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Back to This Month's News | Monthly News Archives		 Dateline: 1 February 2007

Story #1

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

Story #1: Village Found Near Stonehenge
Archaeologists have a Neolithic village 2 miles from England's Stonehenge in an area called Durrington Walls. Eight small have been excavated so far, though archeologists are calling it a huge settlement and say there may be many more. Carbon dating shows that the village was built in approximately , which suggests that it may have once housed Stonehenge builders. Both Stonehenge and Durrington Walls have to the Avon River, suggesting that people traveled between the sites. Evidence of bed frames and other furniture at the site, has caused researchers to speculate that this was a place for the living, to the memorial ground of Stonehenge.

Comprehension Questions: Story #1

  1. What major discovery occured in England this January?
  2. Who may have once lived in Durrington Walls?
  3. According to researchers, how does the archaeological site of Durrington Walls differ from Stonehenge?
Discussion Question: Evidence of debris such as half-eaten animal bones on the floors of these homes has caused some researchers to speculate that Durrington Walls was a place for festivals and celebrations rather than a place to live year round. Two of the eight homes appear clean, however. What do you think these two homes may have been used for?

Story #2

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

Story #2: Parts of Vanished Airplane Found
An Adam Air plane carrying people through a windstorm on New Year's Day vanished from off the coast of Java. An announcement that the plane had crashed into the mountains and that 12 survivors had been found turned out to be false. The government apologized, blaming the mistake on rumours spread by local Sulawesi villagers. The missing plane baffled teams for ten days, until January 11th when a turned in a piece of the plane's tail, realizing it wasn't driftwood. Other debris including passenger seats was subsequently found in nearby water.

Comprehension Questions: Story #2

  1. When and where did this incident occur?
  2. What were loved ones told a few days after the plane went missing?
  3. Who found the first parts of the Adam Aircraft?
Discussion Question: False rumours of hope often circulate after a disaster. Why do you think villagers in a case such as this would make up a story of survival that wasn't really true?

Story #3

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

Story #3: Young Copycats Die after Hussein's Hanging
Since Saddam Hussein's death, several reports have been made of mimicking the highly publicized event. Parts of the execution of the former Iraqi leader were aired on TV . A video of the hanging was also posted on the Internet. According to their families, the boys in Turkey, Yemen, India, and the US have died while playing with after seeing repeated images of the event. Some psychologists believe that the pictures of Hussein with the rope around his neck may have been more detrimental than the video, since the copycats may have not fully understood the .

Comprehension Questions: Story #3

  1. What type of pretend game have many young boys been reportedly playing this January?
  2. What does the report suggest about the media?
  3. How do some psychologists feel about the recent deaths?
Discussion Question: If these children did not intend to kill themselves, who should be responsible for their deaths? Would you put the blame on the parents, the children, or the media?

Story #4

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

Story #4: World's Oldest Woman Holds Title for One Week
114 year old, Emma Tillman of Connecticut died this January after being as the oldest living human by the Guinness Book of World Records. Mrs. Tillman, once a child of slaves, only held the title for one week, after a man died early in the New Year, at the age of 115. Though Mrs. Tillman died in a nursing home, she lived on her own until she was years old. Four of her siblings also lived 100 years of age. The Tillman family attributes her longevity to her strong beliefs, and her abstinence from cigarettes and alcohol.

Comprehension Questions: Story #4

  1. What did the Guinness Book of World Records have to change three times this January?
  2. How did Mrs. Tillman exhibit her independence even past the age of 100?
  3. According to Mrs. Tillman's relatives, why did she live so long?
Discussion Question: People are living longer due to new information and technology in the field of medicine. Do you think the life expectancy of humans will continue to climb throughout this millenium?

ANSWER CHECK

Story #1

Story #1: Village Found Near Stonehenge
Archaeologists have uncovered a Neolithic village 2 miles from England's Stonehenge in an area called Durrington Walls. Eight small houses have been excavated so far, though archaeologists are calling it a huge settlement and say there may be many more. Carbon dating shows that the village was built in approximately 2600 BC, which suggests that it may have once housed Stonehenge builders. Both Stonehenge and Durrington Walls have avenues to the Avon River, suggesting that people traveled between the sites. Evidence of bed frames and other furniture at the site, has caused researchers to speculate that this was a place for the living, in contrast to the memorial ground of Stonehenge.

Comprehension Answers: Story #1

  1. A prehistoric village with a number of houses was found near Stonehenge in England.
  2. It is believed that those who built Stonehenge may have once occupied these houses.
  3. Researchers believe that Durrington Walls was used for the living, while Stonehenge was used for the dead.

Story #2

Story #2: Parts of Vanished Airplane Found
An Adam Air plane carrying 102 people through a windstorm on New Year's Day vanished from radar screens off the coast of Java. An announcement that the plane had crashed into the mountains and that 12 survivors had been found turned out to be false. The Indonesian government apologized, blaming the mistake on rumours spread by local Sulawesi villagers. The missing plane baffled search and rescue teams for ten days, until January 11th when a fisherman turned in a piece of the plane's tail, realizing it wasn't driftwood. Other debris including passenger seats was subsequently found in nearby water.

Comprehension Answers: Story #2

  1. The crash occured off the coast of Java in Indonesia.
  2. Friends and family of the passengers were told that the crash site had been located and that 12 survivors were found.
  3. A fisherman found the first real evidence of the fallen plane.

Story #3

Story #3: Young Copycats Die after Hussein's Hanging
Since Saddam Hussein's death, several reports have been made of children mimicking the highly publicized event. Parts of the execution of the former Iraqi leader were aired on TV worldwide. A video of the hanging was also posted on the Internet. According to their families, the boys in Turkey, Yemen, India, and the US have died while playing with ropes after seeing repeated images of the event. Some psychologists believe that the pictures of Hussein with the rope around his neck may have been more detrimental than the full-length video, since the copycats may have not fully understood the end result.

Comprehension Answers: Story #3

  1. It is suggested that many boys have been pretending to hang themselves with ropes this January.
  2. This report suggests that by showing this violent act on TV, the media did not do enough to protect young viewers.
  3. Some psychologists believe that the boys may not have realized that the man on the television was going to die.

Story #4

Story #4: World's Oldest Woman Holds Title for One Week
114 year old, Emma Tillman of Connecticut died this January after being confirmed as the oldest living human by the Guinness Book of World Records. Mrs. Tillman, once a child of slaves, only held the title for one week, after a Puerto Rican man died early in the New Year, at the age of 115. Though Mrs. Tillman died in a nursing home, she lived on her own until she was 110 years old. Four of her siblings also lived beyond 100 years of age. The Tillman family attributes her longevity to her strong religious beliefs, and her abstinence from cigarettes and alcohol.

Comprehension Answers: Story #4

  1. This January Guiness had to change the name of the oldest living person three times.
  2. Mrs. Tillman lived alone and looked after herself until she was 110 years of age.
  3. The Tillman family believe that she lived a long life because she was deeply religious and didn't smoke or drink alcohol.