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: 14 April 2015
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Australia to Enforce Strict Immunisation Policy
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- enforce: to make sure the rules are followed
- crack down on: to enforce rules in a strict way
- strict: seriously enforced
- immunise/vaccinate: to inject a person with a vaccine to prevent a disease
- objection: the act of declining
- petition: a collection of signatures of people who object something
Comprehension Questions
- What does the Australian government plan on doing to encourage all parents to immunise their children?
- How does the new policy differ from the old one?
- Who objects to this announcement?
Discussion Questions: Do you think immunisation should be mandatory? Why or why not?
show Answershide Answers
Australia to Enforce Strict Immunisation Policy
The Australian government is cracking down on parents who refuse to immunise their children. Prime minister Tony Abbott says that the government plans to stop offering family benefits to parents who fail to comply with a new vaccination policy. Whereas in the past Australian parents could decline vaccination for their children based on a personal objection, now only a few medical or religious exceptions will be accepted. The change is expected to come into effect early next year. Since the announcement, thousands of Australian parents have signed an online petition against the policy.
- The Australian government plans on withholding government benefits to parents who refuse to get their children immunised.
- The new policy does not allow parents to decline immunisation based on a personal objection to vaccinations. Only specific religious or medical reasons for refusal will be accepted.
- Australian parents who do not agree with compulsory immunisation for their children object to this announcement.
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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