Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. a legend
    • ex. She became a legend in music for her amazing voice that everyone loved.
  2. retirement
    • ex. He feels happy about retirement because he can finally spend more time with his family.
  3. perfection
    • ex. She wanted perfection in her performance, so she practiced every day to make sure she made no mistakes.
  4. a centenarian
    • ex. My grandmother is a centenarian. She just turned 102 and is still very active.
  5. fatherly
    • ex. The uncle showed fatherly care to his nieces and nephews, which made the children feel safe.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Japanese sushi legend Jiro Ono is famous for his skill and passion for sushi. His small Tokyo restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro, once held three Michelin stars for more than ten years. This made him the first sushi chef to receive this honor. Recently, Ono turned 100 years old, but he says he is not ready for retirement. “I plan to keep going for about five more years,” he said on “Respect for the Aged Day.” Ono said the secret to his good health is “to work.” For him, working is the best medicine.

Ono began training as a sushi chef at age 7 and opened his own restaurant in 1965. He has always tried to reach perfection in his work. “I’ll continue to climb trying to reach the top, but nobody knows where the top is,” he said in the film Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

Now one of Japan’s 100,000 centenarians, Ono is described by director David Gelb as a fatherly role model and teacher to those around him. He now serves only special guests as his hands are weaker. But he still hopes to live and work until age 114.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Retirement

  • Jiro Ono doesn’t want to retire even at the age of 100. Would you also like to live and work up to the age of 100? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What do you think people should be doing during retirement? Discuss.
  • Japan celebrates “Respect for the Aged Day.” In your opinion, why is this day important? Discuss.

Perfection

  • Jiro Ono has spent his life trying to reach perfection in making sushi. Do you think trying to be perfect at work or school is important? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What do you think perfection means? Discuss.
  • Jiro Ono said, “I’ll continue to climb trying to reach the top, but nobody knows where the top is.” Why do you think it’s important to keep trying even when you don’t know the final goal? Discuss.