The Big Cheese Race!

2026.05.22
Writer / 記事を書いた人
Adam
United Kingdom(イギリス)

Hi there! My name is Adam. I have been living in Japan for one year so far and I love it here. I hope I can share with you fun things you would like to learn about.

Article

The Big Cheese Race!

▼ 記事の音声を再生

<Let's learn!>
・roll down
・run after
・fall down
・hurt oneself

=====================================
 
In the UK, we have a very strange event called Cheese Rolling. It is held every year in England. A big wheel of cheese is rolled down a very steep hill. People run after the cheese fast and try to catch it. The first person at the bottom wins the cheese.

This event is very old. The hill is dangerous, and people fall down and hurt themselves. But many people still do it because it is fun.

In Japan, festivals are safe and careful. Cheese Rolling is more dangerous, but it is very interesting to watch. Would you like to try Cheese rolling?

【出典】
※Top image
By Dave Farrance, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26349182

※Image1
CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=99542418

日本語訳を見る

Key Points

Repeat each word(s) and example sentence(s) after your teacher/tutor.

Key Phrases 重要表現

roll down

転がり落ちる、転がって下る

The children rolled down the grassy hill.

run after

~を追いかける、~のあとを追う

The police officer ran after the thief.

fall down

倒れる、転ぶ、落ちる

The little boy fell down and started crying.

hurt oneself

けがをする、自分自身を傷つける

She hurt herself while she was cutting vegetables.

Key Vocabulary 重要単語・熟語

strange

streɪndʒ

奇妙な、見知らぬ、不思議な

形容詞

unusual and unexpected, or difficult to understand

She was wearing a strange hat at the party.

be held

held

開催される、行われる

動詞(受動態)

remarks about the faults of someone or something

Our meeting will be held in the next room

steep

stiːp

急な、激しい

形容詞

rising or falling at a sharp angle

The stairs to the temple are very steep.

hill

hɪl

丘、小山、坂

名詞

an area of land that is higher than the surrounding land

There is a beautiful church on the hill.

Others その他

wheel

wiːl

車輪、ハンドル、(車輪状の)丸い塊

名詞

a circular object connected at the centre to a bar, used for making vehicles or parts of machines move

A car has four wheels, but a bicycle has two.

still

stɪl

まだ、それでも

副詞

continuing to happen or continuing to be done

Are you still waiting for the bus?

Practice

Fill in the blanks to complete the sentence.

Heavy rocks sometimes (___)(___) this mountain.

ヒント:roll down

回答を見る

Heavy rocks sometimes (roll)(down) this mountain.

Children often (___)(___) butterflies in the park.

ヒント:run after

回答を見る

Children often (run)(after) butterflies in the park.

The floor is wet, and people easily (___)(___).

ヒント:fall down

回答を見る

The floor is wet, and people easily (fall)(down).

I played soccer in the rain and (___)(___).

ヒント:hurt oneself (myself)

回答を見る

I played soccer in the rain and (hurt)(myself).

Article

Read the article aloud on your own or repeat each paragraph after your teacher/tutor.

The Big Cheese Race!

<Let's learn!>
・roll down
・run after
・fall down
・hurt oneself

=====================================
 
In the UK, we have a very strange event called Cheese Rolling. It is held every year in England. A big wheel of cheese is rolled down a very steep hill. People run after the cheese fast and try to catch it. The first person at the bottom wins the cheese.

This event is very old. The hill is dangerous, and people fall down and hurt themselves. But many people still do it because it is fun.

In Japan, festivals are safe and careful. Cheese Rolling is more dangerous, but it is very interesting to watch. Would you like to try Cheese rolling?

【出典】
※Top image
By Dave Farrance, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26349182

※Image1
CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=99542418

Questions

Answer the questions based on the article.

Where and how often is "Cheese Rolling" held?

ヒント:It is held ~

回答を見る

It is held every year in England.

Why is cheese rolling dangerous?

ヒント:The hill is dangerous, and ~

回答を見る

Because people fall down and hurt themselves.

How is "Cheese Rolling" different from festivals in Japan?

ヒント:In Japan, festivals are ~

回答を見る

Festivals in Japan are safe and careful, but Cheese Rolling is more dangerous.

Discussion

Let’s have a discussion about the theme with your teacher/tutor or classmates.

With your teacher/tutor 先生とのディスカッション

Which is more important for a festival, "safety" or "fun"? And why?

I think [ safety / fun ] is more important. Because ~.

Are there any dangerous or strange festivals in Japan?

Yes, there are. For example, ~.

If cheese rolling comes to Japan, do you think it'll be a popular event? And why?

Yes, I do./ No, I don't. Because ~.

With your classmates クラスメートとのディスカッション

What festivals do you like in Japan?

I like ~. Because ~.

If you go to the UK, do you want to watch Cheese Rolling, or do you want to join it?

I want to [ watch / join ] it. Because ~.

In this festival, the winner gets the cheese. If you win a race, what prize do you want?

I want ~. Because ~.