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: 24 December 2013
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN 🔈
Russian Punk Band Members Released
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- punk: an aggressive style of rock music that became popular in the 1970s
- amnesty: the act of pardoning a group of prisoners
- qualify: to be eligible to receive something; to meet the requirements
- pardon: forgiveness
Comprehension Questions
- Who was released from prison?
- Why was the prison release early?
- Why does the report mention the 2014 Olympics?
Discussion Question: These women were scheduled to be released in March 2014. Do you think their early release was likely planned to prevent protests during the Olympics? Why do protests often take place at the Olympic Games?
show Answershide Answers
Russian Punk Band Members Released
Two female members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot have been released from prison following an amnesty law that passed in Russia. The jailed women both had young children, which qualified them for the pardon. The women were serving a two-year sentence for hooliganism after performing an anti-Putin piece in a Russian cathedral in 2012. Their case received international attention from human rights activists. One of the band members told reporters that they did not ask for a pardon. She believes their early release was meant to make Mr. Putin look good ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi this February.
- Two members from Pussy Riot were released from prison.
- A new amnesty law was adopted in Russia. Since the band mothers were mothers of young children, they qualified for a pardon.
- The report mentions the 2014 Olympics because one of the band members felt the amnesty was timed before the Olympics to make Mr. Putin look good.
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.
© EnglishClub.com
