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 February 2012
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN 🔈
Hundreds Die In Honduras Prison Fire
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- confirm: to state something as fact
- condition:Â the quality, order, or appearance of something
- capacity:Â the maximum number of people that a facility can safely hold
- inmate:Â a person living in a prison
- convict:Â to prove in court that a person is guilty of a crime
Comprehension Questions
- What does the report say about the conditions of this Honduras prison?
- What did many of the prisoners have in common?
- What is the suspected cause of the fire?
Discussion Question: When a fire breaks out in a prison, should guards open the gates and let the prisoners free? Why or why not?
show Answershide Answers
Hundreds Die In Honduras Prison Fire
Officials now confirm that 358 people died in a prison fire in central Honduras last week. The number is slightly lower than the original death toll announced by the fire chief. The prison, which is considered to have the worst conditions in Honduras, was extremely overcrowded and understaffed. Some reports say that the prison was over capacity by about 300 prisoners, and only had 12 guards on duty the night the fire ripped through. Many of the inmates were suspected gang members who had never been convicted of a crime. No official cause of the fire has been released, but witnesses say an inmate set a mattress on fire. This is the world’s deadliest prison fire in a century.
- The report says that this Honduras prison had the worst conditions in the country. The prison was overcrowded and understaffed.
- Many of the prisoners were suspected gang members who had never been charged with a crime.
- Witnesses say that an inmate set a mattress on fire.
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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