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Bright Lives English
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Sadako Sasaki: She Folded 1,000 Paper Cranes… Then the World Folded Them Too

Level A2 (Elementary) · Watch the video and do the online quiz at https://brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/sadako-sasaki-thousand-paper-cranes/

A Match the words to their meanings

  1. crane (noun)
  2. fold (verb)
  3. paper (noun)
  4. wish (noun)
  5. peace (noun)
  6. bird (noun)
  7. ill (adjective)
  8. statue (noun)
  1. not well; sick
  2. a big bird with a long neck and long legs
  3. a big model of a person or an animal, made of stone or metal
  4. thin, flat material; we write on it
  5. something you really want to happen
  6. a time with no war and no fighting
  7. an animal with wings and feathers; most birds can fly
  8. to bend one part of paper over another part (past: folded)

B Complete the sentences from the story

crane · wish · bird · statue · ill · paper · folded · peace

  1. In Japan, the is a bird of good luck.
  2. Her was to get better.
  3. In 1958, the was ready.
  4. The crane is a big .
  5. She cranes every day.
  6. She used the from her medicine.
  7. Sadako was very , so she stayed in hospital.
  8. Each crane is a wish for .

C Did you understand?

  1. Sadako was born in Tokyo.True / False
  2. How old was Sadako when the bomb fell on Hiroshima?
    1. Five
    2. Two
    3. Eight
    4. Twelve
  3. Sadako was a fast runner.True / False
  4. What did the old story say?
    1. Draw 1,000 birds, and you will be rich
    2. Write 1,000 letters, and you will be famous
    3. Fold 1,000 paper cranes, and your wish will come true
    4. Run 1,000 miles, and you will get better
  5. Why did she use the paper from her medicine?
    1. It was her favourite colour
    2. The doctor asked her
    3. It was very big
    4. Paper was hard to find
  6. Sadako stopped folding before she had 1,000 cranes.True / False

D Put the words in order

  1. get / folded / to / cranes / She / better, / so / she / wanted

E Grammar: so (result)

We use it for to join a reason and its result: reason, so result. reason + , so + result: She wanted to get better, so she folded cranes. · Paper was hard to find, so she used the paper from her medicine. · Compare: She folded cranes because she wanted to get better. (because + reason)

Example from the story: She wanted to get better, so she folded cranes.

  1. Paper was hard to find, she used the paper from her medicine. (so / because / but)
  2. Some cranes were very small, so a needle. (she used / she uses it / used she)
  3. She loved to run, she ran in the relay race. (so / because / or)

F Your turn

Retell Sadako Sasaki's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.

Transcript

In hospital, a girl folded paper cranes, one by one.

An old story said: fold 1,000, and your wish will come true.

Did she do it?

This is the story of Sadako Sasaki.

Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.

Crane. A crane is a big bird with a long neck.

In Japan, the crane is a bird of good luck.

Fold. When you fold paper, you bend one part over another part.

The past is folded.

She folded cranes every day.

Paper. Paper is thin and flat.

We write on it.

She used the paper from her medicine.

Wish. A wish is something you really want to happen.

Her wish was to get better.

Peace. Peace is a time with no war and no fighting.

Each crane is a wish for peace.

Now, one pattern: so, for a result.

So joins a reason and its result.

She wanted to get better.

She folded cranes.

She wanted to get better, so she folded cranes.

Ready? Let's begin.

Sadako was born in Hiroshima, Japan, in 1943.

In 1945, when she was two, an atomic bomb fell on the city.

Sadako was not hurt.

Everyone thought she was fine.

Sadako grew up strong and happy.

She loved to run.

She was one of the fastest girls in her class, so she ran for her class in the relay race.

But in 1954, she started to feel very tired.

In February 1955, she went to hospital.

She had a serious illness of the blood.

Her mother called it the atom bomb illness.

In the hospital, Sadako heard an old story.

In Japan, the crane is a bird of good luck.

If you fold 1,000 paper cranes, your wish will come true.

Sadako wanted to get better, so she folded cranes every day.

Paper was hard to find, so she used the paper from her medicine.

Some cranes were as small as a grain of rice, so she used a needle.

Did she fold 1,000?

Yes!

In less than a month, she folded 1,000 cranes.

And she did not stop.

But her wish did not come true.

In October 1955, Sadako died.

She was only twelve.

Her classmates were very sad, so they had an idea: a statue for Sadako and for all the children of the bomb.

Children from all over Japan sent money.

In 1958, the statue was ready.

Today, the statue stands in the Peace Park in Hiroshima.

A girl holds a golden crane high in the sky.

Every year, people send about 10 million paper cranes.

Each crane is a wish for peace.

Let's review. In Japan, the crane is a bird of good luck.

She folded cranes every day.

She used the paper from her medicine.

Her wish was to get better.

Each crane is a wish for peace.

And remember: she wanted to get better, so she folded cranes.

Sadako Sasaki's story teaches us: even a small paper crane can carry a big wish for peace.

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Answer key

A. 1b 2h 3d 4e 5f 6g 7a 8c

B. 1 crane · 2 wish · 3 statue · 4 bird · 5 folded · 6 paper · 7 ill · 8 peace

C. 1 False · 2 b · 3 True · 4 c · 5 d · 6 False

D. 1 She wanted to get better, so she folded cranes.

E. 1 so · 2 she used · 3 so