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E/arm-up Activities

♦    Think of as many words as possible related to the theme “skiing".

♦    How many indoor and outdoor activities can you name?

g, Tryto answerthefollowing questions by guessing, then listen to the text of Part 3 and find out if your guess was correct.

a.    Is the snów in the ski centre real?V~

b.    Is the ski centre in Tokyo?f

c.    Has the ski building got two slopes?

d.    Is there an indoor water resort in Japan?

>k: Parł 3

lt’s summer in Japan - the perlect time to puli on a designer winter jack-et and gloves and head off to a ski-slope.—j B jWell, convinced that Tokyo residents are tired oł expensive, over-crowded winter excursions, the country's top real estate developer has built the world's largest indoor ski tacility. The SSAWS ski building opens this week in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, a town 30 minutes east of Tokyo by train.

| “I have long been wondering what this strange-looking building was going to be." says Makiko Saito, a 29-year-old depart-ment storę employee in Tokyo. "When I heard that it’s a skiing centre with real snów, I knew l’d haye to check it out.”

The ski building isactualły a$364 mil-lion refrigerator. B0BCEZ1 Twenty centimetre thick glass-wool insulation helps keep out exterior beat. The building's snow-making system is said to be unique: 94 nozzles, spread across the ceiling, spray a mix of compressed air and misty water.

1ilHr^~| It s a unique combi-nation of scientific achievement and the leisure industry. “It's not )ust any snów that is produced by the machinę", claim officials at Mitsui

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Part

You are going to read a magazine article about skiing in Japan. Seven sen-tences have been removed from the article. Choose trom the sentences (A-H) the one which fits each gap (16-21). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0).

A s/ Those waiting can eat, watch TV, swim or sit in a sauna until their numbers are catted. 8 You may be wondering how this is possible.

The l¥orfd’s Largesł Refrigerator Snów Skiing in the Great Indoors

R

Fudosan Co., the developers. These crystals are powdery and smali • 80 microns in diametre. "To get the same high-quałity snów", asserts SSAWS manager Ryosuke Uematsuj" “one would have to travel to tne | mountains of Japan’s northern islarid of Hokkaido."

The ski building has two slopes - one for beginners and the other, slightlyj steeper, for experienced skiers.

Two high-speed chalrllfts will whisk skiers back up to the top after \hey have completed ais run. “We didn't want to make a take ski resort," says Uematsu of his takej ski resort, “but it just seemed to hap-pen that way. The ski-run hasł become popular in a way that we neyer dreamt possible." Visitors to the, new ski hall are charged $54 for two hours of skiing. To avoid over-crowd-, ing, only 2,000 people will be allowed Lin at one time.

csii

C >0L The building also includes a race track.

wag,

ID V When the water particles are exposed to cold air, they crystakze into snów.

From the outside, the Steel and concrete structure looks like a giant piece ot cheese. W Japan also has a massive indoor water resort cailed Wild Blue Yokohama.

H/

G :Inside, the temperaturo is maintained at a chilly two degrees Celsius.

H v As might be expected, the slopes are short - only 500 metres long.

Those who don t like the idea of sum mer snów skiing need not miss out on the fun. HI

CE* 9°^l

sandy beach, fake palm trees and 2-metre high waves - the last courtesy of a huge wave machinę. The entrance fee is $35.

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