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: 11 December 2012
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Australian DJs Apologize For Hoax
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- DJ: disc jockey, a person who hosts and introduces music on a radio station
- prank call: a joke played via telephone, in which a caller pretends to be someone he/she is not
- hoax: a situation in which a person or group deceives another in fun
- apparent: believed to be true, but not yet proven to be true
Comprehension Questions
- Who did the DJs pretend to be?
- Who was the victim of the hoax?
- Why did the DJs feel deep regret?
Discussion Question: Prank calls have been aired on radio stations for years. Should radio stations need permission from victims of a prank before airing a recorded call like this?
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Australian DJS Apologize For Hoax
Two Australian DJs who pretended to be Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles have apologized and expressed deep regret for a prank call they made last week. The DJs got through to nursing staff at a hospital in central London where Duchess Kate was being treated for morning sickness. A nurse believed the DJs were legitimate members of the Royal Family, and gave them an update on the Duchess’s condition. Three days after the hoax made headlines, the nurse who took the call was found dead at her home in an apparent suicide. The DJs gave an emotional apology in a TV interview, and said they never expected their call to be put through.
- The DJs pretended to be Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth.
- The victim of the hoax was a nurse at a hospital in London where the Duchess was being treated for morning sickness.
- The DJs expressed deep regret because it is believed that the nurse who they spoke with committed suicide after the hoax.
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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