This is a listening activity based on the AJ+ video “The Story Behind Your Bowl Of Ramen Noodles”. I suggest that you read the following vocabulary list before watching the video. Then, watch the video and try to complete the sentences with the correct word from the box.

VOCABULARY

Bowl: 

Migrant: a person who goes from one place to another especially to find work.
Ex. Economic migrants move abroad to escape poverty and improve their financial condition.

Labor: workers considered as a group.
Ex. We had this huge harvest, so we had to hire all this cheap labor.

Shortage: a state in which there is not enough of something that is needed.
Ex. In many European countries, agricultural businesses complain about the shortage of skilled workers.

Wheat: 

Consumption: the act of eating or drinking something.
Ex. Alcohol consumption constitutes a major danger to road safety.

Uprising: an act of resistance or rebellion; a revolt.
Ex. He weighed 38 kilos when he escaped from prison during the 1956 Hungarian uprising and fled to the Netherlands.

To lead: to lie or go in a specified direction.
Ex. This way will lead us to the main entrance for sure.

Affordable: inexpensive; reasonably priced.
Ex. Railways have many benefits, as travelling by rail is affordable and environmentally friendly.

Lifestyle: the way a person lives or a group of people live.
Ex. Technology, the internet, they have changed our lifestyle.

Quintessential: the most important part of something.
Ex. Sheep’s milk cheese is the quintessential Corsican cheese.

Dorm: informal, short for dormitory.

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Wildfire/ like wildfire: (informal) very quickly.
Ex. The news had spread like wildfire.

To devour: eat hungrily or quickly.

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Downloadable PDF version: The Story Behind Your Bowl Of Ramen – Vocabulary

Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with the correct word from the box

1. This signature Japanese ___________ is now an international favorite.
2. Ramen as we know it comes from Japan but its popularity in the country is actually ___________ new.
3. Then Japan entered World War II which led to major food ___________ across the country and ramen’s popularity pretty much disappeared. 
4. When the war ended the US occupied Japan and imported a whole lot of wheat to the country, leading to more noodle _____________________.
5. And one reason why there was so much ______________ imported was because there was a fear that food shortages could lead to _________________uprising.
6. After those really hard times, from the 1950s to 1970s Japan went through an _____________________ boom.
7. And busy lifestyles led to the creation ________________ ramen in the 1950s.
8. Then in the 1970s the super convenient just add water ________________ dorm food cup of noodles was made and it took off like ________________ in Japan and internationally. 
9. But it wasn’t until the 1980s that ramen actually became an_______________  part of Japanese culture.
10. Today the love for ramen is real in Japan and what was once a working men’s food is now a ___________________ love and __________________ dish around the world.

Downloadable PDF version (without answers): The Story Behind Your Bowl Of Ramen Noodles – AJ+ – Fill in the gaps exercise

Downloadable PDF version (answers): The Story Behind Your Bowl Of Ramen Noodles – AJ+ – Exercise’s answers