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: 26 August 2014
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN 🔈
Independent Film Festival Shut Down In China
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- venue: a place where an event is held
- screen: to show a film before it is released to the general public
- interfere: to prevent something from happening
- detain: to take into custody
- confiscate: to take control over someone’s property or stolen goods
Comprehension Questions
- What was canceled in Beijing this weekend?
- What happened at the 2012 Independent Film Festival in Beijing?
- What happened to two of the organizers of the festival this year?
Discussion Questions: At Beijing’s International Film Festival this year, American director Oliver Stone challenged Chinese filmmakers to take bigger political risks: “Open up your past the way the United States has opened up its past.” Is this a fair criticism considering these types of films are typically banned in China?
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Independent Film Festival Shut Down In China
Chinese authorities closed down Beijing’s 11th Independent Film Festival on opening day last Saturday. The small venue would have offered audiences an opportunity to screen eleven films that had not been censored by the government. This is the first time the event has been shut down completely, though authorities have interfered at previous events. In 2012, the electricity was cut, and in 2013, public screenings were banned. This year, two of the organizers of the event were reportedly detained for a short time. One of the founders of the festival claimed that his office was searched and some materials were confiscated. Journalists were blocked from accessing the area and reporting on the closure.
- The 11th annual Beijing Independent Film Festival was canceled this weekend.
- The electricity was shut off at the 2012 Independent Film Festival in China.
- Two of the organizers of the festival said they were detained for a short time. One organizer said he had his office searched.
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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