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: 16 April 2013
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Wrist Scans Reveal Overage Football Players
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- scan: an image that comes from a scanner
- overage: beyond the allowed age
- ban: to disallow further participation or use
- legitimate: valid
- pose: to present
Comprehension Questions
- How old are the players at this football championship supposed to be?
- Which countries failed the recent age tests?
- How do the tests determine the age of the players?
Discussion Question: Why is it an unfair advantage to have overage players on a competitive sports team? In what situation might it be an unfair advantage to have underage players?
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Wrist Scans Reveal Overage Football Players
MRI tests were used to determine the true age of African football players at the Under-17 Championship in Morocco this week. After the testing, nine players from Congo, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria were banned from the competition due to being overage. All three squads are now playing with 18 players instead of 21. Many African players do not have legitimate birth certificates. The wrist scans look at the fusion of the wrist bones to determine a player’s age. FIFA’s first official use of MRI technology was at the U-19 World Cup in Nigeria. According to FIFA’s medical centre, the random tests accurately determine the age of the players without posing any health risks to the athletes.
- The players at the football championship are supposed to be under 17.
- Nine players from Congo, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria failed the recent age tests.
- The tests determine the age of the players by looking at the fusion of the wrist bones.
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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