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: 08 May 2012

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Putin Reclaims Russian Presidency

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

  • reclaim: to obtain once again
  • clash: to come into conflict with
  • swear in: to make an official promise before taking on a position
  • detain: to take into police control
  • inauguration: the ceremony in which a new leader officially takes office

Putin Reclaims Russian Presidency

Vladimir Putin officially the presidency of Russia on Monday as protesters continued to clash with riot police around. This is the third time Mr. Putin has been sworn in as the leader of Russia. Putin was President from 2000-2008, and remained largely in charge as Prime Minister from 2008-2012. In his address at the Kremlin, Mr. Putin said that his country was the “meaning of his whole life”. Hundreds of protesters were detained in the days the inauguration. The police were told to arrest anyone wearing a white ribbon, the symbol of the anti-Putin movement. Most of those who were picked up by police were quickly released after being not to protest on Monday.

Comprehension Questions

  1. Who is Vladimir Putin?
  2. During the inauguration, what did Putin say about his life purpose?
  3. Why does the report mention white ribbons?

Discussion Question: What is the ideal amount of time for a country’s leader to stay in power? Should former leaders be allowed to run in an election again?

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.
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