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: 29 March 2011
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN π
Thousands of Migrants Flee to Italy
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- migrant: a person who moves from one region to another
- refugee: a person who leaves his or her homeland in search of safety, due to war, politics, or other difficulties
- uprising: an act of protest against a leadership or cause that grows steadily in a short amount of time
- influx: a sudden flowing in of people or things
- coalition: a group that is acting or working together for a specific mission or goal
- burden: heavy responsibility and worry caused by a difficult situation
- odyssey: a long quest resulting in various changes of fortune
Comprehension Questions
- Why are people fleeing North Africa?
- Why does the Italian government need help?
- What is Odyssey Dawn?
Discussion Question: The UN-backed coalition that formed operation “Odyssey Dawn” was led by the US with initial military support from the UK, France, Italy, and Canada. Other nations began to contribute to the operation within days. How does the code name fit the military operation?
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Thousands of Migrants Flee to Italy
Migrants from war-torn North Africa are arriving on Italian soil by boatloads, and an even larger influx of refugees is expected in the upcoming weeks. The population of the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa has more than doubled in recent months as Tunisians fled from the uprising in hopes of gaining refugee status. Italian officials say the influx poses a serious public health risk on the small islands. The government has requested help from the European Union, saying that Italy should not have to take on the burden alone. On March 19th, a US-led military coalition began attacking pro-Gaddafi forces under the operation name “Odyssey Dawn”.
- Major conflict has broken out around North Africa, especially in Libya and Tunisia.
- The Italian government needs help dealing with an influx of migrants to its tiny islands.
- Odyssey Dawn is the name of the international coalition that has attacked pro-Gaddafi forces in Libya.
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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