Spark Study Buddy (Explorer): Japanese social media star Yuka Kinoshita retires from competitive eating
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[1] A famous eating influencer from Japan named Yuka Kinoshita announced on February 1 that she will quit competitive eating due to health and age concerns. This announcement comes just a few months after she returned to social media following a seven-month break.
[2] Kinoshita has been dealing with bipolar disorder. 'I will turn 40 on February 4, and it's difficult for me to keep working as a big eater,' she posted on a social media platform where she has 5.2 million followers.
[3] 'I am very exhausted. My health has deteriorated over the years. It is no problem to eat like a normal person, but I feel tired even when I am not full. So I am afraid I cannot eat as much as before,' she added.
[4] Her career as a 'big stomach king' began in 2009 on the Japanese reality show The Battle of Big Eaters. She did not win the show. Still, she attracted attention for the contrast between the large amount of food she could eat, her small body and cute smile.
[5] Kinoshita began her own online channel back in 2014. She would share her binge-eating adventures on video. Her achievements included eating 600 fried chickens in one sitting. She also posted videos of her eating 100 burgers, 5kg of steak, and 5kg of ramen. In one video, she ate bibimbap, a Korean rice dish, mixed with 50 eggs in addition to 6kg of miso soup.
[6] Kinoshita is 158cm tall and remained at 47kg for a long time. It was estimated that she consumed between 5,000 to 20,000 calories a meal while eating large amounts of food in a short time. She stopped sharing content on the internet at the beginning of last year. She reappeared in August, saying she was slowly recovering from the mental illness.
[7] 'I am not in the mood for love and I never thought of getting married. With my three cats, I am quite happy and content,' said Kinoshita in a recent video. 'For this new year, I hope I can live a long life like a snake.'
Source: South China Morning Post, February 10
Questions
1. According to paragraph 1, why is Kinoshita quitting competitive eating?
2. Which word can replace 'exhausted' in paragraph 2?
A. sleepy
B. worried
C. full
D. tired
3. Which TV show helped Kinoshita become famous, as mentioned in paragraph 4?
4. … Kinoshita did not win the show, people started to notice her.
A. Although
B. Because
C. However
D. Until
5. According to paragraph 6, how many calories can she eat in one meal?
6. Write the plural form of the following food items. (4 marks)
(i) burger
(ii) miso soup
(iii) steak
(iv) ramen
Kinoshita, known for eating massive amounts of food, says she is exhausted and her health has deteriorated Photo: YouTube@kinoyuu0204
Answers
1. because of health and age reasons
2. D
3. The Battle of Big Eaters
4. A
5. between 5,000 and 20,000 calories
6. (i) burgers; (ii) miso soup; (iii) steak; (iv) ramen
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