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 September 2016
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Russian Scientists Surrounded by Polar Bears
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- relief: assistance and/or comfort
- a dozen: 12
- aggressive: angry and violent
- vessel: ship
- flare: something that creates a large flame to attract attention
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Russian Scientists Surrounded by Polar Bears
Comprehension Questions
- Where were the scientists trapped?
- What signs of aggression did the polar bears exhibit?
- What supplies did the helicopter bring?
Discussion Questions: If an emergency crew had been unable to reach the scientists, should the scientists have been given permission to shoot the bears to save their own lives? Why or why not?
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Russian Scientists Surrounded by Polar Bears
Relief supplies finally arrived on a remote Arctic island where a group of scientists had been trapped in a weather station. Up to a dozen polar bears had surrounded the station on the island of Troynoy and set up camp approximately two weeks ago. The bears were becoming more aggressive over time, killing one of the station’s dogs and breaking a window. On Wednesdays, a helicopter that picked up supplies from a nearby vessel arrived with dogs and flares and was able to scare away the bears and allow the researchers to get back to work.
- The scientists were trapped in a weather station on a remote island in the Arctic.
- The polar bears killed a dog and broke a window while camping out around the station.
- The helicopter brought flares and dogs to scare away the bears.
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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