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: 26 April 2011
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Colonel Gaddafi’s Compound Destroyed
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization (military alliance)
- compound: a group of enclosed buildings protected by security
- reception hall: a place to hold parties and celebrations
- assassination: the planned killing of a person
- headquarters: the central place for administration and decision making
- civilians: people who live in an area and are not part of the military
- bunker: an underground place to hide or seek shelter; often protected from above
- maintain: continue to defend what has been said in the past
Comprehension Questions
- What was destroyed in the NATO airstrikes?
- How did Gaddafi’s son respond to the recent attack?
- Why does the reading mention Italy?
Discussion Question: Shortly before the attack, a US Senator was quoted saying that NATO needed to “cut the head of the snake off”. The US government denies that levelling Gaddafi’s compound was an assassination attempt. What do you think?
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Colonel Gaddafi’s Compound Destroyed
NATO targeted Colonel Gaddafi’s compound on April 25th, destroying his office, library, and reception hall. Members of the Libyan leader’s regime called it an assassination attempt, and Gaddafi’s son said it would only scare children. NATO defended the strikes, saying the building was a communications headquarters used for planning attacks against civilians. The conflict in Libya has been going on for over two months, with daily battles in the city of Misrata. Italy has announced that its warplanes will join in on the bombing of pro-Gaddafi forces. Over the weekend NATO hit Gaddafi’s bunkers. Pro-Gaddafi forces maintain that he is still alive.
- Colonel Gaddafi’s compound was destroyed in the NATO airstrikes.
- Gaddafi’s son said that the recent attack would only scare children.
- Italy has agreed to join in the airstrikes against the Libyan government.
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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