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: 10 January 2011

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US Congresswoman Shot in the Head

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

  • open fire: shoot bullets into an area rapidly
  • constituent: a person who supports a government party or leader
  • critical condition: a serious medical state in which a hospitalized patient is at a high risk of dying
  • federal: national; related to the government
  • suspend: to remove membership or admission rights

US Congresswoman Shot in the Head

An Arizona man opened fire outside a on Saturday as a congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, was speaking to her constituents. The congresswoman was shot in the head and remains in critical condition. 20 people were shot and six were killed, including one member of Giffords’ staff, a federal judge and a nine-year-old girl who was born on September 11th, 2001. The child was previously in a book called 50 Faces of , about the children born on 9/11. The gunman was 22-year-old Jared Loughner. He was a student who was recently suspended because his feared he might become violent.

Comprehension Questions

  1. Who is Gabrielle Giffords?
  2. Where did the shooting take place?
  3. Why was a book mentioned in the report?

Discussion Question: Many people on the scene jumped on the gunman who was shooting at close range. A middle-aged woman tried to stop him from reloading his gun. How do you think you would react in a situation like this?

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.
© EnglishClub.com
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