When and where did chocolate first arrive in Europe?
It arrived in the 1500s in Spain.
3. What health benefits of chocolate did Europeans notice?
They noticed that chocolate improved mood and increased energy.
4. Was milk chocolate first produced by a Dutch chemist or by Swiss chocolate makers?
It was produced by Swiss chocolate makers.
5. What are fair-trade programs designed to do?
They are designed to make chocolate production more ethical and sustainable.
6. What can consumers do to put pressure on the chocolate companies to adopt more ethical and sustainable practices?
They can buy only fair-trade chocolate.