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: 02 February 2016

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

WHO Declares Zika Virus a Global Emergency

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

  • Zika: a forest in Uganda
  • virus: an agent that causes infectious disease
  • pose: to introduce or present something (e.g., a problem or question)
  • mild: manageable; not severe

WHO Declares Zika Virus a Global Emergency

The Zika virus, which is carried by , is spreading through Latin America, and has become an international public health threat according to the World Health Organization. In most people, Zika symptoms are mild or . However, there is concern that the Zika virus is connected to microcephaly, a serious medical that causes babies to be born with an underdeveloped brain and a small head. American officials have warned pregnant women and those who are planning on getting pregnant to stop travelling to Brazil at this time. There is no known prevention from avoiding mosquito bites.

Comprehension Questions

  1. Why does the report mention mosquitos?
  2. Where is the current outbreak of the Zika virus?
  3. Who is most at risk of developing a serious illness from the Zika virus?

Discussion Questions: With six months to go until the Summer Olympics in Brazil, panic is spreading about the Zika virus. Do you think countries should warn female athletes and spectators (of childbearing age) not to travel?

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.
© EnglishClub.com
Search for more stories by topic. For example, search for keywords like: climate change, floods, trump, money, thailand, language...

Teacher's Notes

Subscribe to EnglishClub Podcasts RSS Feed

10 comments

Leave a comment