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: 15 November 2011
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN π
Mario Monti To Replace Italy’s Prime Minister
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- resign: to give up a position
- confidence: belief in the ability of someone or something
- nominate: to recommend a person for a position or award
- to make a sacrifice: to give up something that you love or enjoy in exchange for something else
- turmoil: trouble
Comprehension Questions
- Why did Berlusconi resign?
- What will Monti’s main job be?
- What similar event happened in Greece recently?
Discussion Question: There is a lot of talk these days about a “eurozone meltdown”. What do you think this means? Do you think it will happen? Why or why not?
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Mario Monti To Replace Italy’s Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi resigned as Italy’s prime minister on Saturday due to investors’ lack of confidence in the Italian economy. Mario Monti, an economist and financial advisor, was nominated by Italy’s president to replace Berlusconi. Monti is a former European Union Commissioner. His job will be to reassure investors that Italy can reduce its debt load and recover economically. Monti addressed the country shortly after his nomination, promising to do his best to improve the future for Italy’s children. According to Monti, Italians will have to make sacrifices in order to prevent a eurozone meltdown. Berlusconi is the second European prime minister to resign this month. Earlier, Greece’s Prime Minister George Papandreou resigned. Both countries are in economic turmoil due to the European debt crisis.
- Silvio Berlusconi resigned due to investors’ lack of confidence in Italy’s economy.
- Monti’s main job will be to reduce Italy’s debt and restore investors’ confidence in Italy’s economy.
- Greece’s prime minister also resigned recently due to the debt crisis.
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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