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: 15 March 2017
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Disney Refuses to Censor Beauty and the Beast
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- gay: homosexual
- not sit well: to make people feel uncomfortable
- sidekick: buddy
- villain: the bad guy in a story
- subtly: delicately, without a lot of attention
- censor: to remove or hide
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Disney Refuses to Censor Beauty and the Beast
Comprehension Questions
- What role does LeFou play in the film?
- What did film censors in Malaysia ask Disney to do?
- Why does the report mention Alabama?
Discussion Questions: Some people have pointed out that the theme of Beauty and the Beast is acceptance. Do you think Disney was right in refusing to censor this film?
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Disney Refuses to Censor Beauty and the Beast
Disney’s new live-action film Beauty and the Beast contains a “gay moment” that is not sitting well in some countries. According to those who have previewed the film, LeFou, the sidekick of Gaston, the villain, subtly reveals that he is gay in one scene in the film. Film censors in Malaysia have asked Disney to cut the moment from the film, but Disney has declined. In Malaysia, gay characters are permitted in films, but they must be depicted in a negative light. A drive-in theatre in Alabama has also refused to show the film. In Russia, the film has been restricted to viewers over 16 years old.
- LeFou plays the villain’s sidekick.
- Film censors in Malaysia asked Disney to cut the “gay moment” from the film.
- The report mentions Alabama because a drive-in theatre there has refused to show the film due to the scene involving a gay character.
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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