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: 25 December 2012
NB! For WEEKLY audio stories check out LISTEN & LEARN π
World Survives Doomsday
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- anticipate: to wait for with interest or excitement
- apocalypse: the end of the world
- without incident: without the occurrence of something unwanted
- stockpile: to gather extra supplies for the future
- bunker: a safe place to wait or store items; usually underground
- enlightened: having greater knowledge and awareness
Comprehension Questions
- Which calendar was used to predict the end of the world as December 21, 2012?
- What is a “prepper”?
- What do many modern Mayans believe about the year 2012?
Discussion Question: According to one major poll, one in ten Europeans had anxiety about the December 21st prophesy. Why do you think some people blame this irrational fear on the Internet?
show Answershide Answers
World Survives Doomsday
The much-anticipated “end of the world” came and went without incident on Friday, December 21st. The apocalypse myth was based on the end of the Mayan long count calendar. Thousands of “preppers” around the world stockpiled food and built survivor bunkers in preparation for “Doomsday”. In several countries, including the US, China, and Russia, government officials put out special notices to inform citizens that the world would not end on Friday. While some people truly believed Friday would be the end of the world, many modern Mayans associate the end of 2012 with the beginning of a new enlightened age.
- The Mayan long count calendar was used to predict the end of the world as December 21, 2012.
- “Prepper” was the word used for a person who was preparing for the end of the world.
- Many modern Mayans believe that the end of 2012 marks a new age of enlightenment.
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
