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: 06 January 2015
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN 🔈
Heart Emoji is Top English “Word”
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- emoji: picture that stands for a word that expresses an emotion
- hashtag: #; used to show that a comment or link belongs to a category, topic, or discussion
- vape: to smoke electronic cigarettes
- Ebola: an infectious, and often fatal, disease
- photo bomb: to jump into a scene just as a photographer takes a picture
Comprehension Questions
- What was the top word for 2014?
- How is the top word chosen?
- Why does the report mention Ebola?
Discussion Questions: Which English words do you find yourself using too often? What ideas can you think of to expand your vocabulary?
show Answershide Answers
Heart Emoji is Top English “Word”
The heart emoji, an electronic picture meaning love, has been identified as the top word used in 2014, according to the Global Language Monitor. The symbol for love or heart was used over 1 billion times a day in 2014. This is the first time in history that a symbol has appeared as a top English word on this annual list. The GLM uses the Internet and print sources to identify the most used words and phrases. Other words that placed in the top 15, included hashtag, vape, Ebola and photo bomb.
- The heart emoji was identified as the top “word” for 2014.
- The Global Language Monitor searches published material on the Internet and in print to decide on the top word for the year.
- The report mentions Ebola because it was one of the top words used in 2014.
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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