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: 05 November 2013
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN 🔈
YouTube Holds Inaugural Music Awards
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- inaugural: first in a planned series
- webcast: an event that is broadcast online
- unscripted: not planned in terms of what people are going to say or do
- spontaneous: not rehearsed
- nominee: one who is suggested as a possible winner or recipient
- breakthrough: the first success
Comprehension Questions
- Where did the awards show take place?
- What was Spike Jonze’s role?
- Describe the nomination process.
Discussion Question: How has YouTube revolutionized the music industry?
show Answershide Answers
YouTube Holds Inaugural Music Awards
The first annual YouTube Music Awards were held in New York City on November 3rd. The 90-minute awards show was broadcast in a live webcast on YouTube. Most of the show was unscripted. Creative director Spike Jonze wanted the show to be spontaneous and unpredictable like the site itself. Nominees were based on viewership, subscriptions and online engagement. The audience played a key role in the live performances during the show. Awards included the phenomenon award, the innovation award, the breakthrough award and the response of the year award. A recent survey in the US found that more American young people listen to music on YouTube than on the radio.
- The awards took place in New York City. The show was broadcast online in a live webcast on YouTube.
- Spike Jonze was the creative director of the awards show. He wanted it to have a spontaneous feel to it, just like the site does.
- Nominees were selected based on how many views a video or artist had, or how much online engagement there was on YouTube.
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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