Listen to News ~ dateline: 03 January 2011
New Year’s Bomb Explodes in Egypt
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- gather: to get together
- midnight Mass: a late night service in a Christian church
- riot: an outbreak of violence, generally caused by sudden anger by a group of people against the government or an institution
- originally: at first; in the beginning
- blast: explosion
- Copt: a person who descended from ancient Egyptian Christians
New Year’s Bomb Explodes in Egypt
Comprehension Questions
- What time did the bomb go off?
- What type of attack did people think had happened at first?
- What did Egypt’s President say about the attack?
Discussion Question: President Mubarak stated that “terrorism does not distinguish between Copt and Muslim.” Do you agree with his statement? Why or why not?
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New Year’s Bomb Explodes in Egypt Just ten minutes into 2011, a bomb at an Egyptian church killed at least 25 people and injured more than 70 others. About 1000 people had gathered at a Christian mass in Alexandria. The bomb took place as the service ended. A riot between police and Christians continued through the night and into the next day. The President argued that the terrorist attack was not tied to any religion. A Muslim mosque was also damaged in the attack. Originally the bomb was thought to come from a car bomb. Investigators later said that the blast came from a suicide bomber in the crowd.
- The bomb went off ten minutes after midnight on New Year’s Day.
- Originally people thought a car bomb had exploded.
- The President said that the terrorist attack was not tied to a religion.
Written by Tara Benwell for EnglishClub.com
Tara Benwell is a Canadian freelance writer and editor who specializes in materials and articles for the ELT industry.
