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: 19 November 2013
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN 🔈
Batkid Captivates San Francisco
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- captivate: to capture the attention
- leukemia: a type of blood cancer
- in remission: a period of health after treatment of a serious illness
- damsel in distress: a young woman who needs rescuing
- simulated: artificial; not real
Comprehension Questions
- What organization fulfilled the child’s wish?
- Why does the report mention a Lamborghini?
- What did Batkid receive from the mayor of San Francisco?
Discussion Question: The executive director of Make-A-Wish said that this wish went viral because the idea of being a superhero for a day struck a chord* with people. If you could be any superhero for a day, who would you choose to be and why?
*strike a chord: to cause someone to have an emotional response due to having had a similar personal experience or feeling
show Answershide Answers
Batkid Captivates San Francisco
A five-year-old child who is battling leukaemia was granted a special wish to be Batman for a day on Friday. Thousands of people lined the streets as the Make-a-Wish Foundation transformed San Francisco into Gotham City to fulfil the cancer survivor’s wish. Miles, who is currently in remission, was given the role of “Batkid” and was whisked around the city in a black Lamborghini decorated as the Batmobile. The simulated events included rescuing a damsel in distress, interrupting a bank robbery, and catching Batman’s enemies. At the end of the adventure, Batkid was given the keys to the city by San Francisco’s mayor and congratulated via video message by President Obama.
- The Make-A-Wish Foundation fulfilled Miles’s wish.
- The report mentions a Lamborghini because this is the type of car that was used for the Batmobile.
- Batkid received a key to the city.
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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