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: 26 December 2018

NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN 🔈

Japan to Resume Whaling in 2019

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

  • resume: to start again
  • commercial: for profit
  • whaling: hunting whales
  • controversial: causing strong disagreement
  • moratorium: a temporary ban
  • viable: realistic; capable of being successful

Japan to Resume Whaling in 2019

Japan this week that it is leaving the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and will resume commercial whaling in own waters in the summer of 2019. Japan will no longer engage in controversial “scientific” whale hunts in the Antarctic as it has been doing since the moratorium on whale hunting in the ’80s. Japanese officials argue that many whale species are no longer endangered and eating whale is part of its . Many environmental groups and governments are urging Japan to . Regardless of its decision, commercial whaling in Japan may not be viable since younger do not seem interested in eating whale meat.

Comprehension Questions

  1. What is the report mainly about?
  2. Why does this report mention the 1980s?
  3. Why might Japan’s decision not be realistic?

Discussion Question

What is your opinion on whale hunting for food?

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.
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