Momofuku Ando: He Was 48 and Had Almost Nothing… Then Invented Instant Noodles
He was forty-eight and had almost nothing, only a small shed. He tried and tried, and in 1958 he made the world's first instant noodles. Learn five A1 words with the true story of Momofuku Ando.
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
He was forty-eight.
He had almost nothing.
In a small , he made a new food.
Later, it went very, very far.
How far? This is the story of Momofuku Ando.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. are long, thin pieces of food.
We often eat them in .
It's a plural word.
He made in a small .
. When you are , you want to eat.
Many people were after the war.
. things don't cost much money.
The opposite is expensive.
He wanted that were and easy.
. A is a small thing for drinks, like tea.
One , two .
He put his in a .
. A is the room where we cook.
He watched his wife in the .
Now, one pattern: the past with -ed.
Add -ed to many verbs for the past.
He works every night.
He worked every night.
He tried and tried.
Ready? Let's begin.
Many people were after the war.
One day in Osaka, Ando walked past a stand.
People waited in a long, long .
He never forgot it.
In 1957, his business failed.
He lost almost everything.
But he had a dream.
He wanted that were and easy.
So he started again.
He made in a small .
He worked alone, every day.
He slept only four hours a night.
He tried and tried.
The were never right.
Nothing worked. Then one evening, he watched his wife in the .
She cooked food in hot oil.
The oil dried the food.
That was it!
He cooked his in hot oil too.
In 1958, he sold the first instant .
You only added hot water.
Later, in America, people ate his from .
So in 1971, he put his in a .
At ninety-five, he made for space!
In 2005, an astronaut ate them far above the Earth.
So how far did his go?
All the way to space.
Let's review. He made in a small .
Many people were after the war.
He wanted that were and easy.
He put his in a .
He watched his wife in the .
And remember: he tried and tried.
Momofuku Ando's story teaches us: it's never too late to start again.
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Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
noodles noun (plural)
long, thin pieces of food; we often eat them in soup
“He made noodles in a small shed.”
hungry adjective
wanting to eat
“Many people were hungry after the war.”
cheap adjective
not costing much money (opposite: expensive)
“He wanted noodles that were cheap and easy.”
cup noun
a small thing for drinks, like tea (plural: cups)
“He put his noodles in a cup.”
kitchen noun
the room where we cook
“He watched his wife in the kitchen.”
soup noun
hot liquid food, often with vegetables or noodles
“We often eat them in soup.”
line noun
people standing one behind another, waiting
“People waited in a long, long line.”
shed noun
a small, simple building in a garden
“He made noodles in a small shed.”
Grammar in the story
past simple: verb + -ed
We use it for: to talk about finished actions in the past
- work → worked, watch → watched
- try → tried: y becomes ied
- cook → cooked, add → added
From the story
- He tried and tried.
- He watched his wife in the kitchen.
Find it in the story 19 times
Your turn
Every day, he alone in the shed.
People in a long line for noodles.
He and tried until the noodles were right.
Step 4
Story Challenge
9 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
Well done!
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Take it further
Before you watch: Do you like noodles? How do you make them at home?
After you watch: Write three sentences about your day yesterday with -ed verbs. For example: I cooked noodles. I watched a video. I walked to school.
Think about it: Ando said, “In life, it’s never too late.” Is there something new you want to start?
