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: 18 September 2012
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN 🔈
Protests Escalate Over Anti-Islam Film
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- escalate: to get worse
- mock: to make fun of
- fraud: a person who lies in order to gain financial wealth
- dub: to add to or change the voice after the original recording
- insult: a form of disrespect
- consulate: the office or building where a representative from a foreign country helps its own government and citizens
Comprehension Questions
- Who called for demonstrations by the Muslim community?
- What can be inferred about the film-maker?
- Who was Chris Stevens?
Discussion Question: Do you think the anti-Islamic film should be available for people to view, or should it be banned in all countries where YouTube is available?
show Answershide Answers
Protests Escalate Over Anti-Islam Film
An online video that mocks Prophet Mohammed has angered Muslims, and sparked violent anti-US protests around the world. The 14-minute film, which was posted on YouTube, depicts the prophet as a fraud, a womanizer, and a killer. Actors and crew members involved in the low-budget film have claimed that the film was dubbed over in post-production. They say they were tricked into believing that the main character was a guy named George. The leader of Hezbollah called for the Muslim community to take part in demonstrations, saying, “As long as there’s blood in us, we will not remain silent over insults against our prophet”. Many believe that the film provoked the attack at the U.S. consulate in Libya last Tuesday, where four Americans were killed, including the Ambassador Chris Stevens. American embassies and consulates worldwide are under security alert.
- The leader of Hezbollah called for demonstrations by the Muslim community.
- It can be inferred that the film-maker is American.
- Chris Stevens was the American Ambassador in Libya.
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
