Public Schools Almost Out of Japan's Koshien Baseball Tournament
Listen to the story
Koshien is a famous high school baseball tournament in Japan.
Many schools play in this tournament every summer.
Some schools are private schools. Some schools are public schools.
This year, nine public schools played their first games.
Eight of these nine public schools lost. Only one team won and is safe.
Oita Sho and Naruto Uzushio were the only public schools to win their first game.
Sha and Saga Sho lost by just one point.
Now, only Naruto Uzushio is still playing for the public schools.
People wonder if Naruto Uzushio can win its next game too.
If Naruto Uzushio loses, all the best 16 teams could be private schools.
The last time a public school won the whole tournament was 19 years ago.
Vocabulary9 words
- tournament
- a sports competition with many games
- private
- a school that costs money and is not run by the government
- public
- a school that is free and run by the government
- first game
- the very first match a team plays in a competition
- point
- a score in a game
- best 16
- the top 16 teams left in a tournament
- won
- past form of win; got first place or success
- lost
- past form of lose; did not win
- safe
- still in the competition; not out
Quiz
Answer key
1. Nine 2. Naruto Uzushio 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Koshien is a famous high school baseball _____ in Japan.
Some schools are _____ schools. Some schools are _____ schools.
This year, nine public schools played their first _____.
Eight of these nine public schools _____.
Oita Sho and Naruto Uzushio were the only public schools to _____ their first game.
Sha and Saga Sho lost by just one _____.
Now, only Naruto Uzushio is still _____ for the public schools.
If Naruto Uzushio loses, all the best 16 teams could be _____ schools.
The last time a public school won the whole tournament was 19 years _____.