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: 24 May 2011
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Toddler Dies After Being Left In Hot Car
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- toddler: a very young child (1-3 years)
- veterinary: related to the health care of animals
- day-care: a place where young children are cared for while their parents or guardians are at work
- dehydrated: to have lost a lot of water from the body
- organ transplant: the placing of a healthy organ (such as the heart) from a donor into the body of another person who needs it
Comprehension Questions
- When did the father discover that his child was still in the car?
- What was significant about the mother’s condition before this loss?
- What did the parents do after Elena died?
Discussion Question: Following Elena’s death, her father faced manslaughter charges. Do you believe a parent should be punished for a child’s accidental death?
show Answershide Answers
Toddler Dies after being left in Hot Car
A 22-month-old baby was declared brain dead three days after being left in her father’s hot car in Italy. The father, a professor of veterinary medicine, said he thought he had dropped his daughter off at day-care. When he returned to his vehicle after work, he realised his baby was still inside. Baby Elena was rushed to hospital severely dehydrated, but could not be saved. The father told reporters that it was like someone “pulled the plug” from his brain. The baby’s mother is eight months pregnant. She defended her partner, saying it could happen to anyone. Elena’s heart, liver and kidneys were given to four children in need of organ transplants.
- The father discovered that his child was still in the car when his work day was over.
- The mother was eight months pregnant when this occurred.
- The parents offered Elena’s organs (heart, liver, kidneys) to children in need.
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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