Learning Objective: This is a reading and comprehension class. At the end of the session, the participants are expected to be able to practice reading properly, enhance comprehension and recall and answer the questions about the article.


Story Proper

Five months after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that ripped apart Japan’s northern coastline and people’s lives, cash and valuables washed away have been returned to their owners. Since the double disasters struck in March, Japanese people and search and rescue crews have handed in thousands of wallets and 5,700 safes found in the debris. A total of $48 million in cash has been turned in to police stations across northern Japan. One safe alone contained a million dollars in banknotes. This is welcome news for those reunited with their valuables who thought they had lost everything in the tsunami. It will help some rebuild their lives. It is also a fitting tribute to the honesty of the Japanese people.

Japan’s National Police Agency says nearly all the valuables found in the three hardest hit areas have been returned to their owners. Police spokesman Koetsu Saiki from the Miyagi Prefectural Police explained the difficulty his officers had in reuniting the cash with its owners, saying: "The fact that these safes were washed away, meant the homes were washed away too. We first had to determine if the owners were alive and then find where they had been evacuated to." He said that finding out who a safe belonged to was the easy part as it usually contained bankbooks and other documents with names and addresses. One grateful resident, Torazo Chiba, 65, whose home was washed away by the tsunami said: "This has inspired me to try hard again."


Activity Proper




"Online activities, the mp3 and printable handouts are available for this lesson at http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com"