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: 22 December 2016
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN 🔈
Aleppo Evacuation Nearly Complete
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- evacuate: to leave a dangerous area
- evacuee: a person who is trying to leave and reach safety
- populous: having many people
- hub: centre
- rebel: a person who resists the government or authority
- civilian: an everyday person as opposed to a member of the armed forces or police
- dismal: depressing; not hopeful
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Aleppo Evacuation Nearly Complete
Comprehension Questions
- What type of city was Aleppo?
- How were the civilians evacuated?
- Why is taking control of Aleppo so important for President Assad’s regime?
Discussion Questions: The Syrian War has been going on for over five years. Do you know what started this civil war? Do you think it will come to an end anytime soon or are there too many groups still fighting? If it comes to an end, will the millions of refugees want to go home?
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Aleppo Evacuation Nearly Complete
Approximately 30,000 people have been evacuated from eastern Aleppo, Syria’s economic capital and most populous city. This week’s evacuations were delayed for almost 24 hours, leaving evacuees hungry and freezing on buses. Syria’s hub has been under heavy bombardment from both government forces and rebels for months, but a ceasefire was arranged earlier this month in order to get civilians to safety. Though they are safer now than they were in Aleppo, the evacuees are still in a war zone where the shelter and medical care is dismal. When President Assad’s regime officially takes Aleppo, all of Syria’s major cities will be under his control.
- Aleppo was Syria’s economic hub and most populous city.
- The civilians were evacuated by bus during a ceasefire.
- Taking control of Aleppo is so important for President Assad because then he will have all of the country’s major cities.
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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