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: 31 March 2015
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN 🔈
New York Roller Coaster Breaks Down
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- roller coaster: an amusement park ride that runs on a track like a train
- run: a journey on a vehicle
- unharmed: without injury
- stall: to stop working temporarily
- up and running: operating normally
Comprehension Questions
- What is The Cyclone?
- What happened at a Coney Island amusement park on opening day?
- What did passengers have to do?
Discussion Questions: How would you react if a roller coaster broke down while you were on it?
show Answershide Answers
Coney Island Roller Coaster Breaks Down
A world-famous wooden roller coaster on New York’s Coney Island got stuck on the first run of the season this weekend. The Cyclone stalled before the first drop, forcing riders to get out and walk down the hill by foot. Though everyone escaped unharmed, many who were on the stalled roller coaster said the incident was terrifying. Some said they would get back in line when it was up and running again. The Cyclone has been in operation since 1927.
- The Cyclone is a wooden roller coaster at a Coney Island amusement park.
- An eighty-year-old roller coaster broke down on its first run on opening day.
- Passengers had to get off the roller coaster at the top of the hill and walk down to the ground by foot.
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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