photo Tara Benwell 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 October 2014

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Disease Detectives Investigate Ebola Breach

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

  • Ebola: a highly infectious disease that kills about 50% of people who contract it
  • breach: failure to follow the proper protocol or code of conduct
  • contamination: the loss of purity or cleanliness due to the presence of a harmful substance
  • ravage: to ruin or cause major destruction
  • screen: to check for something, such as the onset of a disease
  • infectious: spreadable

Disease Detectives Investigate Ebola Breach

An American nurse who was an Ebola victim at a hospital in Texas has tested positive for the deadly disease that is ravaging West Africa. This is the first known case of Ebola being contracted in the US. The nurse had reportedly taken all precautions to eliminate contamination, including wearing protective gear, such as a mask, gloves, gown, and shield. Disease detectives are currently investigating . They are particularly interested in how the gear was removed after the nurse treated her patient who has since died. Nurses all over the US have stepped out to their concerns about the lack of training to deal with Ebola. Only a handful of hospitals in the US are fully trained to deal with infectious diseases. Passengers arriving in the US from the hardest hit countries are now being screened for Ebola at five US airports.

Comprehension Questions

    1. Why were disease detectives called to this case?
    2. What happened to the patient that this nurse was caring for?
    3. Why does the report mention airports in the US?

Discussion Questions: Should nurses be forced to treat patients with highly infectious diseases?

show Answers

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
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