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: 21 April 2015
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN 🔈
Migrants Dying at Sea
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- migrant: a person moving from one country to another
- sink: to drop below the surface of the water; past tense – sank
- human trafficker: people who make money by illegally helping humans move from one place to another with the promise of a job or a better life
- mass: very large
- grave: a place where bodies are buried
Comprehension Questions
- What happened in the Mediterranean Sea this weekend?
- Who organizes voyages like this?
- Why does the report mention Italy?
Discussion Questions: European nations like Italy are having difficulty coping with this migration crisis. What can be done about this, and who needs to act?
show Answershide Answers
Migrants Dying At Sea
A large multi-level ship of migrants attempting to reach Europe from Libya sank with hundreds of migrants on board this weekend. The number of dead and rescued is currently unknown, but a search and rescue operation is underway. Approximately 35,000 migrants have reached Italian soil via the Mediterranean Sea since the beginning of this year. Another 12,000 reached Greece. Hundreds, possibly thousands have also lost their lives in the attempt. The voyages are typically organized by human traffickers who promise to help desperate people find a better life. Human rights activists say that the Mediterranean is becoming a mass grave.
- A ship carrying migrants sank in the Mediterranean Sea this weekend.
- Human traffickers organize voyages like this.
- The report mentions Italy because this is one of the European nations that is receiving desperate migrants via the Mediterranean Sea.
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.
© EnglishClub.com
