Former Sumo Champion Questions Claims About Mongolia Fire
Listen to the story
A large grassland fire broke out in Mongolia and later spread across the border into China. The fire caused serious damage to the natural area.
Firefighters worked to protect wild animals during the disaster. They guided animals away from the flames and helped them cross safely into Chinese territory.
As news of the fire spread, some people claimed that Japanese people were responsible for starting it. However, former sumo grand champion Asashoryu has questioned this claim publicly.
Asashoryu, who was born in Mongolia and became one of sumo's most successful wrestlers, said it is unfair to blame only Japanese people for the fire. He suggested that the full story may be more complicated than reports have shown.
In a separate story, telecom company KDDI apologised after smoke was seen coming from a car belonging to one of its employees. There had been suggestions online that the incident was connected to fishing, but KDDI denied this rumor.
The two stories both come from recent news coverage in Japan, touching on environmental damage and public reaction to unclear information.
Vocabulary10 words
- grassland
- a wide area of land covered mostly in grass
- firefighter
- a person trained to stop dangerous fires
- champion
- a person who has won a top competition
- question
- to show doubt about something
- blame
- to say someone caused something bad
- smoke
- the grey cloud produced by something burning
- fishing
- the activity of catching fish
- rumor
- information people share that may not be true
- territory
- an area of land controlled by a country
- telecom company
- a business that provides phone or internet services
📚 Ready to use these words in a real conversation?
Practice live with a real tutor on Preply.
Quiz
Answer key
1. It spread into China 2. He questioned the claim that Japanese people were to blame 3. Smoke came from an employee's car
✅ Nice work on the quiz!
Keep the momentum going — book a live English lesson with a Preply tutor.
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
A large _____ fire broke out in Mongolia.
The fire later spread across the _____ into China.
_____ worked to protect wild animals during the disaster.
They guided animals safely into Chinese _____.
Some people claimed _____ people were responsible for the fire.
Former sumo grand _____ Asashoryu questioned this claim.
He said it is unfair to _____ only Japanese people.
KDDI apologised after _____ was seen coming from a car.
Some people online suggested it was linked to _____.
KDDI denied this _____.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think people quickly blame a specific group during a disaster?
- Do you think public figures like Asashoryu should comment on controversial topics?
- How can wildfires affect countries that share a border?
- Why might companies like KDDI need to respond quickly to online rumors?
🎓 Enjoyed this story?
Turn today's reading into real speaking practice with a live Preply tutor.