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: 27 November 2012
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN 🔈
Missing Island in Coral Sea
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- geologist: scientist who studies the physical properties of the earth
- nautical chart: a map of marine area
- puzzled: confused
- cartographer: map maker
- reproduced: made again
- to chalk something up to: to consider something as a cause
- digitize: convert something to digital form
Comprehension Questions
- How did scientists make this discovery?
- Why does the report mention Google Earth?
- What do cartographers say about how the non-existent island made its way onto modern maps?
Discussion Question: Some map makers include “phantom streets” to protect themselves from other map makers who may copy their work. Do you agree with this technique of a “copyright trap”? Why do you think marine cartographers would avoid this practice?
show Answershide Answers
Missing Island In Coral Sea
Geologists from the University of Sydney say that a small island in the Coral Sea that appears on nautical charts and maps, including Google Earth, does not exist. Maps place ‘Sandy Island’ between Australia and French-held New Caledonia. The scientists who had hoped to explore the island were puzzled when they arrived to find deep ocean instead of land. Experts say that this is a poorly explored part of the world, and that maps of the area need updating. It is unknown how the invisible island made its way onto the maps in the first place; however, cartographers are chalking it up to human error. The error has been reproduced for many years, and may be the result of digitizing.
- A group of geologists went looking for the island and found that it did not exist.
- The report mentions Google Earth because its digital maps feature the non-existent ‘Sandy Island’.
- Cartographers say that the island was probably placed on the map in error, and that the error has been repeated for many years.
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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