photo Tara Benwell Listen to News with Tara Benwell - Instructions:
1. Preview the vocabulary and read the gapfill text.
2. Play the news report and try to fill in the blanks.
3. Answer the comprehension questions by writing full sentences.
4. Use the discussion question to write an essay or discuss the story with other students.
5. Click "show Answers" to see the full text.
6. Pretend to be a news anchor by reading each story out loud.

dateline: 01 February 2017

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Pakistan Court Bans Valentine’s Day

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

  • ban: to disallow
  • petition: a formal request
  • violate: to break, disrespect, or not follow a rule
  • promotion: advertisement
  • vendor: a merchant; a seller
  • disregard: to ignore

Pakistan Court Bans Valentine’s Day

The day before Valentine’s Day, a court in Islamabad banned the celebration of the holiday in Pakistan. The court was to a petition that stated that Valentine’s Day violate Islamic values and culture. The ban included the and print promotion of the February 14th holiday. Despite the ruling, many business owners and street vendors, including those of Muslim , disregarded the ban and sold Valentine-themed flowers and gifts as planned.

Comprehension Questions

  1. What did the Pakistani court ban?
  2. Why did the court issue this ban?
  3. How did many vendors in Pakistan react to the ban?

Discussion Questions: Do you agree or disagree with banning Valentine’s Day celebrations and promotions based on religious reasons?

show Answers

Written and recorded by Tara Benwell for EnglishClub
Tara Benwell is a Canadian freelance writer and editor who specializes in materials and articles for the ELT industry.
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