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: 30 April 2013
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN 🔈
Garment Factory Collapses in Bangladesh
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- garment: clothing
- collapse: the falling down of a structure
- visual: able to be seen
- assure: to tell someone that you are sure about something
- tenant: person who rents a space
- wreckage: the ruined or badly damaged parts at the scene following an accident or disaster
Comprehension Questions
- What type of building collapsed?
- What took place in Bangladesh’s garment district following the disaster?
- Who was arrested?
Discussion Question:
Many people are calling for a national strike in Bangladesh this week. Do you think this disaster will inspire a change in the garment industry? What can global brands do to ensure better safety standards and working conditions in the garment industry?
show Answershide Answers
Garment Factory Collapses in Bangladesh
Almost 400 garment workers have been confirmed dead following last week’s collapse of a nine-story factory in Bangladesh. Large visual cracks had appeared in the building a day before the collapse, but the owner of the building assured tenants that the building was safe. Family members of the missing slept at the scene waiting for workers and volunteers to pull bodies out of the wreckage. While loved ones wept, thousands of people in the garment manufacturing district gathered to protest the lack of safety standards and working conditions. Bangladesh’s garment industry brings in 20 billion dollars a year, and accounts for about 80% of the country’s exports. The owner of the building attempted to flee the country, but has been arrested. Rescue efforts were called off when a fire broke out on Sunday as rescuers tried to free a trapped woman.
- A nine-story building containing garment factories collapsed.
- A protest took place in Bangladesh’s garment district following the disaster. Protesters are angry about the safety standards and working conditions in Bangladesh’s garment industry.
- The owner of the building that collapsed was arrested. He was trying to flee the country.
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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