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: 12 August 2014
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN 🔈
Ebola Outbreak in West Africa
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- Ebola: a deadly virus (also a river in DR Congo)
- outbreak: a sudden spread of something negative (usually a disease)
- virus: an infectious disease
- missionary: a person on a religious mission
- in quarantine: in an isolated area to prevent the possible transmission of disease
Comprehension Questions
- How do humans contract Ebola?
- How did the virus get its name?
- Why does the report mention two Americans?
Discussion Questions: While Nigeria’s president has declared a national emergency, he has also asked the public not to spread false information about the virus. What is “mass hysteria” and how can it be prevented in a situation such as this?
show Answershide Answers
Ebola Outbreak in West Africa
Nigeria has declared a national emergency due to an outbreak of the Ebola virus. Over 900 people in West Africa have died from the Ebola virus this year. Ebola symptoms include vomiting, fever, muscle pain and bleeding. The fatality rate is about 90%. The deadly Ebola virus is transmitted to humans from infected wild animals, including fruit bats, pigs and monkeys. It can then be passed human-to-human through contact with bodily fluids. Health professionals and volunteers in West Africa are taking extra precautions after two American missionaries who were working in Liberia tested positive for Ebola. The infected doctor and nurse are receiving treatment in the US, while other members of their team are in quarantine. The virus was named after the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo where the first outbreak occurred in 1976. There is currently no vaccine.
- Humans can contract Ebola by contact with wild animals or by coming in contact with bodily fluids of infected humans.
- The virus was named after the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo where the first outbreak occurred in 1976.
- The report mentions two Americans who contracted Ebola while doing missionary work as health professionals in Liberia.
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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